Fallout: Equestria - Occupational Hazards

Chapters

To Mooscow!
Making Friends
Old Bones, New Math
Decay
Dreaming
Discovery
Homecoming
Who Dares Wins
Signals & Stripes
Panzer Vor!
Recovery
Resignation
Scavenging
The Seige of Pripytrot
Normality
Endgame
The Stables
Rust

To Mooscow!

So, first few hours out in the wasteland, and here are some things I've learned; snow is very cold, tundra is very hard, the music is absolutely fan-bucking-tastic, and everypony shoots first and asks questions later. Or, actually, they just keep shooting... and shooting... and shooting some more. Celestia damn, do they like shooting...

Alright, so, caught in a firefight with three rounds left in the clip, can't go up, can't run forwards, and pinned down by bullets and what I can only guess is what Mr. Skritters pretty much looked like after the radiation turned his entire everything into glowing goop flying overhead. I popped up out of cover to take a gander at the situation, and was greeted with a rifle shot giving my cheek a nice new scrape. Guess they aren't the best of shots either, but... OW, bullet shockwave ringing in my ear. Moving my tongue forwards and getting ahold of the trigger, a quick tug sent a bullet flying right at that half-naked bastard's... huh. So that's what a .45 can do to a skull. Never thought the brain would be so grey, and... spongy. Oh hi lunch, haven't seen you in a few hours, still as tasty as- nope, nope, that is definitely acid. Oh sweet princess of the night, not on the pistol...

I took pause to place the hay fries and apple fritter that were so kindly made back in the Stable neatly upon the side of the road behind the makeshift barricade, thankfully without a very nice and VERY powerful pistol in the way, spitting out the last remaining bits and getting primed to fire again. Two rounds left, six... five, five guys wanting to use my tails as fancy dresswear. Christ, whichever one of those bastards who's firing the green goop gun must be either blind or an insanely bad shot, the freaky buck who got hit just exploded in a goddamned pulse of goop! Guess his friends had noticed that too, and either planned to honorarily discharge the poor blind sap with a few ounces of lead in the brain or were just surprised in seeing somepony melt like an ice cube on the reactor heat sink, either way, hey, free shots! A moment to aim... and kaboom. Yay, more grey matter! Oh, who could that be, it's breakfast! Now isn't that a nice surprise, Lunch just stopped by a few minutes ago, here, let me get the door for you. Ah, nice to see a familiar reddish-brown mush meeting another familiar reddish-brown mush once more. I might even get to see stomach today at this rate!

Oh, Celestia help me...

Right, down to three... or, wait, two? Was the green goop gun guy hiding now? Wouldn't blame him if he was that ba- that was a rifle shot, I should get down. Oooh, apple skin never did agree with me, especially now when he has his friend hydrochloric stomach acid along with him just inches from my face. This was going to be a long journey... buck up, come on you two-tailed moron, get the gun back in and start shooting again. Just go for the neck, there isn't any sponge brain there, and this gun seems to do a great job of delivering not fun times for everypony at the pointier end. Lining up the shot, good, very good, now just squeeze, more, more, and BAM! Ow, that was a tooth I'm probably not going to be getting back anytime soon... at least there wasn't any grey matter that time, just a nice decapitated earth pony head leaking blood on the smouldering pile of ash that was their body a moment ago. Wait, what?

I peeked over the barricade a bit further, looking at the rather large pile of very disturbing scantily clad mares and bucks and piles of ash laying in the middle of the street. Sweet Celestia, what the hell did it take to be surviving out here? A sudden bolt of green glowing goop singing my mane and cheek told me, probably keeping your head down. Then again, since whoever had the goop gun apparently wasn't coming charging at me wanting to use me in the way an old spooky story featuring a certain pink mare of the ministries did to all the little fillies and colts who didn't love exactly every single thing that Equestria was - sweet Luna, now THAT was some freaky-flank propaganda - maybe they could use whatever hopefully non-spongy nor outside-their-skull brains to listen to some pleas.

"Hey! You, with the goop gun! Think you could maybe -not- fire at the unfortunate young pegasus who trotted in way over his head over here? Pretty sure he'd appreciate it!" Just able to flick the small release button for the clip, I looked down at the one bullet left inside of it and grimaced slightly, as if hearing chatter at the front door again. Nope, sorry stomach, I think you should head back home before things get ugly... well, uglier. Guh, kind of really wished I could have my radio turned on right now...

"Goop? It's called plasma, idiot with the magnum!" Well, wasn't that one just a ray of sunshine... and he was still firing! I cowered back behind the small concrete divider, looking to the side as one of the balls of plasma dissolved the puddle that was formerly the content of my stomach into the ground further. Sliding further along behind the small barricade, I popped up for a moment to check where it was coming from - well, that was certainly a weird wagon. Wait a minute, wasn't that one of those old steam-run clankers? Huh, now that's a... exactly where he's firing from! Well, at least it's localized fire now... and that might just be what I needed.

"It's a... ah... well, I think it's a Luger... whatever! Just hold your buckin' fire!" With one generous leap, and a sudden realization that holy hell was this duster not designed for pegasi, I cleared over the barricade and made a clumsily arcing beeline for the motorized wagon, Gamma's pistol held in my mouth with the one shot left. Two plasma balls arced wide around me, diving in for the attack with great fervor, until noticing something peculiar about the unicorn buck levitating what I guess was his plasma gun - that was a Stable jumpsuit he was wearing. I blinked in surprise, still processing up to the moment that gravity won the battle between it and my wings, sending us both crashing and rolling around in the freezing-cold snow. "Oomfh..."

I was momentarily blinded by the sudden change in light level, my eyes watering and being stung by the icy wind that blew outside the cavern's exit. I put a hoof up to shield my eyes as I levitated my glasses off of my face, and wiped my tears off of the insides of the lenses. My eyes eventually adjusted to the bright, blinding light and I was able to stare off the side of the mountain, watching as wind blew bits of snow down into the valley below me. I leaned over the side and bit and gazed downwards before quickly stepping back. Okay, note to self, don’t look down. Alright, there had to be a path somewhere to lead up here, right? Glancing about the icy, frozen wasteland just outside, I soon spotted what looked like an extremely faded road running along the side of the mountain. I began to slowly trot down, sticking as far from the edge as I could - oh, why did Stables have to be built into mountains?

After listening to a few distant pops, I drew my plasma pistol, glancing back and forth for any signs of danger. Supposedly those megaspell-things they dropped centuries ago wouldn’t have wiped out everything, rumors had been spread around of some creatures being able to survive the bombardment. I shuddered, half from fear, and half from how bitingly cold it was. My tail curled up tight as I regretted not having taken the time to find a coat. The wind whistled as it blew through the valley, flurries of snow being tossed into the air. I squinted, trying to tell if there was anything on the opposite side of the valley, but nothing came into view. I looked up, finally noticing just how dim the whole area was. Why in Equestria were there so many clouds? I thought pegasi controlled them, if they’re all gone, what’s making them? I shook my head, quietly wondering if it was an unintended side effect of the spells they dropped.

Trotting down a switchback, I noticed a faded, bent sign stuck into the snow. 'Emerald Ridge, Pop; 4,820' it read in peeling paint, an equally ruined arrow pointing towards the opposite end of the valley. I glanced back up the mountain, the wooden door of Stable 76 now barely in view. I paused, my stomach clenching up, mind thinking back. Cross… I’m so sorry… I sniffed a bit, praying he was okay. I should’ve just stayed… but who knows what the overmare would’ve done. I tried to push the thoughts to the back of my mind as I reached the bottom of the mountain and began to trudge through the snow in the valley.

As I walked through the windy crevace, I heard a small buzzing in the distance. I raised my pistol up again, slowing my trot. A dark shape appeared around the corner of the road, still buzzing loudly. It soon came into view, and prompted me to give a cry of fear and revulsion. The thing was at least the size of my head, with grotesquely swollen limbs that seemed to grasp at the air. I fired off several shots of plasma, one managing to strike it and send it falling to the ground with a painful squeak. I gave it a wide berth, its legs still twitching a little, despite being seared by the hot plasma. Oh, good Celestia, that’s disgusting. I rushed down the road, reloading my pistol as it curved around a small hill.

In the distance I spotted a small collection of houses, my eyes going wide at the sight. I thought everything was supposed to have been flattened by the war, just craters and death for miles around... guess the school played up those facts a bit much. I stowed my pistol as I followed the road around the side of the small town of Emerald Ridge, still glancing about for signs of any more of those disgusting fly-things. I turned off the road as it approached the town, heading down one of the streets. My stomach growled a bit as I roamed through, myself taking pause to hold a hoof against it. Ok, leaving without food was another dumb decision… maybe there’s some sort of grocery store or something nearby. Oh, I could go for a Sunrise Sarsaparilla...

I turned the corner, spotting a few figures in the distance, thankfully ones that looked much more equine in appearance than that thing earlier. Before I could rush up to them, though, I heard a gunshot, one of them falling to the ground. I dove behind some rubble, my heart suddenly in my throat - oh for Celestia's sake, please don't let me die here. I heard the ponies return fire as the aggressor dove behind a small wall beside a brick building. I peered over the rubble, only to witness one of the pony’s heads become a cloud of red mist as another bullet flew through it. I shrieked as my glasses were suddenly coated in blood, which drew the attention of the group of ponies focused on the one behind the house.

Bullets flew through the air around me as I was forced to remove my glasses, everything turning into a mess of blurs. I fired sporadically, most of my plasma shots coming nowhere near the group of ponies, but occasionally one hit its mark and seared the ponies skin. One shot manage to strike one in the eye, and he wailed as he melted into a pile of cool plasma. I couldn’t hear anymore gunshots in my direction, but I continued to fire out of sheer terror. A voice suddenly came over through the wind - well, at least it's somepony talking rather than shooting. "Hey! You, with the goop gun! Think you could maybe -not- fire at the unfortunate young pegasus who trotted in way over his head over here? Pretty sure he'd appreciate it!”

Haha, stop firing at the pony that started the fight? Not likely! I reloaded my pistol, shooting a few more shots in the vague direction I heard the voice come from. “You drop your gun and I’ll stop firing!” I shouted back. I stopped shooting, though, waiting for a response - Celestia above, please don’t let him sneak up on me blind like this. There was a little scuffling before the pony responded.

“I’m not exactly in the mood to go out into the open unarmed, thank you very much.” He shouted back. Well, I guess we’re at an impasse, aren’t we? Just great. Nothing happened for a few moments, during which I made a feeble attempt to wipe my glasses clean, though all it did was smear the blood. I suddenly heard the beating of wings as I glanced back to the house, seeing a yellow blur shoot into the sky. Oh, shit, I can’t hit a pegasus with eyes like this. I fired as best as I could at the blur, but each shot missed by several feet. However, as the blur came closer, I noticed he wasn’t firing on me. What the heck…? I attempted to dive out of the way as the golden pegasus crashed into me, sending us both tumbling through the snow.

"...So, you're like a half-robot pony or something? Or is it a half-pony robot?" I snickered lightly, trotting beside the plasma-happy unicorn who called himself Minty Candy. We seemed to hit it off rather well, for having been shooting haphazardly at each other just an hour or so ago - he apparently was on the run from his home Stable, for what he described as a disagreement between himself and his Overmare. Sheesh, myself and Mayflower never completely saw eye-to-eye, but that never made me an outright criminal of Stable 34...

"Ha-ha, very funny you half-bird. I thought all pegasi were outright traitors... not as made of pure evil as Zebras, but still an enemy of Equestria. Shouldn't you have been born up above those things?" He waved a hoof to the sky, the rolling overcast making it hard to tell if the sun was up or not. I made a point to keep my gaze as low as I could looking up, or at the very least not let Minty notice the light shaking in my legs. A pegasi afraid of heights, what a laughing stock... in my defense, the highest drop in 34 was just from the top of the atrium, only two stories up. Goddesses, the sky was scary.

"Shouldn't your horn -not- be made of metal? The hell kind of freaky stuff went on down in your Stable?" With a roll of the eyes, I let off another loose chuckle as the freezing snow crunched underhoof. Passing by the sign on the main road leading away from the small town, it appeared that we were headed out of Emerald Ridge and were en route to a place called Mooscow. Wasn't expecting to find much; stories and reports that were transmitted out on that fateful day that were recorded in the Stable maneframe said that the entirety of Equestria was consumed in balefire and radiation, every major city center struck by hundreds of bombs and missiles from Zebra lands, nothing could have survived the initial onslaught. Didn't really state who pushed the buttons first - I suppose it was for the best. Then again, Emerald Ridge really didn't seem as touched by bombs so much as just deteriorated by about two centuries from natural forces. There weren't any stark negatives burned into the facades of buildings, most of the skeletons and bodies around were just laying in the street, flat out, some curled in balls, all most certainly dead. Wasn't there a secondary phenomenon from Balefire blasts that could be the cause? Radioactive fallout, I think it's called...

"What? Everypony had some sort of implant down there, unicorns got magic enhanced by power cells and spark batteries, and Earth Ponies had special skeleton servos that made them stronger. Just mandatory things, I thought every Stable did that. Besides, it does have it's own little perks~" The unicorn looked at myself smugly for a moment, before I suddenly felt my tails tugging upwards, slowly but surely, at my hind end. I skidded along the snow as my rear hooves left the ground, soon followed by my front ones as the coy bastard kept me aloft with his magic. We exchanged looks, his a wide grin behind his frosting-over glasses, and mine being of the type one might give a young colt caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. He kept me lifted, trotting along and levitating me over the shoulder of the motorway as I crossed my hooves over my chest, glaring at him.

"Put. Me. Down." He seemed to contemplate this for a moment, a cool breeze tossing wisps of snow into both of our manes, still casually trotting along. I had to admit, things were starting to get a bit blurry from this new change in perspective - let alone the fact that clouds were the new ground, which was dizzying enough as is. Minty rolled his eyes, humming softly as we continued onwards, the icy frost on the ground catching in my shaggy mane and making it damp. I could almost feel the heat radiating off of my head as he passed me over a rather large snow bank... a place he finally decided on being soft enough to let me drop into. Did I mention how cold snow is? And how hard the permafrost is? Well, apparently it's also very, VERY sharp, too, a fact that my forehead deemed hell-bent to prove to me. With a bit of flailing around, my head finally worked itself free of the snowbank, a hoof moving to rub at the nice gash that was leaving a trail of crimson straight down my face. Minty looked back in surprise, trotting up to greet myself.

"Ah, I swear I thought it was just another snow... bank..." He trailed off, looking down into the small chasm with the crimson bottom that once housed my head. Sipping on a small healing potion, I turned to look with him, watching him begin to dig it out moreso. In confusion, and curiosity overtaking, I peered down into widening crater from the rim, the potion choking me as the first bits of what my thick head hit revealed themselves; sweet Celestia, that was a long horn... a -very- long horn... a very deep-blue, long horn... we both stood in shock as the cold, dead face of the unfortunate and very strange unicorn revealed itself, speechless as to what to say. It was almost the spitting image of Princess Luna buried in that snowbank, frozen completely solid, eyes bulging outwards from the fluids having long since solidified well after rigor mortis set in, assuming she didn't just freeze solid before she passed. Minty kept digging with his magic, revealing more of her body; no clothes, no protection from the elements, not even a pair of socks on. No wonder whoever this was just up and died on this deserted roadside. I stuck a hoof out in front of Minty as he revealed more of the body, an out of place yet quite befuddling piece of evidence jutting from the snow. Reaching into the ditch, my teeth clamped around the deep-blue feather, us both greatly taken aback from this new development. I didn't know about Minty, but I was pretty set to want to hightail it the buck out of there - this could be the resting site of the last princess of all of Equestria, for Lun- uh, for crying out loud! We both remained frozen however, our gaze slowly turning back to the body of the alicorn that rested in the snow. I spit the feather into my saddlebags, more out of just having the memento to recall from than anything else. There was only one way to be sure if this mare really was the former princess of the night, and all of Equestria.

"Dig out her Cutie Mark." Minty nodded once, his white magic aura glistening off of the snow as he pulled it out in large clumps. The wind was the only sound around us both as the last chunk began to slide out, flaked with fur from the side of the mare's hind end, revealing... nothing. This frozen body in the wastes, with the same mane, coat, wings and horn of Princess Luna, didn't have a Cutie Mark. She was a blank flank. A blank flank alicorn, hah, well, now I've seen everything! I chortled, coughing a bit as I started stepping back from the snowy pit, beginning to laugh rather feverishly at the realization... or it could've been the blood loss... trotting and wobbling around clumsily on weak legs. Minty was no doubt watching my hysterics, a question that was firmly answered with a right hoof smack across the face.

"Are all pegasi as weird as you? Sheesh... maybe we should just let this one pass. Shared hallucination or something, maybe? Yeah. Let's try to keep each other sane." Getting back onto my hooves, I watched as Minty shifted the snow back over the unmarked alicorn, once again letting the frigid wasteland reclaim her body, the grating wind already starting to smooth over the replaced snow. We stood there and watched the clumps erode smooth, before turning back onto the road and continuing onwards with the journey. The frigid wasteland wind whipping in our ears and blasting ice and snow in our faces, it seemed all the more quiet as the frosty burial mound of the alicorn was slowly yet surely left behind. This wild, strange, arctic wasteland certainly isn't what it appears on the surface, at all...

“So... what’s your story, exactly?” I said, trying to find something to take our minds off of what just happened, whatever that was. Twintails shrugged, rubbing the excess blood off of his wound.

“Not that exciting really. Gamma, my... boss, of sorts said there was a piece of technology that wound up breaking, part of our reactor's cooling system... a Neutron-Dampening Radiothermic Coil, I think it was called.” We continued to crunch through the snow, passing more worn signs. There was even one with some choice words regarding this thing called the 'Grand Pegasus Enclave'. Lovely.

I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow. “A Neutron-Dampening... what?” I shook my head, trying to think. “I’ve never heard of that before, and I knew every bit of tech that was in the Stable. Trust me, this thing wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if it wasn’t for some... ‘borrowed’ spare parts from the maintenance sections.” I tapped my horn, smirking a little.

“Well, a lot of machinery in the reactors were meant to be kept on a need to know basis, we didn’t need any ponies such as yourself breaking in and making some kind of uranium gun. Dunno if every Stable had a reactor like Bruce, though...” Twintails chuckled. I shivered, cursing my lack of foresight yet again. I always thought nuclear winter was just a theory... I sighed, my ears flopping down as I followed.

“Ah, cheer up. We’re almost at Mooscow, maybe we can spend the night there.” I looked up, seeing another collection of buildings. It looked much bigger than Emerald Ridge had been, though from the looks of it, it was hit a lot harder during the war. The road wended its way towards the town, another broken old road sign dandling from its pole directing us towards it. As we approached, it was easier to see most of the town was surrounded by metal sheets crudely bolted together into a sort of barricade. There were a few buildings outside the walls, though it looked as if much less effort had been put into rebuilding them than the ones beyond it.

We trotted up to a huge set of oak doors embedded in the gate, attempting to open it. I was looking up at some of the larger buildings when Twintails suddenly shouted. “Watch out!” Suddenly, I found myself on the ground, lights popping into my view and a heavy wooden board on top of my body. He’d pulled the ENTIRE door off of it's rusty hinges, which, of course, managed to land right onto me. He helped lift the aged piece of wood off, letting myself wriggle free from beneath it. “Shoot, sorry.” I caught him smirking, but he fished out the remainder of the health potion he’d used for his gash, tossing it to me.

As I took a swig, something jumped through the door; a very angry something, with two guns aimed at us. “Hold it right there, gate-crashers. I'm going to have to see some caravan ID before I’m letting you into this place.” The speaker was a Gryphon who wore nothing, no doubt shielded enough by the cold by her feathers... which were stained with irregular splashes of red. Dried red. She clicked her beak a little, which was, of course, also bloody.

“We’re not merchants.” Twintails said, looking up at the Gryphon. She narrowed her eyes slightly, tensing her muscles. She leapt into the air, settling herself onto the metal barricade, glaring down at us.

“Then I suggest you two get lost. We’re having a problem with raiders at the moment, so Proper’s under lockdown. No new residents.” I scraped idly at the ground with a hoof, gnawing at my lower lip as she continued her staredown, working up the will to speak.

“Are you sure there’s no way we can get in, even just passing through?” I asked tentatively.

She flicked her tail a little, thinking. “Hmm... I guess you two don’t look the raider type, not to mention you're both clean... chemically and physically. Mostly, anyways.” My eyes widened a little, a touch surprised at her response. “Don’t look so surprised, my beak's particularly sensitive to chems. Wouldn't have a job here if it wasn't... Anyway, how about you leave your weapons with me, and I’ll let you go in, simple as that.”

I nodded fishing out my plasma pistol and presenting it to the gryphon. Twintails grumbled a little, reluctantly sliding his pistol out of his saddlebags and laying it in it's hardwood case. “Just make sure that thing’s still there when we come back out." The Gryphon took the box and pistol, placing them in a safe behind the wall, shutting it and closing it tight.

“Alright, you can go in. Welcome to Mooscow, make no trouble.” She said with a light growl, stepping aside.

“Thanks.” I said, feeling the lump on my head growing smaller. I tossed the empty bottle back to Twintails, heading through the empty frame. The remnants of Mooscow were notably more destroyed than Emerald Ridge, yet at the same time, it still stood as a bastion of civilization that managed to go on upon the surface. We trotted down the street, looking around at the dilapidated buildings, a few other ponies milling about, all minding their business, and dressed thickly. Looking at them, the wind seemed to bite at my uncovered flanks harder, sending a shiver down my spine - this Stable shirt was NOT designed for winter. We turned, another pony stepping up beside us both, dressed in a thick vest and a distinctly aged hat. He simply walked along with us before finally striking up a conversation.

“You folks new in town? Lookin' for supplies, I bet... c'mon, I'll lead ya both t' Razorwing's.” He said, a grin upon his face, his voice a little gravely from age. Myself and Twintails shared a glance before shrugging, still alongside the old colt.

“It couldn’t hurt, I guess.” I replied, shrugging lightly.

“C'mon, jus' a short trot away, haha!” He chuckled, stepping ahead of us a little, leading us down the street. “Sure you met Bloodbeak on the way in. Girl can be a little inhospitable, but she’s only doing it to keep the place safe. Had some raiders stealing from caravans coming through town, so our trading's been lacking lately... Could always ask Razorwing about it, sure he’d be happy to find somepony to bring in extra goods.”

We soon came to a large, well rebuilt building. It had a big glass window with some holes in the front, displaying some old world clothing. “Oi, Razor, there’s some new colts in town!” The stallion said as he entered. Another gryphon was standing behind the counter, adorned in a small, old sweater vest over his black fur. He stepped around the counter, revealing shiny metal blades running along the leading edge of his wings.

“Haven’t gotten a lot of new faces lately... what can I get for you?” He asked, his eyes lighting up at the potential for some new business. I glanced around at the shop's wares before a realization smacked me like a, a boat or something.

“Uh...” Twintails said, rummaging through his saddlebags with a wing, letting loose a nervous chuckle. It finally became apparent to us that neither of us had bothered to come out with any form of money... can't blame us, wasn't expecting there to be any places where stuff could actually be sold in a radioactive wasteland! Thankfully, the gryphon behind the counter finally noticed my Stable jumpsuit, a little smirk coming across his face as his expression changed.

“Oh, are you guys just out of the Stable?” He asked. We nodded, and he smiled knowingly. “Ah, don’t worry if you don’t have any caps on you... if you’d like to earn some, though, I do have a small task that needs doing.” He leaned against the counter, ruffling his wings a little as he grinned wider.

“W-We’re interested.” I said without hesitation, a chill breeze blowing through. At this rate, I was sure I was going to end up a mare if I spent another hour in just this damn denim jacket. Razorwing chuckled.

“Hold on there speedy… I haven’t even told you what I need yet. Well, as I’m sure my sister, Bloodbeak... or more likely Old Colt Johnson,” He tilted his head towards the stallion who’d come in with us, snickering lightly, “told you, we’ve been having a little problem with raiders lately. They keep driving off caravans, so my inventory has been running a bit sparser than usual.” He let off a sigh, prodding at a few empty bottles that lined the counter. Sparkle-Cola, really? Uck...

“Well, how can we help?” I asked, smiling widely, glancing over at Twintails as he fiddled with his pip-buck.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, they're holed up in an abandoned RobronCo factory up the highway. I’d like you to go there and see if you could get them cleared out, by whatever means. Don’t care if you convince them or blast them into next Tuesday, I just need them gone. It’s worth 500 caps to me, and the town. Anything you salvage there is free for the taking as well, just can't have it anymore when those goddess-damned bastards are killing off every caravan that comes up from the I-135...”

I looked over at Twintails, my grin widening considerably. He looked at me in a mix of confusion and worry, taking a slight step to the side. “What?”

“Do you have any idea what kind of stuff they could have there? Wires, servos, capacitors, lasers, sensors...” I started to rattle off, my mind going wild with ideas. “Heck, I could build myself a whole new body with the stuff there! I’m in!” I spun around, looking at Razorwing enthusiastically, himself returning a glare like I'd just gone off the deep end.

Twintails was a little hesitant, still thinking back to the greenish-brown puddle melted in the road. “Well, there’s probably worse places to go. Do you have any kind of ammunition we could use? We’re running a little low.”

Razorwing nodded, smiling. “What kind d'ya need?”

“Well, any .45 Auto you've got, for one. And energy cells.” Razorwing winced a little at the second one, already ducking under the counter and pulling up a few boxes of ammunition.

“Sorry, all I can spare is a few boxes of surplus .45 rounds. Like I said, business has been rough, haven't been getting things for energy weapons since the storm season started, and the raiders just made everything worse off than usual. I’m sure if you can conserve your shots for when you’re at the factory, you’ll find plenty there... even if it also involves getting some scrap metal as well, heh.” He smirked, pushing the four boxes of surplus ammunition over to us. Twintails lifted each of them up with a wing, dropping them in his saddlebags. Pegasi are weird...

“I try to not fire if I can help it. As for this guy, though...” I snickered softly, as Twintails rolled his eyes.

“I have a singed mane that’d beg to differ.” I rolled my eyes as well, Razorwing giving a light chuckle while Twintails kept rummaging in his saddlebags. He pulled out a few small bags of Rad-X and tossed them on the counter in return, Razorwing looking them over idly before sliding them up on the shelf.
"Yeah, this ought to cover costs until you get back. Don't go getting too shot up now, y'hear? Want to keep those clothes from getting too bloodied up, heh..." He grinned slyly, us both turning around as Old Colt Johnson stepped up to us.

“It’s getting pretty late, and the weather’s never good here at night. If you two need somewhere to stay, I wouldn’t mind letting you share my shack. It’s been awhile since I’ve had company, eheh..." He gave a grin, myself looking over at my pegasus friend, seeing him shrug idly. Not like we could afford to stay anywhere else, anyways...

"Sounds good to me. Thanks for the hospitality, really." I replied, smiling at him as we all stepped out into the Mooscow square. Streetlamps and shop fronts all were illuminated by arcane generators, casting strange shadows as the flaky snow from above fell down to the street, blown about in wisps from the wind. I tucked my tail between my haunches, trying to stave off losing a 'limb' that I'd really rather like to keep, as we soon arrived at the base of a rather massive brass bell, it's surface adorned with great moldings of the two princesses from before the war, and their respective cutie marks. The old colt uncovered a small wooden door at the base, flipping it open and crawling inside, followed close behind by myself and Twintails.

"Welp, ought to nod off for the night, I reckon. All's bed, just drop down anywhere, make yourselves at home... oh, and uh, I'm kind of a cuddler..." He chuckled weakly, moving aside some dirtied blankets and sheets into a second pile. What kind of pony needs his whole floor to be a bed, anyways? Then again... oh, those blankets look -so- warm... it wasn't too long before I found myself belly-first on a pile of musty old pillows, wrapped in a heavy blanket, still in my Stable clothes. Every now and again a thick clump of snow would fall onto the massive bell, causing the whole room to ring softly with resonance, slowly lulling us all to sleep. A pony could get used to life like this, I suppose...

Author's Note

Would like to take this time here to say that this story really wouldn't have been possible without the help and creative mind of my dear friend Minty Candy - he's as much the author as I am! We're going to organize it in the different arcs per chapter, to make it a bit of an easier read rather than having each page separate. This does mean that at the soonest we'll be updating here only every two weeks, though we'll definitely be sure to keep things interesting as we go along! Lot of story ahead, folks!
-Twintails aka the-furry-railfan

Making Friends

"A mare could really get used to this gig..." I giggled lightly, a soft tingle in my nethers as I ran a hoof over the detonator, one of my wingtips held in my mouth in anticipation for the mother of all blasts. The radio had faded over to a years-old song, myself gently swaying with the gentle melody as the clock spun down, ticking, timing, building the excitement. The boards began lighting up as all of the old circuitry came online, basking the bunker in an amber glow as the song neared it's end. I found myself gently humming along with it between breaths, my face already in a hot blush as my loins tingled ever more and more, barley able to contain myself as I finally pressed down upon the button as the last cords began to play. In exasperated gasps, I choked along with the last few words of the song as the signal reached the device.

"...and I know we'll meet a-gain, some sun-ny, daaay!" Through the window, everything was suddenly bleached a brilliant white as I exploded with pleasure, hunched over the controls and moaning ridiculously as wave after shocking wave of pleasure ran over me like a flood. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly get anything more out of myself, the entire bunker shook as a great torrent of heavenly stimulus smashed into me, sending myself writhing and moaning on the floor, a red-hot blush permanently fused onto my face. Blood was roaring in my ears, my heartbeat heard perfectly clear; 'tun-tah, tun-tah, twun-tahs, twin-tals, twin-tails'... why did my heart sound like Minty Candy?

"Gwah! Wha-wh... what?..." I bolted upright on the floor of the bell-turned-home, my heart racing and pants... well, I'm sure there's somewhere I can clean them... looking around sporadically. My gaze settled on a -very- surprised augmented unicorn being spooned and nibbled on by an elder stallion under the blankets, a sight almost far too surreal to actually be happening... which is exactly why the next moment I was laughing like a madcolt, laying on my back and barely able to get a breath in between hysterics. Minty obviously couldn't see the humor in the situation, though I guess I don't blame him all that much. Then again, if he could slam me into the brass wall face-first with little more than a nod of his head, why'd he have to wake me up to help him get out of that predicament anyways!? I groaned, hearing a ringing in my head... or it could've been the bell... as Old Colt Johnson finally woke up to the white ear he was nibbling on, and the buck between his legs.

"Mmmyah! Ah... uh... hoo boy... yeah, this is pretty bad, inn't it?..." He jumped to his hooves in surprise, trotting backwards to the wall of the bell as Minty lifted himself up, shivering either from cold or disgust - how was he still wearing that Stable jacket in this cold weather? Johnson plopped his hindquarters down, gnawing on his wrinkly lower lip and looking over at us both, legs spread apart. Minty seemed just about ready to give the stallion a piece of his mind before noticing something quite peculiar for a colt who just woke up from what could be guessed was a -very- stimulating dream. He stammered, myself finally getting up and rubbing my head, looking at the pair; Johnson had a -really- vibrant blush.

"Uh, Mr. Johnson... where's your, um, 'johnson'?..."

We stepped out through the recently repaired door of Mooscow, minds full of knowledge of how a 40mm grenade launcher works great as a fleshlight-turned-contraceptive and saddlebags packed with the surplus ammunition and few healing supplies we had left between us. Out of gratuity - and, I suspect, to keep our mouths shut about the little incident between him and Minty - my bespectacled, surprised friend came trotting out of the massive bell adorned in an old set of combat armor, something I suspect proved far more resilient against the chill than that old Stable shirt he wore beneath it. Bloodbeak stifled a snicker as we retrieved our guns, Minty starting to blush.

"No way, you goofs bunked with Long-Dick Johnson? Man, you come out of one old hole and go right in another, don't you? Hah!" She let loose a laugh while I opened up the case, drawing out the pistol and gingerly sliding it into a holster on my foreleg, looking eastwardly down the highway. Minty was fuming... something made evident by the large chunk of broken rebar floating over in a blue haze. And I thought I used to overreact to things...

"Ah, eheh, hey, Minty, how about we get walking, right? This place is miles away, I think..." I forced a grin, patting the unicorn on the shoulder while Bloodbeak recovered herself. Through clenched teeth, I added, "put the rebar down before you make an entire town want to kill us..." Minty flinched, letting off a sigh, the relieving sound of concrete and metal hitting permafrost behind us. We turned around, trotting down the road with the snow crunching underhoof and the sun hiding itself behind the clouds once more. We were about fifty feet from the gate when Bloodbeak worked free one last retort, both of us tensing at hearing it over the light wind.

"Have fun being the talk of the town if you get back!" She broke out in another volley of high pitched laughter, the snow melting almost as fast as it blew against Minty's face. I stepped backwards from him, watching his horn light up, worry beginning to overtake myself. A lump formed in the pit of my stomach as he levitated a large clump up from the ground, forming it... into a snowball. With a rather resounding smack of packed snow against beak behind us, Minty smirked, beginning to move along once more. At least it wasn't concrete this time.

"Well, feeling better now?" We were trotting along at a smooth pace now, the sun in our eyes, as the wintery wasteland churned and blew about us. It was actually somewhat easy to stick to the road, even if the snow blew over and covered it there were plenty of the remnants of cart tracks to follow from merchants and caravans that made it through. It looked much like a straight shot until a turnoff up ahead, hooked to a smaller road leading north. Minty let loose a small huff, the air condensing the water in his breath into a small cloud.

"Yeah, sorry... just kind of a sensitive topic, y'know?" He turned his head off to the side, looking out across the wasteland mountains and hills. "Ah... anyways. We do know where we're going, right? Map marked?" I nodded, tapping against the side of my Pip-buck's case confidently.

"Spotted a local map in Razorwing's store, only has some rough locations but it was enough for me to have a general idea. Don't think we'll have a hard time missing it... how many huge factories would be out here, anyways? Turn left at the road headed north and keep to it, we'll find it easy. I hope." I chuckled weakly, Minty glancing skywards for a moment before returning his gaze back to the ground. The wind nipped at our faces as we pushed onwards, every now and again our pip-bucks crackling with the pickup of some radio transmissions. The turnoff came into view when we were about halfway down the road, a few figures crawling about on it, between makeshift shacks. The snow around was littered with overturned carts and dead bodies, turned a horrid reddish-brown with blood. Aw, drat, I only wanted to taste that stew Old Colt Johnson made up without having it accompanied by stomach acid...

"Well, ain't this a buck in the head. Think they moved up, or is this just an advance team or something?" We kept low, moving along between the snowbanks carefully, trying to not be spotted as we approached the small camp. Intimidating as a duster and bulletproof vest are, I bet when these were made they were -not- intended to be used in a setting where the whole ground was fifty shades of white. Minty, at least, matched the snow with his coat... how'd ponies evolve to be every combination of color under the rainbow again?

The sound of a bullet kicking up a plume of snow from the small snowbank we were just behind alerted us both that you'd have to practically be invisible to be able to sneak around in these parts. Minty peered up, looking down at the camp while I pulled out Gamma's pistol, keeping it held firm in my mouth. He ducked and turned back as a few more plumes erupted around us, smaller in size than the first but more frequent, and levitated out his goop gun, or plasma pistol, or whatever it was called. The firefight was on and we hadn't even reached the road for the RobronCo facility yet. Brilliant.

Another few plumes of snow as the shouts and yells grew louder, myself looking over the situation with pistol readied, clip loaded with the surplus rounds. Some of the bullets in the pack had weird-colored tips on them, not entirely sure what they were; probably something like a guide round, lets you know where you're aiming if you have them in a machine gun, I guess. Long as they could hit the same, I'd be happy... alright, relax yourself now, be calm and focus. Thank Celestia for that crosshair, too. Now, line it up, liiine it- duck you moron! Stupid raiders with their stupid automatics and stupid rifles. After a breath, I popped my head back up, taking aim again - boy, they were close now... far enough away that those little machine guns weren't accurate enough, but getting into 'Emerald Ridge shootout' close range. Aim, squeeze with your tongue, and... bang! Oofh, right, this thing kicks like hell. One down, seven to go...

Minty had begun to open up with his goop gun, several of the shots he managed to fire off singing or rebounding off of the pack of barely-clothed ponies - seriously, how did they live in this cold!? - before he began to land them, turning two of the raiders into piles of warm goo. Between the gunfire and shouting, the ever-growing sound of an unearthly scream became ever more prominent, the fight beginning to slow off as heads turned to the sky to try and spot whatever hellspawn was coming in to clean house. Minty and myself both hit the deck, getting a faceful of snow as the scream reached a fever pitch. Suddenly, the world around began exploding, shockwaves, heat, and shrapnel raining down on us both in successive order, ears left ringing and bodies stinging from the burning flakes of metal embedded in. Everything grew dark.

When consciousness once again graced myself with it's cold embrace, I found myself staring into the sleeping eyes of a certain augmented unicorn, half-buried in a small crater. With a moment's hesitation - who knew ponies gave off so much body heat? - I uncurled myself from Minty's legs, jumping backwards as I felt blood rushing to my face. Sheesh, that pony winds up cuddling more colts than a mare does with her plushie. A small metal box glinted the sun in my eyes as I trotted around, surveying the immediate area - goddesses, what in the name of Luna -was- that thing that managed to do all this? A neat line of small craters led straight down from where we were, the snow around where the small group of raiders was now stained with red and dismembered pony limbs. From the looks of things, we got off lucky...

"Huh... 'Sorry for bombing you'? What?" I prodded at the note on the small metal tin, unlatching it and flicking the lid up, the note pushed off to the side. Inside was a pair of healing potions, a few pieces of scrap metal, and, strangely enough, a small satchel of old Sparkle-Cola bottlecaps... oooh, I hope that we can find some Sparkle-Cola around here somewhere! I bet it's at the perfect temperature, even if it was left out in the open for two whole centuries - this whole wasteland seemed like an icebox! Mmmm, that perfect sweet taste of fruits and carbonation, tickling down your throat and resting in your stomach~

"Uhm... are you drooling?" I blinked a few times, coming out of a phantom taste-induced daze, wiping my lips dry and turning to face the now-awake unicorn trotting up from behind. I chuckled idly, setting the bag back in the small container and picking it up along with the note. Minty looked down at it curiously, levitating it out of my grasp and reading it over. "Huh... this is a foal's hoofprint... what's in the box?"

"Bottlecaps and Healing potions. Wonder why somepony would do something like this, after something like... like THAT." I waved a hoof out across the line of carnage and craters in the snow, Minty dropping the note - and his jaw - as he saw what had happened. Emptying the contents of the tin into my saddlebags - 75 bottle caps, quite a generous amount, I think - I tossed the metal box aside, Minty having begun trotting down towards the remains of the raiders. Rules of the wasteland, if somepony else isn't going to be using it anymore, probably should see if you can take it, I guess.

"Empty... empty... empty... somepony already cleaned house!" The unicorn stomped a hoof into the ground, rather angry due to the lack of supplies on the... DOWN, STEW, down. Okay, don't look at the mutilated remains, just keep walking along. There's probably more stuff that hasn't been blown up or taken in the camp on the turnoff, yeah, it's probably cleaner too, not any... yeah, there's probably stuff to scavenge at the turnoff. Follow the crater-filled road, follow the crater-filled road...

Saddlebags filled with small firearms that looked like they were a fast way to get some kind of oral disease if used, and several rounds of ammunition and small sums of bottle caps along with them, it wasn't too long before we finally were able to set off to the RobronCo factory properly. While Minty was fiddling with a few locked boxes around, my Pip-buck finally decided to start picking up a radio station properly, a fact I jumped on rather readily as sweet Celestia walking with no music was almost as boring as reactor maintenance. A stallion, calling himself 'DJ Pon-3', crackled over the speaker with a warning of raiders around a town called Ponyville... Ponyville, Ponyville, where have I heard that name before? Oh, right, it was just south of Canterlot on the old maps! But, Canterlot was -hundreds- of miles to the south... can radio waves really bounce like that? Oh, sod it, I'm getting music and talk now and I don't care! Minty trotted up, levitating the screwdriver back into his weighted saddlebags and smirking, listening in.

"Well cover me in feathers and call me a pegasus, didn't think there were any radio stations around here! Crank it up, getting sick of the wind..." We shared a small laugh, myself getting to my hooves and trotting ahead down the road. After a short instrumental, the music finally chimed in, along with the both of our voices, causing a rather off-kilter harmony as we trotted down the road once more, smiling and filling the cold wasteland air with old, classic music.

"How stupid could one colt be?
I turned and then she kissed me,
Like my pappy once said,
Ain't that a buck in the head!..."

“Bwuuuuuh, turn it ooooffff! I swear this is the fifth time we’ve heard that song.” I said as I threw my head back as we continued to crunch through the snow. Twintails fiddled with his Pip-Buck radio a bit, the static-filled sound fizzling out.

“I don’t want to set the wooor~~” A brief flash of static filled the air before it fell silent, aside from the occasional gust of wind. We continued along the broken street, climbing on the side of a small hill which led down to a deep valley.

“Sheesh, you’d think that DJ’d have more than just three songs lined up.” I said, looking across the hill, doing my best not to lose my footing on the icy ground. He chuckled a little as he trotted beside me, shaking his head and balancing with his wings outstretched.

“Can’t really blame him, it’s not like records were kept in huge underground vaults like ponies were. 'sides, his PSAs and news are at least entertaining.” He replied, snarkily. I grunted a little, not really having a good enough excuse to argue with him. We climbed in awkward silence for a bit before we reached a turn in the hill, the road leading off like a winding snake underneath the darkening sky, and hoho boy, and there it was!

Standing at the side of the basin was the RobronCo factory, some of the steel framework still glistening in the clouded sunlight. The letters above its door were rusted in patches, the O of Co having fallen off and laying like a doughnut stuck in a mound of powdered sugar... or at least that's what the caption under the pictures in the books read, anyways. It towered higher than any of the other buildings we’d seen thus far, even with the deterioration of age and various holes blasted into it by scavengers before us. Twintails was about head towards the facility as I grabbed him by his tails with my magic, much to his surprise and otherwise dismay.

“Hold on... I think I see something moving.” Squinting my eyes, I spotted some figures patrolling the large opening that probably used to hold glass doors. Ugh, I suppose we should’ve expected some kind of armed guards. Arguably, I was impressed; it took a lot of patience or a lot of wrenches to hack into those old things, let alone to the point of having them as guards for yourself. “It looks like those raiders managed to hack into the security system... I'm not even mad, that's impressive considering how many drugs must be in their bloodstream.”

“Wew, a lesh ish not bwoody...” Twintails groaned a little, pulling out his Luger again, having it at the ready. I wasn't sure if he just wasn't looking for another fight, or he didn't want to damage that pistol any more with those cheap rounds. We started to slowly head towards the doors, my heart speeding up a little; from the look of things, the make of those Securi-Mares were equipped with small laser emitters on their shoulders. Twintails closed one eye, spotting down the awkward sights of the pistol before firing off a shot - how anypony fired those things with the mouth grip, I'll never know. It dented one of the robots' armor before it turned towards us and started to open fire, garnering the attention of the residents inside of the building from all the shouting going on. I fired at the robots as well, plasma shots starting to center and the clip beginning to heat up from the energy draw, managing to cut one of their laser emitters off. Disarmed, it charged at us with it's full weight, barreling down like a freight train in the snow. Goddeses, those things were fast... but Twintails fired faster. A lucky shot at one of the exposed pressure tubes sent it flailing about as hydraulic fluid sprayed into the snow, the robot losing control of its front legs and toppling rather humorously into a road barrier just outside the building. We fired more at it before managing to puncture its metallic hide, frying its processor with a mix of lead and plasma. My clip basically empty at that point, I rushed over to it, flipping open the laser gun on its shoulder and grinning at the inner-workings. Thank Celestia, some energy cells! Only a hoof-full, but- Eep! Owowowow, I didn't want my flanks THAT hot! Oh, right, that -other- guard bot... give me a break, I was mentally undressing a disabled robotic security pony! Er, uh, wait, that came out wrong...

Opening fire once again, the second security robot seemed to shrug off the shots at first - a hardier model, maybe? I fitted in one of the power cells, letting the spent cartridge melt into the snow, finally being able to fire at the charging robot once again as- did it just EXPLODE!? I looked over at Twintails as he stared at the stumbling carcass of a robot, then down at his own gun, in pure surprise. Damaged far beyond repair and dangerously close to a cliff, it tumbled down the hill towards the valley. “Eheh, well, I see you’ve managed to keep your lunch this time.” I joked, chuckling weakly, still reeling from the sight of that de-skinned robot. Twintails smiled a little, ejecting the clip from his gun and slamming another one home. No immediate danger in the area and wanting to not have breathing holes punched in us right away, we holstered our weapons, once again headed towards the door of the facility in hopes of a possibly diplomatic approach.

“Eh, just don’t expect the same when we actually come across those raide-” As we entered the factory, we were graciously met by the twin barrels of a shortened shotgun. The raider that had it levitated to his side and aimed cleanly at us both flicked the safety off - I’m honestly surprised it was on in the first place.

“Well, lookie who wandered in here.” The raider snickered, a couple others flanking us. “Alright, what’re a couple'a little colts doing out here? Lookin' for a quick brain surgery? Heh heh...” The other raiders raised their weapons, one clamping a magnum between its teeth, the other levitating up a small lead pipe, all of them with their flanks bare and with relatively minimal armor - goddesses, how the heck did THEY manage to keep themselves together in the cold!? As I raced to find an excuse that wouldn’t get our heads blown off, a security robot that didn't want to turn our insides into warm piles of goo just yet trotted in, rushing over to us with it's machine-laser rifle in the storage position.

“Please present your RobronCo Factory I.D. or security will be call-*ssht*” It asked in an electronic voice, cutting out at the end. The raiders all collectively groaned, one fishing out a laminated, blood-stained card, showing it to the robot. The robot scanned it before turning away - and once again, focus was on us.

“Ugh, I swear that happens every ten minutes. I thought the boss said she was going to shut those down when we got here.” The unicorn said, clipping the card to the pile of cloth scraps one could call a jacket he wore around his shoulders.

Twintails raised an eyebrow. “Wait, so you -don’t- know how to operate the robots? How did those security bots out front start working then?” He asked skeptically, myself beginning to reach around in my saddlebags for my plasma pistol. The scantily clad ponies only raised their guards again, us both taking a small step back, out the doors, wind and snow beginning to whip in at an accelerated rate. Geez, these guys were too on edge...

The lead raider looked us over, figuring we didn’t stand much against them in the situation anyways... and, I pray, they wanted to get out of the cold as much as we wanted to... so they may as well answer some questions. We followed the three inside, the unicorn levitating a shotgun and with a cutie mark of what appeared to be a headless horse laying in blood splatter - don't look, Twintails - leading, with the other two watching us from behind. “There’s a small group of ponies heading this place, they got the things up and running. At least, most stuff. They’re still having… problems with a couple bots, said they'd pay us for protecting them while they worked. Whoever decided it was a good idea for us to be paid after the fact is beyond me...”

“I could help.” I said, eyes lighting up. A chance to examine these robots up close without getting a flankful of lasers? Count me in! The lead pony thought it over, and by the look of things, it took a lot of mental effort on his part. Don’t do drugs kids, this is what happens.

“You get the bots fixed for those twats and we could finally get paid and leave this place. C'mon.” We turned and started heading through towards the executive offices. The sounds of frustrated banging and sparks filled the air, along with the acrid smell of fried circuitry and broken talismans - a moment of silence for all the good robots who were lost to water damage and shorted circuits. We rounded a corner, stopping at a door surrounded by some piles of scrap metal and broken electronics, and a pair of heavily armed laser turrets.

“Hey, boss? We got somepony here who says he could help out with the bots.” The head raider opened the door, revealing a couple ponies fiddling on an old Mk IV Mr. Handy assistance robot. One adorned in a mechanic's jumpsuit turned to meet us, looking clearly annoyed at being interrupted, and otherwise just plain irritable. Sheesh, it's like the Overmare all over again...

“Alright, alright, go back to the lobby.” She said, grumbling. The raiders nodded and left the room, grumbling themselves and slamming the door hard. The red-coated mare with an electric-blue mane sighed, stepping up to myself and looking me over with baggy eyes. “So what makes you think you’re able to help out?” She asked, skeptical. Brushing my mane aside, I tapped at my metallic horn, herself grunting in response. “Unicorn, huh? Gah, fine, I’m getting sick of working on this goddess-damned thing and none of these raiders are any help. Name's Jumper, by the way. Jumper Cables.” As I went to fiddling with the Mr. Handy, the mare in the mechanic's jacket turned to face Twintails, fwhumping against the wall of the room, exhausted.

“So, why are there raiders guarding this place, anyways? Isn't the robot security force enough?” He asked. Jumper sighed, rubbing her temples and digging sleepers out of her sleepless eyes.

“We’ve been trying to fix up this facility for a couple weeks now, but things have been slow going. We thought we’d finally found a faster way with this Mr. Handy so we could program it to repair some of the other machinery, but it’s missing some parts-” A few sparks went flying as I pulled on one of the wires, a puff of acrid smoke coming from the cooling vents. “...a lot of parts, and these raiders offered to find them, for a price, of course. Lucky we were able to convince them to wait until we earned some money after getting the factory finally fixed up to working order, but they’ve been seriously losing patience with us, I think...”

“Hey, I think I’ve got this.” I connected some of the wires inside, slipping a belt and fan into place and giving a few talismans in the main body a quick energizing spark. Shutting the back of the Mr. Handy and flipping a switch on the back, the fan and talismans inside whirred and hummed to life, the light on the one functioning eye flickering on. The robot levitated itself into the air, its eye focusing itself onto Jumper.

“How may I help?” It said in a garbled voice. Jumper let off a relaxed sigh, walking over to it with a holotape at the ready and fitting it into the back of it. After a few seconds of the holotape’s information being downloaded, the robot floated over to the door and likely was heading towards the main construction room to start repairs.

“Thank the goddesses, I thought we’d never fix that thing... I don’t know how we can repay you, we don’t have any caps left.” She said, looking a little embarrassed as she hoofed at the floor. The other ponies had moved onto another security robot, piecing it together while I was mentally taking it apart... oh my, such a complicated piece of technology~ Twintails cleared his throat, myself snapping back to the land of not-technology.

“Could you spare some energy cells? We’ve been running a little low as of late.” Twintails asked, nodding towards myself as I tried to clear a blush on my face. She nodded, opening the desk drawers nearby and tossing a bag full of them to me. With a wide grin, I took to simply pouring the contents into my saddlebags.

“Well... uhm... I guess we’ll go...” I muttered, chuckling weakly as Jumper trotted behind the desk and firmly took to concussing herself on it as she passed out. With a shared cringe, I followed Twintails as we stepped out of the room and made our way back to the front lobby of the factory. I couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in my gut as we passed through the cubicles and offices again.

“I hope they’re able to deal with those raiders, they aren’t going to be happy when they don’t get paid...” As we approached the lobby, it didn’t seem like any of the raiders were still hanging around. A slip of white paper flapping in the breeze, however, caught his attention. “Hey, it looks like they left a note... yeesh, I can barely read this.” He squinted, reading off the note with some difficulty. Cognitive damage -and- mouth-eye coordination mess-ups? Christ, were they huffing ground parasprites or something?... actually, I'd rather not know. “‘We’re sick of waiting for our pay... have fun with all the landmines outside, fuckers.’ Well,” Twintails said, tossing the note aside. “I suppose we should be thankful they’re at least passive-aggressive raiders.”

I shrugged in agreement. “I suppose we ought to be heading back to Mooscow, tell them the raiders should be cleared out.” Twintails nodded, and we headed out the door. The day had gone to night, though the lights illuminating the outside of the factory were cutting through a dense fog of snow. “Ach, where did this storm come from?” I said, bringing a hoof up to block my face. My gratitude for the metal armor immediately doubled, I don’t even want to think what being out in this would be like with only my jumpsuit... I tapped on my Pip-Buck, the map fizzling a bit. “My map isn’t working. Do you think it’s a good idea to go out in this?”

Twintails checked his. “It's just a straight shot that way with a turn at the highway, I think we can make it... I thought you were supposed to be a master with these things, can’t you fix it?” He looked out into the frozen wasteland, the snow and storm clouding our view.

“I’m going to need time to do that, and besides, it’s probably a problem with the wireless pickup instead of the Pip-Bucks themselves.” I hesitated. “I think I remember the way back, it shouldn’t be too bad. I doubt those mines are too hard to see, and you could probably disarm them.”

Twintails smiled smugly. “That’s what a life of working in a nuclear reactor gets you, a lot of free time and an expertise on all things explosive... Wait, I think I might have mine working...” He tapped his Pip-Buck again. “It’s fuzzy, but I can see locations. There’s one to the north, has to be Mooscow. There’s nothing else out here.” He stared out into the storm, covering his face with a feathery wing. I nodded, my horn beginning to glow with a bright blue light.

“Alright... let’s head out then, before this gets worse.” I said, walking out into the storm, the area immediately around me lit up brightly. Twintails followed, shivering as the icy wind blasted against us both, digging at our exposed skin and making concentrating very difficult... at least the light spell was magic kindergarten 101. We walked down the road, making sure to watch our steps. We were some distance from the facility, far enough away to not be able to see the lights of it, running off of our fuzzy Pip-buck screens and sheer prayer to keep from enjoying a nice forty-foot plummet to jagged rocks and ice below. “I think those raiders might’ve been bluffing, I haven’t seen a single mine, and if we stay out here much longer we’re going to freeze to death.”

“I don’t know, if we don’t be care-“ There was an ear splitting explosion before my ears began ringing with a high-pitched scream. Oh shit... aggh, shit, shit, shit. I cracked open my eyes, feeling cold snow on my cheeks and leg, seeing flecks of red all around the snow. Shit, is... is that blood?... -my- blood? Oh, Celestia make it stop. I looked down at my left leg... wait... there’s no leg there, that’s bone. Huh, I didn’t think bones were that bright white. Oh, shit, not now. I vomited into the snow, hearing Twintails cursing with pain and meeting up with Old Colt Johnson’s stew once again too. Oh crap, where’s my Pip-Buck, where’s my leg?! I let loose a silent scream of pain as Twintails rushed over. He’s covered in blood, too - his one wing’s crippled. So much for flying above the storm, not that that was even an option. He took one look at my leg, or lack thereof, turned away and vomited again. Thanks, Twintails, now help me damn it!!

“Minty?! Are you alright. Oh, nope, ignore the bone, ignoring the bone...” He mouthed to himself, doing his best to lower down beside myself. Sounds were muffled, but I think my hearing was coming back... I'm sure my eyes would be lit up with warnings right now if my pip-buck weren't buried in a snowbank. Damn, they built those things to last. I could just make out Twintails' voice as he regained himself, his good wing and forehoof working under my body. “Can you get on?” With a good deal of effort, I managed to flip myself over onto his back, grunting in pain, feeling bits of shrapnel dig their way deeper into my skin. I held onto his back with my free hoof and every bit of strength I could muster, groaning as he stood up, cradling myself in his good wing. Opening my eyes a bit, I spotted my still-intact Pip-Buck laying in the snow, the shiny casing and screen stained with blood. My blood. I grunted softly, lifting my non-unarmed hoof and pointing towards it, trying to get Twintails’ attention. He looked over to where I was motioning, then, with a grimace and swallow, scooped up my Pip-Buck and dropped it into his saddlebags. “Shit, I... I’m sorry. W-which way is Mooscow?” He turned frantically, trying to find the road, making my head spin. Oooh, I hate exploding... I let off a soft moan, pointing towards a small, greenish-reddish glow I saw in the distance. It was light; I didn’t care if it was Mooscow or a raider camp at this point. Twintails turned and started to run towards it. I shut my eyes in pain, feeling a sensation of lifting and weightlessness overtake me.

Hurry, Twintails... please...

Cold is funny. It can freeze, it can burn, it's one of the few things that draws energy from everywhere else. Lacking gunpowder, stick some dry ice in a cut and it'll cauterize a wound... or, at the very least keep the pain down. For once, I was especially thankful for how very goddess-damned freezing it was tonight, I could barely feel my wings... even though the metallic shrapnel connecting with free nerve endings was a different story. It was so, well peaceful, actually - I didn't feel like it was reality, even as each running step dug into deeper and deeper show, the warm breath from the unicorn laying unconscious on my back blowing against my neck and condensing into water, then ice, causing a thin film to develop on my mane. The hazy greenish glow slowly but surely drew larger as we approached towards it through the thick snowstorm, myself hardly able to really watch it from the wind and ice blasting in my face. Minty let off a soft moan - he'd been doing that for a while now. Come on you augmented bastard, don't die on me...

"Just... a few... more... yards..." Grunting in pain, the road began to turn downhill, leading slowly towards the glowing spot of hope in the storm. My sight was still illuminated with warnings of broken bones and crippled limbs, warnings flashing every now and again telling me that I should find a doctor sooner than later. Well, no shit, you 200-year-old leg-computer. I'm surprised things like you even still work. I mean, glass screens and talismans aren't exactly the strongest materials, let alone expected to survive an all-out war with bombs of megaspell scale... I'm talking to my Pip-buck. Before I had much time to question my slipping sanity, a new warning - meter, actually - came up in my view. Well, radiation, just fucking brilliant. One-half a rad per second... if this glow wasn't Mooscow, then we were both pretty doomed to go the way of Mr Skritters. I stalled for a moment, listening to the faint clicking.

"Arrrgh, I forgot to ask about the coil!" Hoof met head met unicorn head, and we both shared a soft grunt of pain, continuing on towards the glow down the road. I blinked a few times - is it getting brighter out? Dwah, I'm not going to question it, we need to keep moving. The little pointer on my display kept slowly creeping upwards, some patches along the road getting to as high as two rads per second - not dizzy yet, no sense in wasting a radaway just because I'm starting to get a bit hot as far as my Geiger counter was concerned. It wasn't long before shapes in the glow began to make themselves out; there was a barbed-wire fence on either side of the road here, small wrecks of carts and pony skeletons littering the roadside. I might have stopped to investigate if it wasn't for the actual facility soon coming into view - behind a destroyed gate was what appeared to be a massive dome-like structure, surrounded by large concrete and steel circles. The whole area was illuminated in strange arcane lights, emitting enough heat to keep the snow from piling up around them. A fairly official-looking sign showed the name of this very strange pre-war facility, something that I took to reading, still feeling Minty's warm breath on my neck and the heat from the lights around.

"N.E.A.M.O.: North Equestrian Artillery Megaspell Outpost? Huh?" I rubbed the back of my head, gnawing at my lower lip as Minty shifted, a quick spread of the wings... wing... keeping him from falling off. Barely. Artillery Megaspell... you mean, a cannon that fired Megaspell warheads? Or, some kind of crazy gun that used a megaspell to fire regular shells? Gah, pre-war technology can make no sense sometimes. While I wondered how big a breech it would take to hold in a megaspell detonation, a figure apparently had been trotting up from behind me, grunting in a gravelly voice that made both myself and Minty jump slightly. We turned to face the figure; his face and body was covered in an old piece of Equestrian Armed Forces combat armor, a long-barreled magnum levitated in a weak bluish field of magic, aimed at us. We stood there for a few moments, looking at each other, not wanting to flinch. I wasn't just about to get myself killed - who would help Minty like this? The snow and wind whipped about us as we stood in the greenish glow, the ticking of the Geiger counter down to it's usual once-every-so-often click, the heat having allowed one of Minty's wounds to open again. Blood began to drip onto the snow, something the masked figure seemed to notice. He lowered his gun, nodding towards both myself and my wounded friend, then began to turn.

"Follow me. We have a doctor." His gravelly response was all the persuasion I needed to follow right behind him, Minty letting off a sigh of relief... and he's breathing again, good, good. We came up to a heavy bunker door in the side of a small hill, the masked unicorn spinning it open and following us both inside the red-lit stairwell, slowly descending into the depths of this pre-war facility. I looked, wide-eyed, at the state it was in; it was like walking into the past, if the past had cracks here and there and the pipes were a lot more rusty. But the fact that the corridors were in such a stunning state after two centuries of unuse still boggled the mind - surely nopony here could've been around to see the bombs fall. Right?

"So, uhm, didn't think I caught your name..." We had entered a flat hallway and rounded a corner, stepping into a room lit in the strange heated lights, except these were of a more vibrant white color. A mare was rummaging in some of the cabinets as I gently rolled Minty onto an empty cot - from the way he shivered as he layed on it, I imagine it was too cold to have to worry about being sanitized. Keeping my lunch down, I also left Minty's pip-buck... and leg... beside him, turning to face the unicorn as he pulled off his helmoh MY GODDESSES WHAT THE HELL PONIES SHOULD NOT HAVE EXPOSED FACIAL MUSCLE! He seemed to take notice of my completely rational reaction of changing colors like a stoplight and scooting backwards into the nearest corner at the sight of somepony that for all rights should be dead and rotting in the ground.

"What's the matter smoothcoat, never seen a ghoulpony before? Lieutenant White Thunder of the 23rd Equestrian Armed Forces Battalion, NEAMO protection mission." He grunted, saluting, looking my hyperventilating, woozy self over. The mare who was dressed in a nurse's outfit and had a mane like a frayed blanket trotted over, looking at myself as well, a roll of bandages held in her mouth. In a combination of the heat and the fact that I slammed it directly into a hard steel wall, I suddenly remembered that one of my wings was completely crippled and had enough shrapnel in it to constitute a healthy lunch for something that ate metal, and the only reason I hadn't passed out from the agonizing pain of a thousand nerve endings screaming at my brain all at once was because of the freezing temperatures outside in the storm. What's that? Urgent telegram for Mr. Twintails' brain? Yes, I'll accept it. Now, let's see here... 'fall unconscious now'. Ah, well, fair enough.

When I finally awoke, again - seriously, can the next time I fall asleep -not- be caused by something exploding? - I was greeted by the sight of Minty sleeping calmly in the cot next to me, and a very distinct lack of intense searing pain in my wing. I let off a breath, sitting myself upright and looking over at my damaged wing, it almost entirely mummified in healing bandages. Well, guess I won't be doing much flying for a while... not that I was doing much before, anyways. The second thing I took note of was a distinct lack of radiation poisoning, and most personal effects, at least according to my pip-buck - look on the bright side, not being irradiated was good, I liked not being irradiated. So much for seeing where I was going to the bathroom at night now, though...

"Ah, you're awake. Feeling better now?" A distinctly non-gravelly voice spoke up opposite myself, giving me a little startle. I turned to look at the side of the cot opposite of where Minty layed, being greeted by the only-slightly-decomposed face of a Colt in a labcoat and armored vest, sitting casually on the third cot in front of one of the lights. He got to his hooves, clearing his throat and trotting to the doorway. "If you would feel so inclined, I would like for your assistance in a matter. Seeing how we were gracious enough to extend a hoof of goodwill in bringing both you and your friend to better health, surely you wouldn't mind repaying us the favor. Follow me when you're feeling it... oh, and your things are in the case at the foot of the bed, if you were wondering." The earth pony colt gave a smile, myself mentally shrugging and hopping off of the cot, carefully folding my damaged wing back up against my bare body and trotting forwards, pausing to look at Minty. He seemed to be breathing, at least, and it did look like he was resting with four hooves instead of just three now. Letting off a held sigh, I turned back to the whitish-blue-coat pony, following him out the door and down the hallway.

"Er, pardon my asking, but why exactly -did- you take us in, mister..." I let myself trail off, the labcoat-pony chuckling lightly, the muscles exposed in his face twitching and moving with his expressions. Oh, I so did NOT need a biology lesson like this...

"You can call me the Doc, and put simply, you two seemed like you were in far over your heads, and I wanted to see to that you didn't freeze to death on my facility's grounds. More importantly, however, you boys seem capable of assisting us with... well..." He chuckled softly again, stopping at a large door and hitting a few keys on the keypad. With a hiss of hydraulic pressure, the heavy blast door lifted up, revealing a cavernous, dark room. I blinked a bit, trying to peer out into the darkness as the Doc facehoofed, grumbling softly. With a few more button presses, suddenly large lights upon the sides of the room turned on, one after the other, leading downwards to illuminate... sweet mother of Celestia. I fell to my haunches, jaw slack and eyes wide, the Doc chuckling at my reaction and lifting a forehoof to point at the absolutely massive piece of artillery in the center of the room. "I'd like to introduce you to Megaspell Mary."

"M-M-Megaspell... Mary..." I repeated as I regained myself, following him inside of the artillery piece's chamber. It was positively HUGE - the barrel's bore alone seemed large enough for somepony to climb into comfortably, and the computer bank and monitors on the sides was vastly more impressive than the one that Bruce was run off of back in the Stable. It could've been it's own independent maneframe, enough to house the processors needed to contain the information and function almost exactly like, well, a pony's brain! At the breech end was one of the absolute biggest shells I'd ever seen, easily five feet in diameter and ten feet long, shaped to precisely accommodate the dimensions of a medium-range yield megaspell warhead... somepony slap me, I think I'm dreaming. Of course the very first thing that crossed my mind at seeing it - well, second, but I'm embarrassed to admit what the first one was - was fairly obvious, enough so for the Doc to have essentially no trouble whatsoever in guessing it.

"I'm afraid to admit that she has never been capable of firing. You see, prior to the day that the bombs fell and Equestria with them, many of the necessary components for her operation were still being stockpiled in their places of manufacture. Sadly enough as well, several of the talismans that were vital to her targeting matrices were rendered inert and unoperational from being left on for so long..." He let off a sigh, myself also being rather overwhelmed with disappointment. I kinda wanted to see the fireworks when one of this baby's shells went off. The Doc looked over at me and smiled widely, however, resting a hoof upon my shoulder. "However, my boy, this is where you and your friend come in. Myself and my crew here at NEAMO aren't all that capable of going out into the wastes anymore - not many ponies take too kindly to ghouls, yo-" He was cut off by a scream from down the hallway we had just come from, a scream which I recognized rather readily. Thanks for hammering his point in, Minty.

We were soon both back down in the infirmary, seeing it in a bit of a mess as my bespectacled friend was magically restrained in his cot, desperately trying to wrench himself free with his... uh... hooves shouldn't be rubber-soled. And legs shouldn't have Pip-bucks coming out of them. And I'm pretty sure Minty's coat color wasn't so metallic grey and rubber black. I rushed over to him, picking up his fallen glasses with a wing and fitting them back over his eyes, holding his head steady so he wouldn't be thrashing around so much. "Minty! Twintails to Minty, stop the tantrum you four-eyed git!" Well, that was a few friendship points lost, but at least it got his attention, and him calmed down enough that White Thunder didn't have to keep him held down any longer. The military stallion grunted, turning and stepping out of the room, as Minty sat himself up, his new leg whirring slightly as it moved. Goddesses, that was going to take some getting used to...

"W-what the hell are these... these undead ponies!? AND WHERE'S MY HOOF!?" The nurse rolled her eyes as the Doc stepped forwards on the other side of Minty, smiling that soft, reassuring smile.

"I do believe the correct term you're looking for is 'ghoul pony', my bespectacled friend. You seem to have gotten a good grasp on operating your new leg already, isn't arcane medical and robotic science a simply wonderful innovation?" The Doc grinned, tapping on the metallic leg and watching as it flinched, almost biologically. Minty let out a breath, rubbing his temples lightly and laying back in the bed. Better a prosthetic hoof than no hoof at all, right?

"Alright... so, will somepony fill me in on what's going on here, or am I just going to be left in the dark with this thing now?" He waved his new robotic leg around, the Doc ducking from it as it's momentum carried it farther than Minty had expected. Definitely some getting used to... the Doc looked up and smiled again, glancing over at me and then back to Minty.

"Funny you should ask, I was just about to explain to your friend here what I was hoping you two could help me with..."

Minty's reaction to Megaspell Mary was just about the same as mine, if a little less enthusiastic and, well, stimulated... take that as you will. I suppose not everypony wanted to see these bombs in live, testing-level action. He did seem to be far more intrigued in the massive maneframe than the gun itself - based on how he was ogling those security bots back at the RobronCo factory, shouldn't be surprised. What d'ya say, Minty, you get the computer and I get the gun? Eheh...

"You... you want our help with -this-?!" The augmented unicorn rose to his hooves, finally trotting inside the chamber alongside myself and the Doc. The ghoul earth pony smiled, nodding once, walking up to Megaspell Mary with us both following behind. He pressed a few buttons on the console, the massive maneframe beginning to whine and hum as the talismans and spell matrices within hummed to life, the massive panel's buttons and screens lighting up in an array of colors that brought back fond memories back in the Stable Reactor. The screens remained stuck on various warnings and errors, displaying them in a very strange red text - didn't know screens could be that color. The Doc let out a sigh, pointing at a line of code and warning underneath a screen marked 'Targeting Control', turning back to face us.

"This is where we need the help, to start off. We've tried every back door and combination of code, but the maneframe's matrix keeps getting hung up on the fried targeting talismans - we can't even manually move the gun without them. What I get for outsourcing this between Solaris designs and RobronCo parts..." Myself and Minty shared a confused look, the Doc smacking a hoof against the maneframe board and letting off a light chuckle, putting a smile upon his face again. "Anyways! We need your help to have any chance of getting Megaspell Mary functioning again - will you be so kind?" A gun that fires megaspell warheads that has some chance of firing once again? Goddesses man, I was sold at the front gate! Just as I was about to probably unnecessarily loudly proclaim my acceptance, Minty stuck his new leg up and stopped me, a skeptical look on his face. The Doc blinked, smirking lightly.

"So, hang on, if... when, when we get this gun working again, what in the name of Princess Luna are you going to use it on, anyways? Isn't a Megaspell warhead so big that it'll practically make an entire city explode twice? What in the wide, wild wasteland needs that kind of overkill!?" Well, gee, party pooper much? These bombs were pretty... though I guess it -was- a little sketchy for somepony to have so many of them at their disposal. The Doc hoofed at the ground, glancing around nervously as his smile began to waver, Minty stepping forwards. The ghoulish earth pony began chuckling, adjusting his bulletproof armor on his hide and standing up strongly.

"Minty, my friend, did you ever consider that perhaps even though the war was 'over', there were still places that harbored enemies of Equestria? I'm merely a pony who wishes to ensure that Equestria can come to prosper once more, if it means a use of possibly excessive force, then why would you have reservations?" The Doc smiled, stepping right up to Minty's face and looking at him with those wide, calculating eyes. "You're not a Zebra sympathizer, are you?" Based on his reaction, you'd think he'd just called Minty a filly-fooling son of a parasprite... was he really -that- anti-zebra? He stared straight back at the Doc, a small scowl on his face, glancing up at Megaspell Mary once more before looking over at me.

"Where should we start?" Minty turned, trotting over to myself and standing beside me, the Doc grinning widely, shutting down the maneframe. I shared his smile - surely Stable 34 could wait another day or so while I help restore this amazing, beautiful piece of pre-war Megaspell-slinging technology. I was almost ready to bolt out the door in excitement as the Doc lifted up a pre-war map, Minty levitating it over and opening it up. I groaned, face hoofing as we both looked it over; that storm turned us both directly around, we were heading -north- last night. Or, was it the night before... what day was it? Explosions that caused unconsciousness really screwed with the passage of time.

"There should be an old ballistic defense base to the west of what remains of Mooscow, in what was before the war the city of Quebuck. For the intercontinental missiles, they would keep on hand several replacement targeting talismans in order to ensure that they were kept in functioning condition when everything went up in smoke - land on their targets, and such. All I require for the maneframe is a small box of them, twenty or so. Do you think you may be able to retrieve them for me?" He smiled that eerie smile of his, the muscles under his skin stretching and relaxing in full view of both of us. Said it before, say it again, I -really- didn't need the biology lesson. I chuckled weakly, prodding my pip-buck and looking at the map; there were a slew of new places to explore that popped up on it, along with, finally, a proper map scale. Goddesses, did we really walk THAT far in just a few days.

"We'll do it. If it means we can clear Equestria of whatever low-life stripes still live in it, I'm all in." Minty smirked widely, the Doc turning to face the gun once more. Man, in retrospect, this has been a weird few days... alright, insane few days, but it's overall far more exciting than sitting behind a control panel. With a wide smile, I nodded in agreement.

"Doc, you had me at 'Megaspell'. We'll have those talismans back to you before you can say radioactive fallout!" With an enthusiastic flap of the wings, I was positively giddy to get going off. The ghoul pony raised his hoof, pointing to the doorway and down the hall with the smile on his face.

"The door's open, and your things are all safely in the crates in the infirmary. Set off when you feel ready for it, nobody here should stop you. And please, do come again - one can only spend so many decades conversing with the same ponies over pre-war politics and planning, you know!" He chuckled as we stepped down the metal hallway and retrieved our things, sliding into our bardings and reorganizing our weapons. It was quite pleasing to find that they had some kind of functioning wash facilities, as well as, apparently, pre-war barding repair - this duster and vest looked and felt better than new! The modifications made for Minty allowed his Pip-buck to snugly fit inside of his own combat armor legging - goddesses, I felt downright obligated to help get Megaspell Mary back up and running, and whatever the hell else they wanted! This was just unprecedented hospitality.

Items gathered, we stood on the inside of the exterior door to NEAMO, the sunlight streaming in through the windows and illuminating the dusty air. I let off a sigh, smiling warmly, looking out into the snowy wasteland refreshed and with all limbs properly accounted for, Minty looking down and playing around a bit with his new robotic leg. It was actually rather nice to know that there was still some form of hope for Equestria returning back to the way that I was... whatever that may be. Since it involve the live detonation of megaspells as well, I sure as sugar wasn't complaining! The radio crackled and picked up another station mid-song, the lines of which making myself only chuckle more - I think I found my favorite station.

"She's a red-coated megaspell baby,
A super-charged arcane science gal.
When she strikes her objective, and turns on the juice,
ten will get'cha fifty if you ever get loose!

She's used her TNT tactics
to bring a colt down to her size,
it would take a secret weapon or a su-per-mare,
to harness her energy,

You know that you'd do well
t' stay clear of that megaspell,
cos' she be-longs to me!"

We headed out into the sunny (or at least as sunny as the wasteland got) air, the wind nipping a little at my ears, but compared to last night, I may as well be in swimming trunks. I looked around at the debris surrounding the facility as we marched on, cringing a little at the sight of the decomposed and... glowing... corpses littering the ground. One such formerly pony-shaped mass of goo was lying in a pool of radioactive waste, an eye dangling out of it's socket in the nipping wasteland air. Gross. I looked down at my Pip-Buck as it clicked, tapping it a bit before the EFS kicked back on. Five rads per second?! Jeez, how does Twintails stand this? “Let’s get out of here before my skin starts to match The Doc’s.” I said, picking up my pace.

“Ah, come on, this ain’t that bad. Just a little healthy glow, is all~” Twintails simply matched my speed, still humming along to the song. He went back to bobbing his head along to the tune, myself rolling my eyes at him; I didn’t spend all my time in the same room as an experimental reactor, thank you very much. I quite enjoy life without being a walking nightlight... or at least without having a nightlight whenever I go to the bathroom. We quickly made our way out of the radioactive swamp, climbing out of the small valley between a few mountains the facility lay in.

We headed down the road, now able to see beyond two feet in front of our faces. The valley that led into the N.E.A.M.O. basin continued along the road, some radioactive waste from the facility flowing into the frozen river. The song soon died down, quickly replaced by the voice of the DJ, garbled a bit by static. “Hey all of you out there in this Winter Waste-erland, hope you’re all having a wonderful... whatever season it is! A little breaking news, and it’s good this time. From the sound of it, two fresh-out-of-the-Stable-ees have just restored trading to Mooscow, drove a bunch of raiders out of the RobronCo factory up the street. Forget to set your alarm boys?” The DJ chuckled. “And you better watch out Short Fuses, these colts mean business. Alright, I’ll stop jabbering, back to your favorite tunes.” His voice died out before another song crackled to life. The tune was rather ridiculously upbeat for a song about some poor colt whose marefriend was caught outside when the bombs fell.

I thought a little about what the DJ had said - it sounded like there hadn’t been a Stable opening in a long, looong time. “Hey, Twintails, what was your life like in the Stable?” I asked as we headed past a crushed wagon. He spun a dial on his Pip-Buck, turning the volume down.

"Mmm, well, It wasn't terrible, but... working in reactor maintenance, you don't really run into a whole lot of other ponies down there. Mostly I just watched old test films of captured Balefire Bombs and megaspell detonations, read all I could about them. Heh... could tell you exactly how big a boom that shell back behind Megaspell Mary had, if I could've seen behind the casing. Eheh... How about you?” He asked, turning away for a moment and then facing back, curiosity in his eyes.

“Eh...” I shrugged “Aside from the Overmare, I guess there really wasn’t all that much wrong about it. I went to class, failed the G.O.A.T., became a technician and left. That’s how it goes for most ponies, right?” I said, chuckling a little.

Twintails raised an eyebrow. “Wait a minute... you failed the G.O.A.T.? How in the name of Princess Luna did you manage that?! I thought it was supposed to just be an occupational test, or is that all mixed up too in your crazy augmented life?”

“That’s just it; it’s a job assignment test.” I tilted my head back towards my flank. “Don’t you think it’s a little odd I’m probably, not to brag, one of the most plasma-knowledgeable ponies and I have a peppermint cutie-mark?” Twintails seemed to think it over for a moment, before nodding and shrugging simultaneously. “Well, according to that test I was best suited to be run a sweet shop. I was apprenticing for a good month or so, catering birthday parties and Nightmare Nights alike. I suppose I wasn’t too bad at it, since my cutie-mark popped up... though I bet it’s probably more likely because of my obsession with the actual mixing machines than the stuff in them.” I looked down at the ground, a suddenly feeling of nostalgia washing over me. I sighed a little as we walked along, the soft hum of the radio scarcely heard over the icy wind.

We walked in silence a little until the RobronCo facility came into view over the hill. Twintails perked up, remembering something as we drew near the front gates, which had apparently had their doors finally replaced, thankfully. The multitude of craters and destroyed robots diminished fears that the minefield was still around it. “Hey, we ought to stop back in here, I need to ask Jumper about the Neutron-Dampening Radiothermic Coil. Still out here to save my stable, no matter how many megaspells Doc has..." My ears perked up as we approached the building. An excuse for more Old World tech tampering? I’m interested! We trotted into the factory, immediately greeted by a Mr. Handy.

“Ah, good day, masters. May I help you?” It said, hovering in front of us, the eye scanning between us both. Huh, sounds like they improved the program’s manners a bit. As I scanned the lobby, noticing a few more Mr. Handys floating about, picking up debris and connecting wires, Jumper Cables trotted down the stairs leading to the offices. Her eyes still had heavy bags beneath them, and each step seemed wavery - some ponies really have to learn that caffeine is not a substitute for a good bed.

“Hey, E.C. Kid, I never caught your name.” She walked over to us, waving away the robot. “Thanks again for helping us out. Once we got that repair-bot up and running, this place has just come to life overnight! And through the morning... and the next night, too!” She chuckled weakly, catching herself on a receptionist's desk and rubbing her eyes again.

I smiled at her, itching to have a look at the guts of the factory. “I’m happy to help. I’m Minty Candy, by the way, and he’s Twintails.” I nodded towards Twintails, who was shooing away a robot that was attempting to remove his coat. Well, they are receptionist bots...

“Well, hey, if you guys need anything, I’d be happy to help. Once this place is fully operational, I could probably bury you in energy cells.” She chuckled. I was ready to request a tour, but Twintails cut in.

“I’m actually looking for this bit of tech. Do you guys happen to have a Neutron-Dampening Radiothermic Coil, or at least the parts for one? My Stable’s old reactor’s is broken, and it's been running on ice bags lobbed around the exhaust vents. We’re hoping to find another to fix it up, or replace it if necessary.” He asked, producing a photograph from between his pip-buck and foreleg. Jumper screwed up her face in concentration, gnawing at her lower lip and tapping a free hoof against her chin. I hope they did, whatever this thing was, it sounded pretty powerful and important...

“Neutron Coil... I can’t say that we do. Actually, I'm not even sure if one of those things exists... Your stable was one of -those- ones, wasn't it? One made with some minor detail changed from the status quo?" Twintails shrugged and nodded, a confused look on his face as Jumper Cables chuckled. "Call that a lucky break, just a fancy-schmancy reactor. instead of something like, like, fusing robots with pony brains. Some bots are still running inventory, if we ever find anything along those lines, I’ll be sure to let you know.” I was a little disappointed, and miffed at that robot pony comment, though I suppose I should’ve guessed RobronCo wouldn’t have something like that just sitting around in a factory collecting dust. No sensible factory would.

Twintails turned away, but I grabbed his tails. “Where’re you going? We have a whole factory of robots to tour!” I grin widely, thinking off all the machinery begging to be fixed. Unfortunately, Jumper stopped me as I tried to walk to the door to the workplace.

“Sorry, but I don’t think it’s wise to be running around in there with all those loose parts. One of my own employees already almost lost a hoof.” She looked down, noticing my metallic leg. She winced a little. “And I doubt you’d want to lose another one... guessing it wasn't a bloatsprite that set off one of those mines two nights ago after all, huh?” My ears flopped down a little, my grin falling away. Nothing short of a, I dunno, hospital with some limb regeneration spell could bring my hoof back. Jumper cables yawned, lifting my head up so we saw each other face-to-face. “Hey, cheer up. When this place is all fixed up, you two will be the first for a tour... I may even give you a discount.” She winked a little as my grin came back, even if it was a bit smaller than before. I suppose all good things come to those who wait... Ech, yeesh, who am I, my Overmare?

We turned away, leaving the facility to Jumper and her small army of robots. We got back on the road, Twintails flipping onto his back, starting to flap through the air. He hovered beside me, singing to the music as I crossed a small bridge across the valley leading to Mooscow. “Say, did you know a lot of people in your Stable?” Twintails asked as he flapped again. I noticed he did his best to not look down. What was he, afraid of heights? “Aside from Gamma, I didn’t know a lot of other ponies; they don’t frequent the reactor maintenance areas. There was Tablet, fantastic artist, did a huge mural of all of the old reactor maintenance ponies in the hallway to Bruce... and a mural for me...” He smiled a small, little smile, as I kicked a small rock along the path. The song died down and static filled the air before another quickly took its place.

“Well, once I was assigned to be a mechanic, I spent all my time in the restricted sections... even the ones I wasn’t supposed to be in.” I chuckled a little. “I remember there was one colt in school... uh... Cross Stitch! We used to be really good friends. I tried to convince him to let me tamper with his Pip-Buck when he turned 10, though he was a little more protective of his. ‎‘You’ll get one soon’ He always said. Believe me, four months was waaaaay to long to wait for mine when your best friend had one. He managed to pass the G.O.A.T. though, became a seamster. I remember we used to try to see each other after we got our jobs, but we never could spend a lot of time together...” I smiled a little as my mind drifted back to him. “Heh... when I got my cutie mark, I remember he gave me this little plush toy of myself... though it had the Talisman mark I should’ve gotten from that stupid test. You should’ve seen him smile when I opened it...” I looked back up at the road ahead, the cloudy sky growing a little darker as time passed.

“Sounds like he cared a lot.” Twintails said, flapping along next to myself lazily as we trotted along. I nodded, smiling a little. “You... you think he liked you? I mean, hell, he really seemed like a nice guy, to do stuff like that for you.” Twintails asked, flipping over to his stomach as he flew along. I thought for a moment, pondering the implications. Well... he obviously liked me enough to be my friend.

“I guess I never really thought about it...” I sighed, and crunched through the snow in silence for a bit. “You know, first thing after we fix this gun, and remove the last of those filly-eating striped skins, I’m going back to get him. Maybe I can convince him to strike up a seamstress shop in Mooscow.” I chuckled a little, smiling softly. Yeah, that'd be nice... we'd be able to be together, safe. Gotta remember to get some thermal clothes for his cute flank first, though.

Twintails smiled a bit as the shadow of Mooscow started to appear over the horizon. “Assuming the Overmare doesn’t find you first.” He giggled, smirking softly and winking at myself. “Let’s just hope I don’t get jealous of him, I mean - I could see why he'd want a piece of your cute flanks, haha~” I chuckled and rolled my eyes, turning the music back up as we moved along the final stretch.

"Ol' hard-headed Caesar will be feelin' mighty blue
when he finds out he's bitten off more'n he can chew,
For his 'ggression will be ended and the job will be well-done
if Princess Luna drops a Megaspell bomb!

Princess Luna has the power to stop those murderin' thieves
An' she'll make 'em sorry for their underhoofed schemes.
Just leave it to the princess for she's really got the nerve
T' give those no-good striped nationalists jus' what they deserve

There'll be fire, dust 'n' metal flyin' all around,
and the radioactivity will burn their playhouse down
if there's any Zebras left, they'll be all on the run,
If Princess Luna drops a Megaspell Bomb!"

"Well I'll be damned, you're back? Sheesh, did you two decide to go and build a snow fort or someth-..." The particularly snarky mouth of Bloodbeak stalled, looking over our tired, weary selves. Enjoyable as coming across a massive pre-war megaspell warhead stockpile and it's delivery system, and finally settling on a reliable radio station that had a damn wide selection of songs great for traveling to, the severely long walk back served to kill most of the fun. The sun was casting long shadows of the cathedral's spires and the exterior walls now, myself and Minty trudging along and sitting down with a fwhump in the snowy road. Bloodbeak swooped down off of the wall, looking us both over. "Goddesses, you go out for two nights and come back with one less leg and reeking of... Jeez! How in the hell are your eyes glowing!?" She jumped back, staring into my face as I blinked lazily, rubbing one of my eyes.

"Mmm, wha? Uh, news to me... would explain why things started getting brighter in that storm, though, I guess..." I picked myself up, Minty fiddling with his robotic hoof some, lifting it up and watching as it impacted the ground with a heavy thud. Eyes glowing or not, there's no escaping the fact that we were just plain exhausted. I let my wings fall to my sides, blinking tightly to try and keep myself awake. "We got the raiders cleared out... can we just have somewhere to stay instead of the caps? I feel like I just walked a marathon on the Stable treadmills..." I grunted out, watching as Bloodbeak opened up the doors and helped lead us inside. Was... was that actual concern on her face? Jeez, she's not going to tuck us in now, is she? It's just exhaustion and mild radiation poisoning, nothing to worry about. I'm sure I've exposed myself to worse before back in the Stable.

"Uh, um, yeah, sure. There's an old hotel inside the inner walls, I'll call ahead with my brother and get things situated. Practically owe you a room at this point, eheh... j-just go and get some rest, you two. And some rad-away." The sun had vanished behind a distant mountain range, the clouds still a bright orange that was quickly beginning to fade away with the time passing, arcane generators kicking in and illuminating the streets. A light snowfall had started, as we both wearily made our way through the large brick arch into the grand fortress inside. Old signs glowed in different vibrant shades of red, blue, and green, one hanging above a doorway reading clearly the word 'hotel', suspended in a makeshift mishmash of cables and welded steel plates. Minty trotted ahead, breath condensing over his glasses before he had to stop and rub them off. Man, the outside sucked at night...

"Well, at least we'll finally get some actual sleep now, right? I'm getting sick of just falling unconscious because of explosions... or blood loss." Minty grunted softly, as we both stood in the doorway of the hotel. A cold breeze was picking up, blowing the wisps of light snow at us, the glow of the sign overhead casting its reddish-blue lights on the ground and casting strange shadows, supplemented by the road lamps and lights from behind the door. After a short while of knocking, a young mare opened up the door, looking up at the both of us timidly for a moment, before letting us inside and trotting off. A colt trotted in behind the counter, smiling warmly and looking over at the both of us, levitating up a pen from out of his coat pocket.

"Ah, you two must be Bloodbeak and Razorwing's special guests. Must say, I'm impressed for a pair of wasteland newbies to be that capable - so, that's one room for both of you, then?" He chuckled, myself leaning against the reception desk, taking a breath in of the lightly heated air inside the room. The building was actually fairly impressive in it's decor and status, the paint showed little signs of chipping and the carpet only slightly frayed. The shelves behind the older unicorn were in some disrepair, and the 'plants' certainly had seen better days, though the structure overall seemed to have weathered the years quite well. I glanced up at the faded photographs on the wall - heh, wasn't that a foreboding picture, a Mushroom cloud over the mountain behind us. What kind of fancy camera could take pictures of the future? A dark-green hoof waved in the corner of my vision, the pony it was attached to giving me a look of combined confusion and concern. "Uh, kid? Hello, earth to pegasus, you with us?" I blinked again, giving my head a shake and looking back.

"Mmh, right, yeah, sorry. It's been a long... busy... what day is it?" He took a light step back, levitating out a laminated card and passing it over to us. Minty picked it up, beginning to trot down the hallway to the stairwell.

"Room 206, third one on your right at the second floor." I nodded once, beginning to trot behind Minty slowly - man, these saddlebags were heavy. How the hell was I carrying them for so long? Or, how much crap did I have loaded in them, anyways? We only killed one raider camp, right?... right? I shook my head clear, right now just focusing on sliding into a bed and getting some non-explosion-induced sleep. Letting off an exhaustive yawn, I finally brought myself to conquer the stairs, looking up and watching as Minty fumbled with the lock on the door. It clicked, the door swinging open, my unicorn friend stalling for a moment and then dropping his head to the floor.

"There's only one bed... guh, nope, too exhausted to care. Come on, we're both mature colts here." I pulled up alongside him, stepping into the quaint room and promptly jettisoning my heavy saddlebags with a resounding thud against the floor. Sorry whoever's downstairs... Minty did the same, hardly bothering to take off anything more than just the bulkiest parts of his barding, hefting himself into the covers and burying his face in the old pillows. I had to say, whoever does fabric repair around here does a really good job at it, the blankets hardly look torn at all. I tossed off the duster and leggings, keeping the vest on and examining the covers for a minute, gently sliding in beside Minty, laying my head on my own pillow. Mmm, so soft, so warm, so inviting... just like my Stable...

The next day's dawn had me waking to an empty bed and a numb leg, the latter of which being what finally actually egged myself awake when it promptly smacked me across the face. Stupid hooves losing bloodflow due to all-night cuddling... once the pins and needles had passed, I flopped myself out of the bed, glancing around the room. A large hooflocker rested next to Minty's armoring, a second one beside it having my mostly emptied saddlebags draped over it's top, along with a paper note. Giving my wings a good stretch, I hovered myself over, looking down at the rather decently neat handwriting - unicorn magic, pff. Rubbing some leftover sleepers clear and idly perusing what remained in my saddlebags, I placed the note in view, reading it over in my head. 'TT - went to the shops, will be back later. Also, you talk in your sleep. A -lot-. -Minty'. Well, jeez, it's not like I mean to...

Sliding back into my barding, I took a pause to look over myself in the mirror behind the dresser, blinking and examining the colt that stared back at me. Man that was some mad bed-head he had going on, and... huh, so healing potions worked with teeth, too? Cool, guess Gamma's pistol isn't going to be such a pain to use after all. Damn that addictive enamel-destroying cool radioactive soda. I lifted a hoof to the side of my face and scratched it idly, blinking a few more times and licking at my lips. Buh, cold air was not friendly with me at this point. I blinked a few more times, looking back up in the mirror and then jumping back at the pair of glowing green eyes in it. Was... were those -my- eyes? But, but what... I glanced down at my pip-buck, flipping through the screens and tapping the display a bit, glancing down at the readout, my ears finally picking up a faint clicking sound as I leaned forwards. Huh, I guess radiation really -does- do freaky stuff like that. Right, Radaway on the shopping list!

Still ticking like a slow clock even after finishing off what packs of Radaway we had - man that orange tang was addicting - a quick glance out of the frosty window showed the city was alive, the hustle and bustle of ponies trotting around in the fresh layer of snow in the streets that had been so for so many years. A smile pulled across my face, the excitement of exploration renewed, ready to step out and greet the day with fresh, faintly glowing eyes. Lucky Minty left the keycard, too.

"Morning!" I grinned widely as I passed the front desk, spotting a foal and what I assumed was her father resting in some of the chairs, playing a game of checkers with Sunrise Sarsaparilla and Sparkle-Cola bottlecaps. They looked up from their game, giving me a surprised look as I trotted through and out the door. Suppose they don't get many happy faces around here - they seemed a bit taken aback, a passing contemplation as the frigid air nipped at my wings, my gaze moving to the rich red bricks of the inner walls, a true testament to old Equestrian construction, standing firmly against the grinding force of the weather. The blinds in the hotel's front shut behind me - don't blame them, it definitely was nippy out. Must be like this year-round, between the war having kicked up all that fallout and how far north we were it's not surprising if there just isn't any grass anywhere. Caravans must make a killing on food products...

Trotting through the decorated arches, the bustle of the square was rather homely, reminiscent of lunchtime back in the Stable, and how very busy the atrium was. The cacophony of smells, too; tasty apples, fresh daisies, the soft crunch of pressed granola and the sweet taste of bottle after bottle of that rich fruity soda... Goddesses, I was starving. Right, what can be bought for a few bottlecaps 'round here, then, I think it was around lunchtime. Eh, it's lunchtime somewhere, anyways. The growl from beneath my barding reaffirmed the notion, and so began Daring Tails' quest for the Nourishing Food of Somewhere!

Snow crunching underhoof as I let my nose do the leading, I barely noticed the way that everypony seemed to follow me with their eyes, not wanting to look away for some reason. Sheesh, did I grow a third wing on my forehead or something? I just wanted to find somewhere I could get something to eat, wasn't meaning anything by it. Taking another whiff of the air, a sweet, juicy scent met my nostrils and made my mouth water. My my, what -was- that scent? Salty, sweet, juicy, tantalizing in it's flavor that I just couldn't pin down. Must be a wasteland food, I suppose. Giving a flap of the wings and kicking up off of the road, it was a relatively quick jaunt from the center of the square to where that aroma was coming from. Along the way, more mixed glances and glares of concern - it's like they'd never seen a friendly Pegasus before.

A storefront glowed with yellow lights, illuminating a rebuilt interior with a few ponies enjoying themselves and eating at scrap-metal tables, a sight that I couldn't help but find faintly nostalgic. Making my way through the door, the chatter seemed to quiet down, and the uneasy feeling of several pairs of eyes staring at me welled up in my stomach. Save for the errant whisper, there wasn't much noise beyond the trotting of my hooves against the floor, a mare behind the counter showing the first few gray hairs of age leaning forwards, resting a hoof on the register. Needless to say, by the time I reached the counter I was downright uncomfortable. The mare at the register looked at me with wary eyes, moving to cover the drawer more. Sheesh, I know the duster was kind of intimidating, but it didn't make me a thief!

"So, what brings you here, feathers?" She sneered the last word, as if meant as an insult. I took a small step back, glancing around nervously and keeping my wings folded to my body. All eyes were glued to me, a bead of sweat running down my forehead as I swallowed down my dry throat. This was just unsettling.

"Uh... I-I smelled whatever you had cooking, and... uh... eep..." If I hadn't already emptied my stomach with having to see Minty, um, dis-armed, I'm pretty sure my pants would be turning a lovely shade of brown right about now. My wings fumbled with my saddlebags, myself finally grabbing and pulling out the small satchel of bottlecaps as I received errant looks of disgust and fear from the patrons, taking the bag from the grasp of my wing and holding it in my hoof. "J-Just want something to, er, eat, is all... I don't want any trouble." The mare running the register snorted, the scowl cutting into me as I stepped forwards. She looked over myself; gee, talk about setting myself up as a wimp. Trembling and shaking in my clothes all because everypony seemed to hate me. Her eyes showed a glint of surprise as she glanced over my foreleg, her stance relaxing some.

"Hmh. Enclave don't have Pip-bucks. Cool your jets erry'un... it's jus' a Stable pony who wants lunch." She grunted, and the deathly silence of the restaurant was filled again with the various chatter of several ponies going about their business once more. Letting free a sigh of relief, I again went up to the counter, the mare behind it smirking softly as the satchel of bottlecaps jingled. "Welcome t' the Balefire Diner, just cooked up a few fresh racks of bear meat that came in on th' Quebuck caravans. Guessin' that's what you 'er smelling." I eased myself onto a seat at the counter, looking around warily. Enclave... why would they think I was part of whatever this 'Enclave' thing was? Was it the barding? My eyes, were my eyes still glowing? Great... good going Twintails, you alienated yourself in your Stable and now you're public enemy number one on the surface, for whatever reason. It's not like I meant to, I mean, c'mon, how many other pegasi were there to play with back home? For that matter, where were all the pegasi up here?...

"Er, ah... pardon my asking, miss, but, er, what're the Enclave?" The mare behind the counter looked up from her notepad, spitting the pencil aside and passing the slip through the small window behind her. She sniffed in, trotting over and picking up a glass and rag left over from an earlier patron. She watched me for a moment, dry-cleaning the glass idly, balancing on her rear hooves - how does somepony do that?

"Name's Shotty. You haven't been out long, have ya, kid?" I shook my head, watching as she scrubbed the glass to a shine. She let off a sigh, setting the glass down and leaning on the counter in front of me. "The Enclave are the sort of folk who'll sooner fry us surface dwellers than stop to take a shit. Basically all pegasi and love lasers. Keep on getting reports from down south about how they attack towns built on old military bases, my guess is we're too far north for 'em to care about us much. 'course, anypony who waltzes through Mooscow sporting a pair'a wings like that, don't blame 'em for being paranoid. Lucky to get signals from Tenpony when we do, and the news is always grim at best." A bell dinged at the window, the room filling with the familiar aroma once more as a plate was slid through it. Shotty stepped towards it, picking it up with her front hoof and setting it down in front of myself, letting me look at the slab of softly steaming brown-reddish wasteland food. "My advice to you, let ponies see your pip-buck before them feathers if you can, and keep grounded. Oh, that's 30 caps, by the way." I nodded, slowly, pulling out the small pile of bottlecaps that constituted about a third of what I had on me at the time - it seemed like a fair enough price.

"So, bear 'meat'?" I looked at the recently cooked hunk, idly prodding it with a hoof before lifting it up and taking a bite from it. It was, admittedly, a little hard to entirely chew, but... oh goddesses, that -taste-! That salty, soft, warm sensation sliding down my throat as I took bite after bite, gleefully letting my wings flap absent-mindedly as the plate went from full to half at a rate comparable to how fast I drained bottles of Sparkle-Cola back in the Stable. As the chunk grew smaller and smaller, I slowly began to notice the number of eyes that were turned towards me once more, the restaurant having gone quiet again save for the sound of my chewing. Swallowing the last piece blissfully, I opened my eyes once again ,glancing around and smiling weakly at the patrons. Even Shotty seemed a little taken aback at my enthusiasm for this delectable new dish.

"How in the... kid, do you have any idea what you just did? I mean, goddesses..." I chuckled weakly, sliding off of the stool and taking a few steps towards the door, eyes still upon myself. Was it my wings, or something? I was hungry!

"Eheh, I think I have to go, uh, nuke my refrigerator... kaythanksbye!" Wasting not much more time standing around with a restaurant full of ponies staring at me in bewilderment, and a stomach distended for the first time in, what, three days or something, I decided it was probably best if I made my exit right about then. The unnerving silence persisted as I rushed out the door, the bell on it ringing softly as I distanced myself from the restaurant, finding myself rushing along the large square. I thought I might've heard Shotty screaming after me for some reason, but it could've been anything, between the wind blasting in my ears and the pedestrians that whizzed by in technicolor blurs. Huh, flapping your wings while sprinting really -does- make you go faster.

When I had distanced myself far enough away from the restaurant full of ponies who probably would not particularly enjoy seeing myself again, I finally took the time to catch my breath, resting against the nearest sturdy structure. Looking over my surroundings, I noticed that I'd actually managed to sprint almost half the entire length of Mooscow, leaning against the strange, faded structure myself and Minty had gone past on our way just a few days ago, the curious onion-shaped domes atop the spires, ornate decorations, and colored carvings of the Princesses now viewed in greater detail. It was truly something that set itself apart when compared to the decaying buildings and otherwise bleak facades surrounding it. Stomach satisfied and feelings of persecution passed with the absence of the crowds that populated the other end of the square, I allowed my curiosity to overtake me, trotting around the snow-covered marble base of the massive structure. A small beep emanated from my Pip-buck, the text coming into focus on my EFS responding that I'd apparently just discovered the Princess' Cathedral & History Museum. Always was a sucker for learning about the past...

Stepping through the large doors, the light gust of warm air that greeted me was surprising to say the least, the grandeur of the interior drawing in my wide-eyed attention, gazing up at the grand vaulted arches and stone carvings. Glancing around, a set of signs in front of a set of equally ornate wooden doors caught my attention; Church straight ahead, Equestrian History Museum downstairs. Museum hours; 10 AM to... bedtime. Eh, it was open now, at least. A pair of stairwells descended on either side, arcane lights illuminating fine stained glass at the landings, depicting the Princesses leaping- no, hovering over the church. Some sections had fallen out and shattered, yet it otherwise remained quite intact as a mural of a time long gone by. Heh... wonder how Tablet's been getting along with the mural back home...

Stepping through the more homely archway at the base of the stairwell, I was rather astonished to find just how many glass cases had managed to survive the war, each and every one of them storing small trinkets behind their protective clear sides. Dust lightly caked upon a few of them here and there, causing the forms inside to come across as softly blurred and opaque, though the transparency of the cases and lack of decay as found upon the surface still served to awe - and I wasn't even paying attention to the contents yet! I began to absent-mindedly stroll down the aisles, the only sound coming from my hooves clopping against the hardwood floor and the hum of the arcane heaters, slowly examining each of the various artifacts. There were some quite strange items, as well; old talismans, single-shot pistols that loaded and fired crystals of all things, a scale-model of an external combustion steam engine, and an odd collection of rocks of various shades, colors, and hues. The tags were faded on several, but some of them were easily identifiable. Anypony who had to sit through Stable geology classes week after week could've picked them out; Phoenix coal, from it's vibrant hues of orange and red; Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, a smorgasboard of gems, really; Zebra anthracite, the odd streaks of white in the pitch black carbon giving that one away; samples of Bauxite, granite, iron pyrite next to the gold (or was it gold next to the iron pyrite?), and a last strange grayish stone held within it's own small case. The tag inside the inner case labeled it as 'moon stone'... wait, is that just a name, or did we actually go to the moon of all places? Sheesh, how much equipment did Celestia have to banish to be able to get it back within a millenium? I lingered by the stone for a long while, examining it, hardly noticing as the patter of smaller hooves approached from beside me.

"May I help you, sir?" I jumped lightly at the voice, lost in my own thoughts at the moment, turning to see where it came from. A young unicorn mare, her duo-tone mane hanging in threads off of her head and soft deep-blue coat peeling away in places, looked at myself, her eyes wide and curious. I cleared my throat idly, moving my hooves off of the display case and back to the floor.

"Ah, well, I was just taking a look around, really. Are you the owner of this place?" Her eyes seemed to light up for a moment, a smile faintly growing across her muzzle, then turning into a light frown as she turned her head away, gently hoofing at the hardwood boards that supported us both.

"I g-guess I am, tech-nilly. The original bosspony walked upstairs one day for more exhibits, an' he hasn't come back yet... guess'n he isn't. I'm Min'it, er, Minuette, junior curator here." She turned back to face me, smiling lightly. "Would you like a.... ah, a tour? S-sorry, not many ponies really come down anymore nowadays. As usual..." I blinked a few times, smiling back at her as she started to turn down the aisle. Ghoul pony museum curator? Well, I was here to learn about pre-war history, doubt I'll be able to get a chance much better than this!

"Certianly, miss! Do lead the way, would love to learn what I can." I chuckled lightly, watching as her face lit up in a wide smile, galloping off to the entrance and throwing a lever on the wall, the whole room beginning to hum as lights began to illuminate it fully. Grand murals on the walls encircled the room, whole corners and sections devoted to pieces of technology that were otherwise shapless forms in the darkness earlier. She waved a hoof at myself, waiting by the start of the mural as I trotted to greet her, eyes drinking in all of this newly revealed pre-war artifacts. Goddesses, were all the amazing connections to the past hidden under the ground? Now I see why Daring Do was an adventuring archeologist...

"You're lucky, this's the first thing I had t' learn when I took this job. The whole story of the war't turned Equestria into what it is t'day begins back over two and a half centuries ago..." Minuette began her speech, giving the essential crash-course of everything, from the advent of coal electricity plants and integrated magical talismans to the treaties and trade between Equestria and the Zebra lands' resources, their supplies of coal for our vast riches of emeralds and other gems. Though Equestria as a whole did not wish to admit it, the start of the war could go as far as the breaking of the trade treaties and siezing of loads of fuel coal from Zebra depots. She admitted that the details weren't all there; they only knew what they had to go by through these things called memory orbs. As she explained, it required a unicorn to be able to access them, and the more you used, the more jumbled your thoughts could become. The old curator had painted the mural with help from memory orbs and the books and copies of archives they had kept down here, and while they were a vast supply of knowledge for building the basics of the story, there were still details that were left out, or missing. Even the Ministry of Image had some reach, in this goddess-forsaken icebox.

The story only became more and more grim as the years seemed to pass by within it, the buildup of mechanized arms upon both sides and the creation of exceedingly more dangerous - and effective - means of harming Zebras and ponies alike culminating in a terrible, bloody conflict, claiming the lives of thousands each day, regardless of status. Civilians were subject to Zebra aerial strikes, Ponies developed larger and larger anti-armor shells and explosives, Zebras produced their own heavily armored tanks and Ponies advanced in cloud and powered armor technology, even up to the inevitable logical next step. Megaspells, and the Zebra counterpart, Balefire bombs. As Minuette explained, however, the devastating final step in Equestrian wartime technology actually grew from the mind of the head of the Ministry of Peace; the first megaspells weren't meant to harm, not at all. They were built to -heal-. Entire battlefields, entire cities, no matter how grievous and mortal the physical injuries sustained, the activation of the initially designed megaspells would heal all that were in the area back to full, complete health, pony and zebra alike. However, against the wishes of the Ministry Mare and her hopes for a peaceful conclusion to the conflict that had caused so much suffering already, the powers that be were more intent upon winning with sheer force. The details are not clear, though it's often accepted that the creation of weaponized Megaspells almost exactly paralleled the invention of Balefire Bombs, only turning the war hotter as both sides began to prepare for the absolute worst, final solution to the end of the war. The Stables entered construction, wartime production industries entered a fever pitch up until one fateful day - the day the bombs fell.

Apparently, reports suggest that Cloudsdayle was the first Equestrian city to be struck with a true Balefire missile, vaporizing and maiming residents up to several miles away from the center of detonation. Pegasi closed the sky soon thereafter, though the barrage was still coming in full force, each explosion sending up the same massive mushrooms that I'd seen time and time again on the old film reels, except... I found it difficult to try and comprehend what the explosive force of a Balefire Bomb really did to so many ponies at once. Equestria retaliated in full with all her megaspell-armed missiles, and the world was plunged into a firey darkness as the explosions kicked up ton after ton of soot and ash from the ground, cities being reduced to specks and clouds of radioactive particles that eventually found their way back to earth in the form of snow, blizzards that blanketed the lands and reduced most all plant life not protected to wide fields of death and emptiness, a time the former curator regaled as akin to the pre-equestria period. Few things survived on the surface, though with the passage of time the Stables reopened and pony life began again upon the harsh, unforgiving wastelands that were left behind in the war's wake. Equestria, however, would never be the same...

"...and that's how Equestria as we now know it was made!" She ended with cheerfully, myself left in a contemplative silence as I tried to retain the slew of knowledge that she'd graced me with in that short time. I found myself slowly nodding as she smiled and trotted off, humming happily. Eventually I managed to regain myself, shaking my head lightly and looking at the surroundings, and then down at my Pip-Buck. What time was it when- oh. Very goddess-damned late. Well, mental note, come back here sometime, because good greif that was a lot of information to take in all at once. I made a dash for the exit, slowing down to a trot as I noticed something that hadn't been there when I'd come in; a tip jar. Ah, bless her ghoul heart, I suppose a small donation wouldn't hurt us much. Minty surely had plenty of caps traded off for all those guns we nabbed from the raiders' camp so long ago. With the satchel of bottlecaps in my saddlebags about twenty lighter now, I made my way up and out into the snowy night of Mooscow.

The cool night air nipped at my coat, a feeling I was starting to get used to as the time went on, the fresh, light snowfall crunching beneath my hooves as I trotted back to the hotel. A section of the clouds shone brighter than the rest - I'm guessing that's where the moon might've been, if the pegasi above didn't have those clouds in the way. Maybe I could convince the Doc to fire one straight up, detonate early, just to see what the night sky really did look like... pegasi. Why were pegasi the bad guys?

And why, oh why, why was I starting to hate them, too?

I unlocked the door with the keycard, Minty not yet home, finding today's excitement quite plentiful in it's entirety. Enjoying the warm air from the vents, I took off my barding entirely, yawning softly and sliding beneath the warm cloth covers, idly flicking on the radio on a low volume. Shutting my eyes, a smile crept upon my face, listening to the sweet, somber melody from the beautiful voice of that mare I'd listened to for so very long. I was slowly lulled to sleep, feeling my mind slipping over just as the last fee chords were strung out in their light tones.

"We'll meet again, Don't know where,
Don't know when...
But I know we'll meet again, some sun-ny, day!"

Author's Note

If you've noticed a theme with the end of some of the chapters, yup, that's right! We'll be bringing you snippets of lyrics from grand old classics, mainly from the CONELRAD collection for those who've heard of it. Parodied by myself, mainly, We're hoping you'll come to enjoy what the US's golden age of Civil Defense gave us in song, with an Equestrian twist to them, of course!
-Twintails aka the-furry-railfan

Old Bones, New Math

I awoke to the sound of Twintails’ sleep mumbling... again. I rolled over, grumbling a little, fiddling with the clock at the side of our bed - eight o’clock. Well at least it’s a decent hour now. I threw back the covers, flopping out of bed, my mechanical hoof clunking to the floor. Guess that rubber sole isn’t going to keep things that quiet. I tiredly trotted over to the pile of our stuff, cricking my sore joints and hitching up my saddlebags, figuring I’d better head down to Razorwing’s to load up on some supplies and sell off all the junk we'd collected. I looked over at Twintails, half tempted to wake him with a nice hot cup of plasma to the rump. Funny as it might've been, Something in the way he seemed to sleep compelled me to restrain, instead writing up a quick note and placing it on my armor and his saddlebags.

I shut the door behind me heading down the hall a little ways. As I passed the front desk, the receptionist stopped me. “Excuse me, but if you’re checking out, might I take your keycard?” I nodded, rummaging around in my bag before slapping my forehead. Gah, of course I left the card in the room... Oh well, I guess that’s what bobby pins were made for. I explained the story, telling her my roommate would have it when he came down (or at least I hoped he would), before heading out into the frigid air.

The city seemed much more alive than during our first visit, despite the obvious dilapidation. Those trotting around shielded themselves from the cold with cloaks, though they seemed to be a lot more talkative, probably because it wasn’t flank-falling off cold today - according to the one screen on my Pip-bu- er, Pip-Leg, it was just a little above freezing. I walked down the street, a young filly shouting to passers-by to visit Razorwing’s shop. You’d think as the only seller of goods around here, he wouldn’t need a ton of advertisement. I turned the corner, recognizing the front of the shop a few blocks down. Turning into the shop, the bell ringed lightly above the door as it swung open.

“Ah, hey, Bloodbeak said you guys made it back alright. Not to offend, but my hopes weren’t exactly that high for you two - she said you guys were practically glowing ones by the time you got back here. Hope those Radaways helped you out.” Razorwing said happily, placing a coffee mug back on the shelf he’d been dusting, moving on to polishing a pile of scrap metal. I suppose even in the wasteland things were more appealable when they were presentable.

“Like you wouldn’t believe, we could probably've powered a small reactor. Turns out the raiders had been hired by some ponies trying to fix up the facility.” I chuckled a little, scanning the shelves for a few broken down electronics. Razorwing raised an eyebrow, turning towards myself and resting against the counter.

“Huh, you’d think someone trying to fix up that old place wouldn’t try to steal from caravans. I know I wouldn’t want to piss off a company that large.” He looked over, finally getting a good look at me. “Woah, yikes, what happened to your hoof? Decide to get that improved too?” He chuckled a little, motioning to my horn.

“Um... let’s just say, fragmentation mines and snowstorms aren’t a good combination. I’m just lucky we stumbled upo-” I cut myself short. Perhaps telling the whole world about that facility probably wasn’t the best idea. Most ponies weren’t that accepting towards Ghouls from the look of it, let alone those that are be rebuilding a giant Megaspell-slinging artillery mechanism.

“...ah, Anyway, about your payment.” Razorwing said, realizing it was best not to ask. He placed the bits of metal back on the shelf, walking behind the counter, digging around beneath it before unlocking a safe. He pulled out a bulging bag of caps, tossing them to me. “As promised, 500 caps.”

“Er, um, thanks,” I said, catching the bag in a magical field and lowering it into my saddlebags. “But, I thought the hotel stay was at least part of the pay. Ah, not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“That was actually Bloodbeak's little gift, she said it looked like you guys hadn’t had a good night sleep since you left. You ought to say your thanks - she might shrug it off, but if you don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it.” He chuckled, relocking the safe.

“Alright, we’ll be sure to. Hey, what do you have for sale? Picked up plenty of weapons and other stuff when we cleared out the camp, 'sides, wouldn’t hurt to have some more Radaways on standby. ” I asked. Razorwing only waved his claw at all the merchandise around the store, smiling widely as I unloaded a saddlebag full of rather damaged and honestly disgusting weapons on the counter. I levitated over some packs of the orange medical goop and the last two healing potions I could find. Razorwing rung up the order, sorting through all of the junk and taking it off the final sale. I counted out the remaining caps it'd cost, surprised at how profitable the 'take anything not nailed down that nopony's using' business was. Ahead 120 caps after all that? Score!

“You guys come back soon, I’ll probably have more work once merchants start stopping in again!” Razorwing said as I turned to leave, waving a hoof to show I heard as I made my way back to the hotel. As I trotted along, my stomach growled. I guess having nothing to eat for a few days does have the tendency to take its toll on somepony. As I looked around the street, hoping to spot some sandwich shop, I just barely spotted a greenish-yellow blur darting over the crowd - yeesh, somepony light your tails on fire, ya nutty pegasus? Chuckling, and pretending to not hear the quips about myself and Johnson from the other colts on the street, I found myself getting rather lost in just watching the hustle and bustle of the city square... and the sound of my stomach growling. Right, there a sweet shop anywhere around here?

I found myself drawn into a small bakery at the corner, recognizing the smell of cooking sugar and warm bread, letting my nose do most of the leading. Stepping up to the counter and ringing the bell, a mare with a mane that I could best describe as looking like a curled blueberry muffin stepped out behind the counter, carrying a few boxes.

"Ah, Sugar Rush, glad to see you're back girl. Have luck with the caravans out of... huh?" I blinked at her idly, watching as she turned back to face me in surprise, sputtering silently. She shook her head, smiling and trotting up to the counter. "Uh, welcome to the Mooscow Bakery. I'm Muffin-Top, there anything I can get you?" Well, that was a rather unfortunate name... but who was this 'Sugar Rush', anyways? And, more importantly, why did she mistake me for her... nope, wait a minute, stomach has the floor currently.

"Mm, have a baker's dozen of muffins or cupcakes ready? Smells like... oooh, carrot-y." I smiled at her, watching as she stepped through the bakery door. My stomach rumbled again - yeesh, it was like a manticore was trying to get through my barding. Muffin-Top returned, chuckling lightly.

"Funny, we had that made up and sent out two days ago. Could make another if you didn't mind waiting, shouldn't take too long if everything actually decides to work again." I opened my mouth to respond, though my stomach did it for the both of us. I blushed rather brightly, the earth pony mare heading back into the bakery, laughing. I found a cushioned bench to wait on, chuckling a little myself - I suppose it -was- kind of funny.

A few hours later, I found myself snorting awake, glancing around the bakery - the small box of muffins was placed beside me, along with the receipt. 30 caps? Well... I guess she -did- let me nap for a while, and it was a fair enough price to begin with. Setting a neat stack of 35 of the silvery Sunrise Sarsaparilla and Sparkle-Swilla bottlecaps on the counter - what's wrong with leaving a tip? - I stepped out into the cold night, making my way back to the hotel with around four of the muffins intact on arrival. Breakfast for tomorrow, I suppose.

“Ready to head out?” Twintails asked as we neared the entrance to Mooscow proper. I nodded, though thought it was a bit late to be asking. As we passed through the heavy wooden doors, Bloodbeak popped out of seemingly nowhere, a smile on her face. Jeez, you need to stop doing that!

“Hey, you guys are alive! I was worried your flesh was going to fall off, you already lost a leg, by the looks of it.” I rolled my eyes. Yes, I get it. I’m a hoof short. May we move on? “Where are you guys headed?” She asked. I looked at my Pip-Buck-leg, fiddling with the buttons on it. Wow, that seriously felt weird.

“Uh... some place called Quebuck, looks like it’s just down the highway.” I said, showing her the screen. She studied it for a moment before shrugging.

“Eh, can’t be too bad compared to what you just went through. It’s about twice as far as that RobronCo factory though, and a bit more irradiated from the near-missed missile. Here.” She tossed us a couple M.R.E.s, smiling. “My treat, unless it turns out raiders are going to keep killing our merchants. Then it’ll cost you.” She narrowed her eyes. “Dearly.” She just stared at us for a moment, sternly, before smiling again. “Alright, hope you guys stop back in. I haven’t heard such good jokes in a long time.” She chuckled.

I grunted, levitating another clump of snow into the air. “Your face looks a little dirty, Beaky. You sure you don’t need another wash?” She put her claws up, still chuckling a little.

“Alright, alright, I’ll lay off the wisecracks for a bit... At least while you guys are in town, anyways~” I let the snow fall to the ground, chuckling and rolling my eyes. Fair enough, I suppose. We headed back down the road again, Twintails waving back to her. I flipped to the familiar radio station, 640-1240 it was called according to my Pip-Leg, catching the end of a song.

"So-o-o, hold me close my darling,
'cause I know what you've got.
My Geiger counter dear,
tells me that you're hot! Haha,
You're my radiation filly,
you're my teenage, fallout, Quee-hee-hee-he
Hee-hee-hee-hee-een."

We continued along the road like we’d done for the past few days - nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far. Cold air, slippery patches of ice, the odd raider here and there. As the wind picked up a bit, tossing dirt and snow into the air, a figure appeared ahead on the road. It was quite large compared to all the ponies we’d seen so far, and had some ponies walking alongside it. It looked like it was heading towards us, but didn’t appear hostile - one look at the compass on my Pip-Buck confirmed this, showing only a group of green ticks. As the group approached, a quiet, low jangling of a bell could be heard. The forms became a little more visible as we got closer, suddenly revealing themselves to be a couple ponies walking beside some kind of two headed cow. Um... what? I looked over at Twintails, seeing him wear the same confused face. I know radiation did some weird stuff but... ok then.

One of the ponies spotted us, waving us over. “Hey, need any supplies? We just got done prospecting some from Quebuck!” We headed over - if we were lucky, they’d have picked up at least a couple of those targeting talismans. The vendor smiled as we got closer, turning to the cow. “Alrighty, Betsy, take a break.” The cow stopped, allowing the pony to flip open one of the large packs on its back.

“What do you have?” I asked. “I’m looking for any kind of old world tech, if you’ve got any.” She dug around in the saddlebags some more, pulling out a few electrical boards and talismans. Twintails walked over to the bag, digging around a little. The sales pony didn’t object, though she did glare a little for him not at least asking.

“Here’s a couple, if any peak your fancy they’re seven caps apiece.” I studied the boards, pulling up an image of the tracking chips on my Pip-Buck. Many looked like they were beyond repair, so I handed them back, spreading out the rest in the air. Many I recognized as simple vending chips, but a couple stuck out as much more intricately made. I looked a little more closely, and at least a couple looked like the guidance ones we needed. They’d need a little repair, but should work for Megaspell Mary.

I pulled out the correct amount of caps, handing them to the pony as Twintails dug out some odd, black gem. “How much is this?” He asked. As I looked at the egg, my eyes strained a bit - there was something... off about it. For lack of a better description, it didn’t really look like the egg belonged in it's place in space. Twintails was having a hard time keeping a straight face as he delicately held it in his hooves. Whatever that thing is, he wanted it badly.

The salespony looked it over. “I’m not even really sure what that is. Just looked kinda pretty.” She said. “75 caps sound good?” She was a little taken aback when Twintails instantly agreed to the price. I guess she expected him to haggle a bit. They exchanged the money, and Twintails carefully slipped the gem into his saddlebags, giggling a bit. “Thanks for the business, guys.” The vendor said, patting the cow on the shoulder, causing it to trudge forward along the path.

After we were a fair distance from the merchant, Twintails turned to me, grinning widely. “Do you have any idea how much we lucked out?!” He was almost shouting, practically giddy. I raised an eyebrow. A couple talismans for only 20 or so caps was nice, but not that good. “That gem she had... it’s a Balefire Egg!” My eyes widened, jaw dropping in disbelief. The videos back in the Stable talked about those things; made by those filly-eating stripes, if I remembered correctly.

“Wait, WHAT?! Get rid of it before you kill us both, you lunatic!” I took several steps away from Twintails. According to the old films, the only thing that rivaled a Balefire Egg was a Megaspell... or was that a Balefire Bomb? Balefire-something. Granted, the ones they described were a lot bigger, but I still wouldn’t want one anywhere near me.

Twintails chuckled. “Relax, it takes a fair deal of force, or the right kind of launcher to set this thing off.” I slowed my running away, but relaxing was still low on my list of priorities. Something suddenly clicked in my head.

“Wait just a second, how do you know so much about these things?” I glared over at Twintails, narrowing my eyes. If I found out I was helping out a covert striped skin, that egg’s getting shoved where the sun doesn’t shine.

Twintails shook his head, realizing what I was thinking. “Calm down, my Stable just happened to have a ton of test films of these things. Equestria captured a lot of them from destroyed Zebra forces before everything went to hell, set 'em off in test ranges to see what they would do to buildings. Besides, if I’d wanted you dead, I would’ve left you out in that snowstorm, ya three-legged pony.” He chuckled a little. I looked away, not fully convinced - ponies who found out about Zebra magic were usually brainwashed or killed. At least, according to the Overmare.

We trotted along the road a while longer, the sun slowly rising higher into the sky. I fiddled with my Pip-Buck a little, before Twintails nudged me. “Hey, what d'ya make of that?...” He pointed off to a ditch at the side of the road; it looked like there was some kind of wreck at the bottom. We looked over the edge and, oh my sweet Celestia! There was an entire covered skywagon full of Sunrise Sarsaparilla and... bleh, I could live without the Sparkle Cola skywagon laying next to it. I slid down the side of the ditch towards the Sarsaparilla, Twintails following behind me. I leapt into the back of the wagon, stuffing my bag full of the sweet, sweet drink. Hehe, the climate probably kept these things at the perfect temperature, icy cold~

I was about to pop open one of the hundred of bottles when I noticed Twintails wasn’t behind me anymore. I turned to see if he was digging around the truck, when I thought I heard some more clinking of bottles. I trotted out of the back, looking around the corner, greeted with Twintails looking around the corner of the back of the Sparkle Cola wagon. Oh you son of a-

We both jumped out, pulling out our weapons. I levitated my Plasma Pistol up to eye level, aiming it between his eyes. We stood there for a moment, both glaring at each other, guns at the ready. To think I thought he was a decent pony, until now, that stripe-skin sympathizing son of a changeling. That gem had his flanks’ name written all over it. “Well... I suppose we’ve reached an impasse.” I said, trying to figure out a way to fry him without getting a new hole in my head.

“Sho ee hae.” Twintails muttered around his Luger. We simply glared at each other, calculating. “Sho... why don we jush pre-end zhizh ne-er ha-ened.” I paused for a moment, wondering if Twintails was scheming something. We slowly lowered our pistols, trotting backwards. Twintails slipped his gun back into the holster on his leg, turning up to face me. “Alright... let’s just stock up on as much as we can carry, and agree to never speak of this again. Fair enough?” He asked. I nodded, levitating a few more bottles into my pack.

I glanced around the edge of the wagon, seeing Twintails hiking up out of the ditch. Secretly, I drew my pistol, aiming it towards the opposing Sparkle-cola skywagon. Hehe, a soda bonfire might be nice, see how well that swill actually sparkled. Before I had a chance to pull the trigger, though, Twintails jutted in from back on the road. “You fry my coke and this Balefire Egg is going straight down your throat!” I rolled my eyes, stowing my pistol.

This was going to be a long walk...

"So this is Quebuck, huh? Very... uh..." My gaze rose to the tall buildings, some seen down streets collapsed and bowed against one another. Pockets of radiation clicked everywhere in the main avenues, the snow having melted into a muddy slush from the heat still being emitted by arcane generators beneath the roads, steam billowing lazily into the air from sewage grates. Every now and again, you could see the skeleton of somepony from before the war, a pile of bones laying in front of a building, not yet buried by the snowstorms. We walked carefully, staying silent most of the time, almost afraid to talk over the sounds of the wind whipping through the canyon-like structures that were the city streets. The place as a whole just really felt eerily more dead than the rest of the wasteland, even colder than the ice and snow that covered the place. As we passed beneath an elevated railway T-junction where one avenue connected to another, I glanced up at the building opposite, stopping in my tracks. Minty took a few steps ahead before noticing, my gaze fixated upon the facade. He turned around, following to where I was looking.

"Twintails? What is-... oh..." We stood there, looking up at the faded blue, modern-looking structure that was once a city building, and focusing on the strange shapes that were burned into the facade; the girders of the elevated T-junction were imprinted in stark, prominent shadows across the face of the structure, and even the glass on the windows. Blurred forms, but unmistakably pony in shape, were seared into the brick at varying heights. Some were standing on the upper platform, some were at street level, and some - without the shadows of wings - were high up on the wall, frozen in time as they were falling, jumping I suppose, wanting some sort of death before the bomb hit them. Poor bastards. The shadows seemed to be offset, pointed more to the southwest of the city, and high up. Air burst... I guess the missile was off course, a zebra-made Balefire warhead could no doubt have turned an entire city into ash if it were aimed right. It was so eerie to see these things still around after two centuries, ghosts from the war, immortalized as negatives on the hard walls and piles of ash. We didn't linger around long.

Following and winding through the streets inside the city, faded billboards and posters that were facing away from the detonation or protected in the shadows of the skyscrapers advertized a concert at a music hall. Glancing at the local map, it wasn't too far from where we were - this seemed to be the entertainment district. 'One Week Only, the famous Tom Neighrer live in concert!'... wait a tick. Tom Neighrer? -The- Tom Neighrer?! Okay, yeah, I think we might have to take a detour - the late, great Tom Neighrer's remains deserve better than rotting behind some stage curtain somewhere. He was a brilliant performer from before the war, I so dearly loved his satire and humorous teaching methods... boy, of all the songs I knew, why did this one pop in my head? I found myself faintly humming a song as we began to walk along, Minty looking over at me curiously. "...we will all bake together when we bake, there'll be nopony present at the wake! With complete participation in that grand incineration, nearly three billion hunks of well-done steak! Oh, we, will, all char together when we char..."

"What in the name of the goddesses are you singing?" Minty stared at me, a quizzical and concerned look on his face. Granted, based on the current world situation it was quite macabre, but that didn't take away from the fact it was catchy as hell and darkly satirical... or, was darkly satirical, at least. It's a Tom Neighrer classic, deal with it!

"Notice the posters 'round here? Tom Neighrer - THE Tom Neighrer - was in concert when the bombs dropped! The least we can do is give what's left of him some kind of burial, right? We can afford to take a detour, not on a time limit, are we?" The unicorn beside me blinked a few times, eyerolling and turning his gaze back to the buildings, looking back down the road, thinking. After a few moments, he let off a sigh, dropping his head.

"Ah, fine. We could use more salvage anyways, pick up whatever we can from the city before we reach the missile base, or whatever it is. Funny how profitable scrap and junk really is." I smiled rather widely, giggling like a filly - off to a Tom Neighrer concert we go! I wonder if there'll be any prerecorded tracks I could put on my Pip-buck there, not that that Civil Defense station didn't have great music, but... c'mon, this is Tom Neighrer we're talking about! I was just about to dart down the road when Minty stuck out his augmented hoof in front of me, knocking the wind out of my chest. Metal is hard...

"Oof, wha- what was that for?" Minty glanced back at me, nodding down the road. I peered ahead, looking down below the grand, damaged neon sign on the front of the grand theater. Figures lingered outside of the entrance, wandering aimlessly, dressed in various rags of what looked like pre-war evening wear. Tails and manes seemed practically nonexistent on the figures, their errant stumbling on hooves only adding to how very inequine they seemed to be, yet... Minty drew out his plasma pistol, levitating it so he was able to sight down at the group, myself following lead. We carefully moved closer, getting a better sight of the, well, creatures that wandered aimlessly outside of the theater front. I blinked in surprise, finally getting a better look at the details. "What... the... fuck?"

The ponies, figures, whatever they were, they all had their skin just completely sheared off. Nightmare Night midnight science-fiction/horror double features came to mind - goddesses, I didn't think radiation actually made zombies. That was a new one for me, but... wait a second. Were... were these ghouls? It was my turn to stop Minty, who turned to look at myself with his pistol still levitated where he was aiming a moment ago. I set Gamma's Luger in my free hoof, while Minty relaxed a bit in levitating the plasma pistol.

"What is it now? You don't think one of those... those zombie-things is your famed Neighrer, do you?" Minty huffed, myself shaking my head and looking back at the group for a moment, peering over the snowbank and overturned wagon we were taking cover behind.

"No, no, but... aren't those ghouls? Like, like the Doc, and White Thunder. Should we really shoot? I mean, my EFS ain't red yet." Minty looked up this time, studying the small group of the five figures wandering aimlessly. I didn't exactly want to be the one to shoot first, if I could help it. He turned back, letting off a sigh. We sat there for a moment, Minty contemplating, his eyes popping open a moment later.

"Check again... I think we're spott-" He was cut short by a completely in-equine scream, the cluster of blue bars in my vision suddenly turning a nice shade of red. Welp, that was all the motivation I needed - the warm sensation in the front of my pants notwithstanding. Gimmie a break, that scream was just... goddesses. C'mon, we can worry about your pants glowing later on, get that gun in your mouth and start getting in that theater already! Fumbling slightly, Minty had already begun to open fire, filling one of the ghoul ponies' faces full of plasma, then bringing his metallic hoof in a swiping blow across the horribly-screaming body in what I suppose was at one point a fancy evening gown. I swung about, coming face to face with another live-skinned pony screaming that unearthly scream and sending me flailing backwards as we collided, his worn-to-the-bone hooves scraping and smashing against my barding for the few moments he'd still had a head. Owie, owie owie owie, why did the wasteland hate everything? And why in the name of Luna did I think decapitating somepony who was on top of me was a smart idea?!

"M-Minty! Little help!?" After wrestling with the decapitated cadaver for a few moments, much to my relief Minty finally got ahold of it with his magic and flung it at a pair of zombie-ghoul ponies. They stumbled, and gave me just enough time to get up to my hooves to turn and face them, firing wildly. Entire chunks that would've easily killed any normal pony just stumbled the ghouls as round after round blasted through their heads, myself practically inhaling the grip of the semiautomatic pistol as the last few shots rang out. Seven shots, three dead bodies, this is not going well. Turning just in time to watch Minty taking care of the last ghoul with a rubber-clad hoof to the face - ooh, ewewewewew, that was a nasty squelch - we both slowly regained ourselves, the sound of the wind echoing through the canyons of the city returning to our ears. Wait, was that... faintly, from inside the theater, a piano could be heard ringing out a rather upbeat ragtime theme, drawing our attention. We began to trot forwards to the doors, sipping on healing potions, drawn by the music.

"Wait, hold up. Laser turrets." A hoof already rested on the push bar of the door, I looked back, seeing my augmented friend nodding up at a pair of black beetle-like metal fixtures under the awning of the entryway. His horn glowed brightly, a pair of bluish electric-like bolts bursting from it and enveloping the turrets, which responded in turn by descending from their containers and beginning to slowly sweep back and forth over the area. He smirked, casually blowing some smoke off of his horn and trotting forwards, turning to look at my dumbfounded face. Well, that's certainly going to be useful. "Classic RobronCo Mark 3 civilian security turrets. Targeting talismans just needed a zap and recalibration." With a smug look on his face, he trotted through the doors, myself glancing back at the turrets as I followed him. Show-off.

Oh, how well those MREs were living up to their name - Meals Refusing to Exit. Even though the bodies were no doubt long dead, just the sight of all those mutilated ponies in their theater attire... goddesses, I couldn't even breathe past my gagging. I tried to keep my gaze above the floor littered with equine bodies, turning attention to the decaying film posters that covered the walls. Hah, really, 'Dr. Strangemare' in theater 4? Boy, bet THAT movie was a controversial one... wonder if the ending was playing when the bombs fell? Obviously some ponies didn't hear the sirens until it was too late, least they went off with Vera in their ears. Rear Window, Mr. Smith goes to Canterlot, The Great Dic... ah, Dictator, right. Boy, must have been classic week, or something. At the end of the entrance hall, and after ransacking the concessions stands and soda machines (more Sparkle-Cola? Yum!), we both came to stand infront of the large playlistings. Theater 1 - Tom Neighrer, 'That Was The Tour That Was'. Well... maybe I could convince Minty to also stop by theater 4 to nab a recording of Dr Strangemare, Pip-Bucks can play movies, right?

"Theater one then. Unless you want to spend any more time here waiting for those Mostly Reconstituted Equines to come out in force, oh one-with-weak-stomach~" Minty snickered, drinking down a bottle of his soda idly and glancing around. What a smartflank... he knew that that stuff was just flavored plastics, anyways. With a roll of the eyes, I stepped around behind the desk, prodding around at the carpet and sliding back the doors underneath the counter. A-ha, there it was... locked. Of course. Fiddling around in my bags for a bobby pin, Minty turned his attention to one of the receptionist computers, his magic beginning to work in tapping on the keys - rather loudly, I might add. I tossed him a glare, leaning in to try and hear the tumblers better while fiddling with the screwdriver. Alright, alright, I admit magic can be useful in some places where delicacy is preferred, though... was that a click? Well, how about that, it worked! I pulled the bobby pin out, trying the handle... and finally noticing that the bobby pin was about half as long on the end that was in the lock. So that -wasn't- a good click. Slumping back, I stared at the busted bobby pin with a small frown, Minty's magic encircling the handle and turning it. I looked up in surprise as the bolts slid into the door for him, the safe opening widely.

"Ah, buh, wha...?" He levitated out the small piles of old bits, splitting it evenly and giving half the pile to my dumbfounded self, a smirk on his face as he glanced back to me. "But... I broke... but... but... what?" The augmented unicorn chuckled, tapping the side of the small terminal.

"Electronic lock, duh. You work in maintenance long enough, you learn a good bit about how to bypass all those silly RobronCo password checks. Wasn't even a hard one - 'Daisy', I mean, seriously, are you kidding me?" He let off a laugh, trotting over to the set of doors that led to Theaters 1-3. I let off a huff, following behind.

"Not all locks are electronic, yanno... and don't call me Daisy." We stopped in front of the double doors, Minty pushing against them, greeted with the both of them refusing to budge. Another lock? My time to shine~ I chuckled, moving him aside and pulling out another bobby pin, turning to face the door. As I leaned down to push into the lock, however, problems. Goddess-damnit, why were so many ponies so clumsy with their lockpicking? This was just ugly! I'd have to blast the whole thing out to even have a chance of getting the door open... wait a minute. I snickered, dropping the bobby pin back in my saddlebags and turning to the pistol holstered on my leg.

"What are you-" The barrel of the pistol stuck to the tumbler of the lock, keeping the shot lined up. Granted, it wasn't too hard when it was at point-blank range, but still! One healthy tug on the trigger and a small hole was punched in the door where the tumblers and lock once was, and our ears were ringing. Or, at least mine were... okay, ballistic lockpicking only for situations that require it, lest I go deaf. Minty looked over at me as I dropped the pistol back in the holster, shaking his head. "Well, I guess that's -one- way to get through a door..." I let off a muted laugh, turning back to the door and trying it again. They seemed to budge a little more, dragging on the floor, I think - they were caught on something. I threw myself at the doors, the both of them flying open and stopping with dull thuds at an angle suspiciously larger than what would be expected of a doorstop. Pondering that for a moment, I turned back down the hallway, and...

"Oh, goddesses... this was a massacre." Skeletons and bodies littered the floor all around, a pair of laser turrets on the ceiling in the middle of the hallway scanning back and forth, seeming to ignore us for the moment. I felt a bit of my stomach coming up into my mouth, accompanied with the tasty fizzy soda and less-than-tasty Might Return Edibles, immediately throwing my gaze roofwards. Minty didn't seem to want to look at it all that much either, gritting his teeth and using his magic to spread a small path in the carnage. We took a few steps forwards, moving slowly, before both receiving some nice laser corrective surgery courtesy of RobronCo Security Turrets. RobronCo! For when you just -need- to have your flesh cooked by concentrated light now! Minty jumped back, myself stumbling over a corpse and instantly feeling like I backed up to the reactor's heat dispersion vents. Stupid pre-war technology that still works! Flailing about, a leg caught underneath the corpse I'd tripped on and sent it up into the stream of lasers, myself turning around just in time to see it vaporize into a pile of ash. The lasers stopped firing shortly afterwards, myself flopping beside Minty and regaining my breath, looking up at him. He was concentrating on the turrets, his horn slowly starting to glow.

"Mark 4, industrial application security turrets... I think the targeting talismans are borked. Which means..." A smirk grew on his face, a single bolt of magical energy leaping from his horn and encasing one of the turrets. It sparked for a few moments, beginning to fire haphazardly in every direction, stinging my ears and vaporizing a few more corpses in the hallway before turning on the other turret, the barrage of lasers making it explode before it even turned to return fire, the out-of-control laser following suit soon afterwards. Minty was casually beating out the fire in his mane, myself looking at him wide-eyed. "What? Overclocked it and fried the combat inhibitor, easy stuff." He chuckled, moving through the thinned crowd of corpses, myself opening up my wings and hovering alongside. Dead ponies were one thing - vaporized ash that was formerly dead ponies, yeah, not going to risk stirring and inhaling it. Cannibalism, goddesses, why do I feel I wouldn't be surprised if some ponies were actually like that? Ah, rules of the wasteland, I guess... somepony really ought to start writing these things down.

We stopped in front of the doorway that led into Theater 1, Minty pushing some bodies out of the way of the laser-blasted doors and watching myself land beside him. A lone piano played notes idly from behind the set of doors, us both sharing a sort of disbelieving glance before pulling them open, stepping carefully inside the dark, dilapidated theater. A series of spotlights all aimed down at the decaying stage, several rows of seats left vacant or destroyed, some skeletons and corpses scattered and laying on the floor. Trampled in the panic, I suppose. Stepping past the unfortunate - or fortunate - ones who died under the hooves of those who were ponies just like them, the distinct ragtime tune of an old piano drew louder, a voice lightly humming over it, tossing in a few words now and then. Naturally curious, and apprehensive, we both eased up onto the old, creaky stage, freezing up as the music suddenly stopped.

The room was silent for a few moments, before I took to hovering again - man, wings were useful. I hovered around to the edge of the curtain, carefully peeking behind it at a height just above Minty's head when my legs were swiftly struck with a heavy metal post, levitated in a field of blue magic. Can I get an OW!? I let off a scream of pain, gritting my teeth and tumbling backwards, wings still flapping. Minty had drawn his plasma pistol as I recovered, charging right through the curtain and into the -very- surprised face of a -very- old colt, his tattered white mane and broken glasses filling my vision as the curtain moved out of the way, my forelegs striking against squishy, torn skin as momentum carried us both to the floor behind the stage. I screamed again - yep, my non-pipbuck-clad foreleg was definitely broken - scrambling up onto my hooves as I turned to face the unicorn who'd struck me, pulling Gamma's pistol out of the holster and aiming at... Oh. My. Goddesses.

"Gah, I've heard the phrase showbiz is killer, but, ow..." My jaw went slack, Gamma's pistol dropping to the floor and landing with a thud as I watched one of the greatest satirical lyricists of before the war rise to his now-ghoulified hooves. He adjusted his glasses and bowtie idly, looking through the fragile, broken lenses for a moment with a small frown. "Oh nuts... just a moment, I'd like to be able to actually see whoever it was that despises the classics so much." I stayed speechless, not even able to stammer as he enveloped his glasses in is magic, the lenses repairing within moments. He blinked a few times, looking over myself - Tom Neighrer was looking over me! - taking a step back when he saw the Luger laying on the floor. Minty had trotted in behind me, his plasma pistol still levitated at the ready, looking over at the similarly-bespectacled unicorn with surprise etched on his face.

"T-t-t... T-Tom Neighrer... THE Tom Neighrer!... I had a leg broken by -THE- Tom Neighrer!!" I let off quite a loud squee, which subsequently turned into quite a loud exclamation of pain as I remembered that excited hoofstamping with a broken bone is not a thing smart ponies ought to do. The elder unicorn was taken aback, looking at myself with a bit of surprise, not entirely sure how to respond to the sight. Minty trotted up between us, finally deciding to stow his plasma pistol away as I picked up Gamma's pistol and bit hard on the mouth grip, working through the extremely agonizing pain of making a bad injury worse. As I regained myself, Minty looked over at the great Dr. Neighrer, extending his augmented hoof.

"Er, yeah, don't mind him, he's just a bit over-excited. We were expecting to find your corpse..." He chuckled weakly, Tom Neighrer - again, THE Tom Neighrer! - looking over and shaking his hoof rather gently and passing a small smile on, glancing between myself and Minty.

"Ah, well, I could understand that. Regrettable to say, but it seems that not all of us actually went together when we went... ah, gave time to write some new songs. Only been a few, what, decades since everything went to hell?" Finally prying Gamma's pistol out of my mouth so I could swallow down a healing potion - oh, broken bones were NOT fun - I turned to face Tom Neighrer, unable to wipe that stupid grin off of my face as he looked at myself again. I chuckled nervously, his eyes turning to my broken leg, himself gnawing on his lower lip and glancing around. "Oh dear... I-I'm sorry about that, can never be too careful. Thought another former member of the audience had climbed in through the ducts again, wanted a personal show... or to attack my piano." It was his turn to chuckle nervously, moving over to a large cabinet on the wall painted in faded pink and yellow colors and pulling out a medical bag. I knew he was a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that he wasn't -that- kind of doctor. Owie, needle prick.

"You know how to fix his leg?" Minty asked, stepping forwards and looking over me. Oooh, why was everything starting to get a bit blurry all of a sudden? Ah, nuts, it was that cutecinera all over again - except sans the taste of helium. Or, well, actually the taste of rubber combined with compressed gas, anyways. I felt myself slipping over the border between awake and asleep, vision clouding into a mish-mash of whites and teals and blacks and reds and browns, the Dr Neighrer laying my leg out flat gently and looking at my face, replying to Minty.

"Well... hopefully." How disconcerting.

My hooves clacked against the metal floor of the Stable hallways, the two Sparkle-Colas in my Reactor Maintenance jumper's pockets clinking together loudly as I walked along. Gamma stepped out of the reactor bulkhead door, stretching and cricking her back, looking over to me with a soft smile and tired, faintly glowing eyes. I grinned back at her, pulling one of the sodas out of my pocket with a wing and offering it to her, which she picked up in her magic and sipped from softly as we reached each other in the hallway.

"Nice to see you're still with us, after that fall you had, Twinnie. Climbing in the atrium rafters, what made you think that was a smart move, you silly little pegasus?" She snickered, rubbing a hoof in my mane as I pulled out the second bottle, pulling off the bottlecap with my teeth and spitting it aside. I grinned at her widely, taking a sip of the soda.

"What, can't have a little fun every now and again? I was perfectly fine!... at least until my wing got caught under that steam pipe. Lonelyheart said it ought to recover from the burns in a few days." Letting off a weak chuckle, Gamma wrapped a hoof around my neck, bringing me in closely and gently nuzzling against my cheek, humming softly.

"What am I going to do with you, Twintails? You're such a goof..." She giggled, gently giving me a kiss on the cheek, hugging myself closely, motherly. With a wide grin, I returned it, taking a whiff of her mane. Vanilla and coolant fluid, just what it should be. "But... you're my goof~"

When I finally returned to the land of the awake, I found myself watching muddy snow passing by beneath me, my stomach sprawled over the back of Minty Candy, and Tom Neighrer trotting beside us adorned in sweater-vest and large coat. I flapped my wings idly, hovering off of Minty's back and looking down at the splint my right foreleg was in - it'd do for now. They both glanced up at me, smiling as I flew slowly alongside them.

"Glad to see you're awake again. I really want to apologize for, um, well... yeah..." Tom chuckled nervously, myself chuckling a little in response, shaking my head a bit - woo, still a touch dizzy. I waved my set leg a bit, beaming.

"Oh, pff, don't worry about it Mr. Neighrer. It's really an honor to've met you, regardless of how, eheh... sorry, just kind of a huge fan of your work. Sucker for satire." I chuckled, and he laughed along, grinning and watching me, us all trotting into the outer reaches of the city, passing by piles of rubble that were once warehouses and factories. To the northwest, that was where the Ballistic Defense Base and Silo Complex was, according to our pip-bucks. I giggled at the big trefoil that marked where it exactly layed behind the square icon on the digital map - getting to see megaspell missiles and Tom Neighrer in the same day? Was I in heaven, did Princess Luna come down and bless me while I was sleeping back in Mooscow? Is this real? The jolting shock of pain that sparked up my broken leg and to my head determined that a yes. I must be on a good luck streak, or something!

Minty was looking around, his plasma pistol levitated at his side in wait, his gaze jumping between piles of rubble every now and again. "I don't like the look of this, guys... we got out of the city -way- too easy. Not a zombie in sight." I joined in his apprehensive glances, flying backwards and watching the plumes of steam rising up from the city, checking my EFS. No red bars, just blue ones beside me. For the wasteland, yeah, it was kind of sketchy to not have seen any baddies so far out in uncharted territory... I hovered low, taking to the other side of Neighrer and drawing Gamma's pistol. Never trust an easy streak, rules of the wasteland.

The road led off to a series of low buildings, housing and maintenance sheds for the Medium-range missiles being the first sight as we stepped onto the ground above the silo complex - decaying and collapsed. Of course. Well, underground storage it is, let's go see the missiles already! I could feel my grin widening as we passed by the large concrete doors in the ground, holding in a squee as we finally came across an opened one. I bolted for it, diving straight down the hole and immediately realizing how bloody dark it was in these things... and how deep! Whimpering slightly, I bolted to the side of the silo, setting myself down on the topmost catwalk and gulping down a Sparkle-Cola, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Huh, curious, the whole structure was built around the missile pits, and it seemed like the doors at either end connected to the other three silos. Minty and Neighrer both looked down into the darkness, and myself, from up above at the silo door. Neighrer blinked, asking Minty something before my augmented friend shouted down into the silo.

"See anything, Twintails? There an electrical box anywhere up there?" I blinked, the interior of the silo seeming a bit clearer now, glancing around at the fixtures on the walls. There was a weird thing that hung on the wall and had a slot for bits, or bottlecaps, maybe - couldn't really tell. A security turret sat unpowered in the corner, door with a sign reading guidance control above it - that'd be useful to explore later, and a-ha! There's the electrical box. I looked up at Minty, who was peering down at myself, following my eyes, it seemed. I smiled through the blackness, trotting over to the box and standing next to it, shouting back up at them.

"Right to the right of me, if you can see my eyes!" Minty nodded once, lowering his head and concentrating, sending a jolting zap right at the metal box. The silo seemed to hum for a moment, lights turning on in the lower levels and working it's way up, illuminating the entire structure in a few moments' time. Minty slid down from the silo's hatch, landing just in time to notice the security turret spinning around to point at the both of us. Another healthy zap from his horn, and... it exploded. Well, I suppose that works. Minty gasped, stumbling a bit as he stepped into the silo, breathing heavily as Tom joined us, looking around the interior of the silo command. He trotted alongside Minty as he caught his breath.

"Buh... just... need a moment. Jolting the generators and disabling that turret... whoof..." He slumped back against the wall, looking around before rummaging through his saddlebags, pulling out a spark battery. He brushed his mane aside, rubbing off the connections for the battery and... connecting them to his temple. Well, that was certainly, um... Neighrer and myself both watched as he discharged the battery entirely, tossing it aside and getting back to his hooves with a smile. He shrugged, grinning at the both of us. "What? Augmentations need electricity, duh~" Great, a unicorn that runs off of batteries. It's like Hearth's Warming Eve all over again.

We trotted through the doorway that led us to the guidance control room, getting to dissecting the computers and consoles for the juicy talismans inside - hey, it isn't like they'll need them again anytime soon, right? Neighrer stood by, a little apprehensive about what we were doing. Really, scavenging pre-war technology just seemed to come naturally now, Rule of the wasteland number one. If nopony else is using or owns it, and you can reasonably carry it, by all means, take it! Hell, it wasn't like these talismans were doing any good sitting around in old missile guidance computers after the missiles had already launched off.

Saddlebags weighed down with an entire guidance maneframe's worth of functioning talismans, we both soon took to exploring what else the silo had to offer. It was rather unfortunate to find that the hallways that connected the missile silos together had apparently been long collapsed, though upon exploring the second level of the silo complex, a sign above a door distinctly caught my attention - 'armory'. With all due respect to Gamma's pistol, I certainly wouldn't mind something that didn't cause my teeth to drive themselves into my gums every time I fired it. Automatic would be nice, too. Oooh, and longer range! Hell, if it could fire balefire eggs, even better. I had a wide grin imagining what an automatic Balefire Egg Launcher would look like, one which subsided when I noticed the terminal that sat next to the door. Guh, perfect. "Hey, Minty? Think you could help here?"

"Yeah? With what?... oooohohoho, nice find. I'll have it cracked open in a jiffy~" He snickered, his mane seeming to tingle with the charge off of the spark battery still, sparks jumping from his hooves to the terminal keys. Within moments, the hydraulic door lifted open with a resounding hiss, revealing a mother lode. Shelves of ammunition crates lined the walls of the small armory, and along the back wall, hanging on hooks, were four - yes, four! - one-thirtieth inch caliber Automatic Rifles! I felt like a foal in a candy shop, just dumping the contents of all the ammunition boxes in my bags and jumping up on a crate beneath the rifles to examine them more closely, hardly able to contain my excitement. Minty had gotten in on the act too, handling the other wall of ammo and glancing down at the crate. I was gingerly lifting up the four rifles - aw, poo, make that two. The bolt's completely rusted on one and the connecting strap was entirely degraded on the other. Still, two whole Automatic Rifles! I was so giddy with excitement I barely noticed when Minty tossed my dancing self off of the crate, flipping it open with eyes the size of dinner plates. I pulled up alongside him, fiddling with fitting into a saddle that seemed to be capable of carrying the rifles, and looking into the crate with him. 'Mark 15 plasma-firing ground troop rifle' - well, no wonder he was undressing it mentally like that!

Giddy as a school filly, I trotted out the door with the saddle's firing bit in my mouth, the barrels of both rifles swaying side to side as I pranced and giggled, drawing a very, well, disturbed look from Neighrer as he sat on the side and watched. Minty trotted out with his own plasma rifle on his back, as Tom cleared his throat. "Um, not to be the bearer of bad news, but how are we going to get out of here?" The gleeful smile on my face fell as I looked over at Minty with a blank face, the augmented unicorn returning the stare for a moment, soon replacing it with a smirk. He tapped his horn, trotting down to the bottom level of the silo - he wasn't planning what I think he was planning, was he?

"Hold on, boys. This ride may get a bit bumpy..." Boy, we must have been a sight, cuddling together like that in the generator room of a decrepit ballistic megaspell missile silo, Minty just about to stick his horn upon a pair of exposed wires that were already arcing while the large generators hummed in the background... why was I going along with this again? Myself and Tom seemed to share a look that did neither of us any good in staying calm, the air around us beginning to smell of ozone as Minty leaned forwards. Oh, would you look at that, those May Remain Entrencheds decided to come out finally. Oh joy.

There was a brilliant flash as my augmented friend made the connection, followed by a sudden feeling of weightlessness as we seemed to transverse time and space itself like on an old episode of Doctor Whooves. No, I never watched the show and know nothing about his dashing bowtie and Blue Barn that was bigger on the inside, why do you ask. That sensation of floating was soon replaced by a very painful sensation of burning, which was -then- followed by a very distinct sensation of gravity being a heartless bitch. I let off a VERY loud scream of pain as my broken leg was caught beneath two unicorns, the sound of a record scratching hardly being the most prominent thing on my mind right now as my friends scrambled off of it. A red-coated mare with an electric-blue mane and set of headphones looked down at me, eyes wide, before loudly making the proclamation that any rational pony whose house was just invaded by three who appeared out of thin air would.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?"

Yep, we were still in the wasteland.

I groaned, getting to my hooves. Long distance teleportation was hard enough, without needed to carry along two others. I fished out another spark battery, plugging it into my temple. Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. The energy flowed through the various wires in my skull and horn, a few sparks flying from my horn as it hummed lightly back to life. I tossed the dead battery into my saddle-bag. Never know when I might find a workbench. I turned to face the mare, who simply stood, aghast.

“WHAT THE FUCK-” She stopped suddenly, her pupils going small. “Oh crap.” She muttered, rushing over to a microphone lying on the table. “And, heh, ah, that was… uh… You know what; let’s listen to that one again!” She placed the needle back on the record, flipping a switch. The light on the microphone flipped from green to red. She turned back to us, Twintails shakily getting up, making sure not to put any weight on his splinted leg. “What the heck are you doing here?”

We looked back and forth between ourselves. “Uh… eheh, I guess my calculations were wrong.” I blushed. “I was trying to get us back to Mooscow.” I pulled up the map on my Pip-Buck. A small gear icon popped up, the words “Stable 92” beneath it. Well, we were at least half way to Mooscow. I guess I just needed more power for the jump. Ooh, and we’re right next to the Sunset Sarsaparilla- no wait, better ignore that. I don’t need a refresher to why I should shoot Twintails in the face.

“You’re still a ways away from there.” The DJ said, then taking notice of Twintails’ injured leg. “Ah, hey, are you alright?” She stepped towards Twintails. “There are still a bunch of healing potions in the medical bays, if you need one.”

“If you really don’t mind sparing a couple, I don’t think two ponies crashing on top of it really helped.” He winced as he shifted his weight a little onto his broken leg. “I can still walk, at least.” He slowly walked over to us, shaking his head a little. “Ugh… I don’t think pegasi were meant to teleport like that.”

“Alright, let me just set up the next song.” The mare said, levitating another record onto the player as the current song died down. “There we are. Name’s Hi-Fi by the way... or, 'Bert the Turtle', depending on who's asking.” She trotted over to the door, it opening automatically as she approached. We followed behind her, Tom and I walking behind Twintails. “Honestly, you’re lucky this Stable even has a medical bay. I heard there were some that didn’t even have bathrooms.” Oooookay, didn’t need that idea planted in my head.

Hi-Fi headed downstairs, another door sliding up and leading into a small room with several cots and various medical equipment. She rummaged around in one of the lockers, pulling out a healing potion and a large syringe. She screwed the potion onto the end of the syringe as Tom and I helped Twintails onto one of the cots. “Now hold still, I’m not exactly a trained physician.” She placed the needle gently on Twintails leg, paused for a moment, then shoved the needle in. Didn't know you could just directly inject healing potions like that...

She forced the potion into Twintails, who grunted a little as the magic knitted together his bones and muscles. She pulled out the syringe, popping out the empty bottle. Twintails removed the splint from around his leg, bending it a little. He hopped off of the bed, letting off a sigh. “Oooh, that's -much- better. Thanks, Hi-Fi, right?” She nodded, sticking a Ministry of Peace bandage over where she stuck in the needle. He perked up a moment, smiling. “Hey, would you guys happen to have a Neutron Dampening Coil here? My Stable’s broke, and we’re going to need one soon before the reactor overheats... hopefully without Gamma near it...” He turned his head away, gnawing on his lower lip. Gamma... was she more than just his boss-whatever?

Hi-Fi thought for a moment. “I don’t think this so, the reactor was pretty small here. From the sound of it, this Stable was actually built to specifications, it just shut up and opened years later. In fact, this one opened a long time ago, and nearly everyone evacuated.” She sighed a little. “I guess… I just can’t leave this place. But, hey, I do have pretty much an unlimited supply of food and medicine. And somepony has to keep all those wanderers entertained.” We passed the radio room, Hi-Fi switching over another record. “I’ll show you to the door, the password’s kind of complicated anyway.”

Tom’s ears perked up as we trotted through the hall. Huh, I guess I never really thought of how tendons worked. “How far away can this station be heard?” I thought for a moment, the Stable looked like it had held up really well, it could probably be heard by anyone who had a Pip-Buck within a good 50 kilometers. Hi-Fi confirmed this and Tom’s grin widened a little more. “Say… you wouldn’t be looking for some new… heh, or old, talent, would you? I’m Tom Neighrer.”

Hi-Fi stopped. “Wait, hold up just a bucking second here… Tom Neighrer? You've got to-” She turned to look at him, staring for a few moments. “Wha- I- yeah!” She said, a wide grin sprawling across her face. “I’ve heard some of your stuff, I really like it. I-If you really don’t mind…”

Tom chuckled. “If my other option is heading back to Quebuck and playing for the brain-dead Ghouls, this sounds much more appealing.” He chuckled. We came to the entrance room, the lights a little dimmer than the rest of the Stable. Hi-Fi trotted over to the control panels, starting to punch in the password.

Twintails turned to Tom. “Wait… you’re not coming with us?” His ears flopped down, looking disappointed. “But, I haven’t even told you my favorite song of yours! Or showed you my own songs, or-” He stopped, thinking about what he was saying. “Wow, I sound really creepy, don’t I?” I nodded, cringing slightly.

Tom was matching my expression, though he quickly regained his composure. “Well, there’ll be a lot more songs coming out soon, don’t you worry. You won’t have to hear the same four songs over and over.” Hi-Fi glared at him. He shrugged, laughing a little. “Sorry, Hi-Fi, but I’m pretty sure I have your entire library memorized. Granted living for a couple hundred years may have played into that a little, but who knows, really?”

Hi-Fi finished plugging in the password, the red light above the door starting to flash, alarms blaring. The huge metal beam lowered from the ceiling and connected itself to the gear. There was a painfully loud scraping sound as the gear was pulled from the door, then rolled aside, revealing a small tunnel leading to a wooden door. I thought back to Stable 76, sighing a little. …I shouldn’t have just run out. I should’ve at least said goodbye. I trotted into the cool cave, before I noticed Twintails wasn’t following me.

I turned, before a smile found its way onto his mouth. I put my hoof up, trying to cover my snickering as Twintails had practically leaped onto Tom, pulling him into a hug. “Alright, but I’m holding you to that. We know where you live now.” He chuckled, heading out of the door. I smiled back and waved at Hi-Fi and Tom, the door starting to noisily roll back into its place. “Well, I guess we’d better head back to N.E.A.M.O., Megaspell Mary isn’t going to fix herself. I just wished we could’ve found that coil.”

“We’ll find it soon enough. Besides, wouldn’t your Stable try contacting you if it really started to fail?” I asked, opening the door. The bright light blinded us for a moment, the cold air biting at our exposed flesh. Twintails shrugged, though I could tell he was still a little worried. “Don’t worry. If you’d like, we could head there as soon as we deliver the chips.”

He smiled a little, flipping on the radio on his Pip-Buck. There was some silence before Hi-Fi/Bert came on. “Hey there, all you wasteland wanderers, we just got some new classics at the Station. Tom Neighrer crashed in just a while ago, and he’s here to dig up some of his old tunes and share them with all you raiders hopped up on Jet.”

A bit of static, then a slightly garbled ragtime piano tune started up.

First you’ll bow down on all fours
To those mighty Alicorns
Hang out with the highest class.
And
Kiss some ass
Kiss some ass
Kiss some ass

Do whatever that would please ya’
If you don’t mind brown nos-ing ‘Tia

Everypony say their own Kyrie Eleison
Doing the Canterlot Rag!

I bit back a laugh, lowering and shaking my head. “Twintails, did I just help a revolutionist?” Twintails just laughed along with me as we climbed down the side of the mountain towards the road to Mooscow.

We arrived again in Mooscow late in the day, trotting up to the barricade, the talismans jangling a little in our saddlebags. We looked around, expecting Bloodbeak to pop out of the rubble. “Maybe security loosened up now that trade’s open again.” Twintails guessed. I tilted my head a little, I suppose it is a possibility. We opened the large oak doors into Mooscow proper, some ponies heading back and forth between stores. We headed back to the same hotel we’d stayed at the night before, waving hello to Old Colt Johnson as we passed him. A couple ponies behind him pointed and snickered, but he only laughed and ignored them.

As we approached the hotel, my stomach grumbled loudly. I blushed, Twinatils’ stomach growling a little too. “Minty, how about you go on in and drop off the talismans. I’m going to go grab us some dinner.” Twintails said, heading off in another direction. I entered the hotel, wondering what Twintails was going to grab. Maybe we could get some daffodil subs.

I walked up to the receptionist, a few fillies playing checkers as their parents chatted, drinking some coffee. I pulled out my bag of caps, but the mare waved it away. “Oh, no, don’t worry. Bloodbeak’s still paying for your stay. Trade’s been much better after you and your friend’s help.” She slid the key across the desk. “Room 206, the same one as before.”

I took the key, thanking her and headed to the stairs. I rubbed my eyes, realizing how tired I actually was. I hope Twintails got back soon, I was ready to just flop down into bed right now. I unlocked the door to the room after climbing up four flights of stairs… jeez my legs were sore. I lifted my saddlebags off, making sure not to damage the chips inside or annoy the residents below us.

I proceeded to slide the metal plating of my armor off, rolling my head around, and cracking my joints. Ooooh, that felt good. I flopped down onto the bed, noticing a copy of “Rusty’s Electronics: Volume III” on the nightstand. There was a third edition? I’d practically memorized the first two back in the Stable. I flipped it open, scanning the contents. Miniguns, Tesla Cannons, Balefire Egg Launchers, Gauss Rifles… looks like I just found the complete guide to big gun repair! I doubt they’d mind if this book went missing, I’ll just leave a generous tip on the table.

There was a knock at the door just I’d turned to the schematics of a Flamer. I opened the door, Twintails walking in with a few chunks of… something wrapped up in cloth. “Hey, you lucked out; they just cooked up some bear meat when I got there! Heh... they were just surprised to've seen me eat a whole steak so fast the first time..." He handed me one of the wrapped hunk, unraveling the cloth around his own. I tentatively sniffed the bear meat - it actually smelled strangely enticing.

I unwrapped the meat, my stomach growling again. I bit into it, my eyes widening a little as juice flowed over my tongue. I quickly devoured the meat, feeling the meat sit a little heavily in my gut. “Where did you get that, it was amazing!” I asked, Twintails having already eaten his chunk.

“There’s this small restaurant halfway between here and Razorwing’s shop, maybe we can stop there before we head out in the morning.” I nodded, tossing the cloth in the garbage as Twintails took off his saddlebags and placed them next to mine. I flopped down in bed, Twintails climbing in on the other side. The arcane lamp beside the bed flicked off easily enough, leaving the room in darkness.

I trotted through the maintenance areas of the Stable, the lights flickering slightly. Honestly, I swear I looked at the generator more often than I did a mirror. I opened the door, revealing the large beast - magnets spun wheels, arcs of lightning jumped between large coils, just the same as always. I quickly trotted up to the terminal, plugging my horn into a jack near the board. Achh… how does this generator create so much power and not send it to where it needs to go? My eyes filled with code, an organized chaos of numbers and letters rushing through my mind. Sparks flew as I attempted to rewrite the code, before the rumbling died down, the lights failing.

I removed my horn from the terminal, doing my best to find my way around in the dark. I found my way to the back of the generator, pulling off an access panel, revealing a large collection of wires. I pulled at a couple, looking for any damage. “Minty?” A familiar voice asked from the darkness. I tried to look around the generator. Twintails… or, Cross Stitch must have found his way down. I fiddled with the wires, trying to power it back on before they reached the room. I yanked on a cord - suddenly a powerful rush of electricity coursed through my body, causing myself to violently shake, my horn taking a blow as the augmentations were overloaded. I yelled, my field of view filled with a bright light.

I sat up in bed, breathing heavily and staring into that bright light again, my eyes adjusting. Bloodbeak was standing over us, holding a large electrical lamp in her claw. “Guys, guys, get up, there’s something you need to hear!” She dragged me away from Twintails, pulling me out of bed. She fiddled with my Pip-Leg, pulling up the radio. A new station had appeared, “Stable 34 EBS”. A robotic voice crackled on as Bloodbeak shook Twintails awake.

“This is an automated distress message from Stable-Tec, Stable 34. Message begins.” The voice disappeared, replaced by an older, more feminine voice. Twintails’ pupils shrank as he recognized the voice.

"This is Gamma Ray of Stable 34, reactor maintenance. We're not sure exactly what happened... dirty bomb, probably... but our Stable atrium is flooded with near-lethal radiation, and half of the Stable is dead or dying..." The mare drew in a labored breath, coughing. It sounded wet. "...somepony, anypony, please come and get us out of here. Twintails... if you're hearing this, I want to say... I'm sorry. There's no such thing as a Neutron-Dam-" She burst into a fit of coughing, spitting up a wet something and grunting. "...Coil. Mayflower thought that you were using the missing fuel rods to make a bomb... Twintails... I'm so sorry..." The mare on the radio began to silently start weeping.

The robotic voice returned. “Message repeats.”

I flipped off the radio, looking over at Twintails, who was struck dumb. He seemed to shudder, tuning his own pip-buck radio to the signal, Bloodbeak standing in the doorway, watching. I rubbed my eyes, fitting my armor back on and looking back to him, the pair of rifles madly swinging about on his saddle as he emptied his saddlebags, grabbing everything he needed from the pile. It was going to be one of those kind of days...

Author's Note

Whew, these were some tough chapters to churn out, and they're not going to be getting any easier in the next few pages, either! Again, this story wouldn't have happened without the assistance and creativity of my friend Minty Candy (whom you can thank for parodying Tom Lehrer's 'The Vatican Rag' up there!), he's as much the writer of this thing as I am! Thanks for reading!
-Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Decay

"G-Gamma... Stable 34... We've gotta go! I'VE gotta go!!" The pip-buck latched on my foreleg continued to play out the distress signal as I dropped my saddlebags to the floor, the pair of rifles on the battle saddle swinging about as I sifted through and grabbed all the healing potions and packs of radaway I could find. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and ears - my Stable, my home, it was being flooded with radiation. And I was all the way here. Sliding my re-organized saddlebags back on with the pile of junk left on the floor, I passed Minty an exasperated glance, panting. My sight was starting to get a bit blurry as I blinked, taking a short breath and sliding Gamma's pistol into it's holster. "Get all the healing potions and Radaway you can find, catch up to me on the road back to Emerald Ridge. I..." Minty nodded, lifting a hoof up and resting it on my shoulder.

"It's going to be alright, Twintails. Go and help your Stable." He flashed me a quick smile - comforting, to say the least - and levitated off his saddlebags. I turned and bolted out the door of the room, just in time to nearly plow over Bloodbeak. The city seemed as empty as ever as I darted out through it, light from the arcane lanterns casting long shadows over the snowy streets as I felt my hooves leave the frozen ground, wings slicing through the freezing air. I hardly even noticed how high I'd gotten above the roads and buildings, having a good deal of clearance between myself and the Mooscow Wall as my wings carried me ever faster and faster, running off of some limitless energy as my mind focused in on the road ahead, the one we'd gone down so long ago, when I first stepped out and came across the crazy unicorn who'd been firing that goop-stuff at me. What'd I think it was again? Kind of what Mr Skritters would have looked like after being caught and blasted with all that radia-...

Snapping my wings backwards, I sped on through the early dawn, the sub-zero temperatures freezing the tears that were blown back in my mane. I had to get to my Stable.

I had to get to Gamma Ray.

The road from Emerald Ridge to Mooscow wound away, and I found myself flying straight, the little pointer on my EFS aimed right in the direction of Stable 34. I just flew higher and higher as I passed over the snowdrifts and mountains - vertigo be damned. I couldn't think about altitude at a time like this. everything had blurred together into a greyish-white as the tears kept flowing, the wind blasting it off of my face as the ground passed by in a blur, the decrepit remains of the small town appearing on the ridge. I didn't stop, but I did find the ground to be closer, speeding along at a pace where I could wind with the mountainside road easily. Swinging myself around as the old wooden door at the cave's entrance slid into view, my momentum and the hoof connecting it it made rather short work of gaining entrance to my Stable's cavernous entrance, the icy wind flowing in just seeming all the colder.

I rushed to the control panel, tears blurring my vision as I wrestled with it - Oh, I wish I had Minty here to help get this damned thing open - just as the cog door screeched loudly, rolling away. I took a step back, an overwhelming mix of fear, worry, sadness and surprise racking my heart madly, throwing myself in through the crack between cog and door frame, looking in at the entrance hall. I heard the ticking of my Pip-buck's Geiger counter, and the red meter hop up on my EFS, my eyes meeting with Tablet's as she sucked dry a packet of radaway. She jumped back from the interior controls in surprise, the drained pack dropping from her mouth.

"T-Twintails! You're alive!" She jumped over the railing, looking over myself with jaw agape. My eyes stung badly, things starting to become brighter as I blinked them clear, looking up at her. behind her, on the wall, was the mural I'd watched her start; 'Twintails, the heroic martyr of Stable 34.' Wow, well, gee, thanks for the optimism. The crippling irony of how I seemed to be depicted leading everypony out into the world above was almost too much to bear, faced with the current situation. Tablet ran up and hugged around my neck, looking back at the doorway leading to the rest of the Stable. I sniffed in, looking into her eyes as she rested her hoof on my shoulder. They'd begun to glow. "We've gotta get everypony out of here. Junebug set off this w-weird bomb in the atrium, and now the entire Stable's ticking. Gamma went down to the Reactor to st-stabilize it or something, I don't kn-" She jumped out of my way as I plowed through the interior entrance door, immediately being greeted with the ominous, foreboding ticking of radiation striking my pip-buck's geiger counter. Watching the number slowly climb as I rushed through the sections of the Stable I could remember at this point, my mind went to Stable biology and science classes. 100 rads to a Gray, 1-2 Gray means sickness in hours, 2-6 Gy means sickness in an hour, 6-8 Gy is sickness in half an hour, anything past without immediate treatment means death. Swallowing down a hoofful of the bitter pills and following them with a satchel of the tangy orange radaway, I pressed further into the deserted hallways, one mare on my mind.

Bypassing the Atrium through some of the maintenance hallways, I must've passed by several of the living quarters of the other residents - I couldn't really tell. Only a few lights were on in the hallways, making them all eerily dark and unwelcoming, even with the way my eyes seemed to be glowing like lightbulbs. It didn't help that every now and again I'd pass by a door and hear a poor soul moaning behind it, breathing their last few breaths as they succumbed... Gamma Ray, I have to get to Gamma Ray. She'll, she'll know how to make this stop, she'll know how to make everything better, I just need to get her out of here as fast as I can. This isn't my Stable, this isn't real, it can't be. I'm going to wake up screaming any moment, wake up from this nightmare in my cosy bed with the sheets covering me, and Gamma Ray'll rush in and hug me closely to herself, and-and she'll rub my head and wings gently, and everything will be just fine. I just need to keep running out of this horrible nightmare.

I leapt into the service elevator, my eyes watering and throat dry, smashing the button for the reactor level before moving to the corner. Letting myself fall to my haunches, I looked down at the small needle up in the corner of my Pip-buck. 400 rads... 4 Gray, 3 radaway. Sifting through the supplies I had left in my saddlebags, I pulled out all of the anti-radiation medicine I had, letting it fall to the floor of the elevator. 3 bottles of Rad-X, just two packs of Radaway... Minty's coming with more Radaway, focus you feather-brained pegasus! Gamma Ray is sick, she's stuck down here, and I need to get her out. I need to save her. She always kept some extra anti-radiation medicine down in the reactor room, in that leadened cabinet, she's been using that probably, there's enough to keep her alive in there, for sure.

The elevator jolted, letting off a ding that cut through the background ticking that's become another part of the Stable's new ambiance. I poured the bottles of Rad-X into the top of my saddlebags, starting to feel lightheaded. Was, was that the radiation? Was I going to die before I could even get to her? No, now stop you idiot, take a breath, calm yourself down, you're hyperventilating. Pick up the two radaway packets, get into the reactor control room and get Gamma out of there. I raced down the hallway, finding a small reprieve as the ticking began to slow down... but it didn't stop. Small exposure was one thing, but continuous, even with Radaway and Rad-X...

"Gamma!" I threw open the door to the reactor room, spotting the light-blue mare hunched over the control panel, sitting in the seat next to a pool of... was... no, no, it isn't, she's going to be fine. I rushed to her side, wrapping my hooves around her and lifting her to a sitting position, my eyes watering again as she coughed and spat to the side, opening her eyes to a slit and looking at myself with her orange-glowing pupils. She drew in a heavily labored breath, lifting a hoof up towards myself and making a smile upon her face. Leaning myself forwards, she wrapped her hoof weakly around my neck, hugging myself to her chest. Squeezing her back, I felt myself sputtering, tears starting to flow freely down my cheeks as I listened to the sound of her weak breathing. "Oh, G-Gamma... y-you're going to b-be fine..." The ticking of both our geiger counters and the sound of the warning signals sounding were muted, both of us embracing each other in the soft blue glow of Bruce. Gamma picked up one of the packs of Radaway I'd dropped in her lap, slowly - strugglingly - gulping it down. I looked down at the dial on her pip-buck, watching as it slowly crept back from the red, hovering just under the 500 mark. Radaway and Rad-X, she's going to be fine.

"T-Twintails... It's so good to see you again, Twinnie..." She patted against the back of my head, before gently lifting my head up to look at hers. Her eyes were glowing rather brightly, the smile on her muzzle weak and strained, but comforting all the same. I sniffled, rubbing my eyes dry and leaning in as she drew in another labored breath. "C-can you carry me to your room... I need to rest, let this stuff work..." She leaned forwards, her forehead and mane falling against mine gently, muzzles pressing together as she let off a gentle sigh. I lifted her up onto my back, keeping her stable between my wings and holding onto one of her hooves, rushing as carefully as I could through the bottom-level hallways. My room was never that far away from hers or the reactor, but it was very definitely welcoming to see that the radiation wasn't this far on in. The door slid open, myself quick to trot through and lay Gamma down on the bed, pulling out the second pack of radaway and gingerly feeding it to her, watching as she gently swallowed it down. Yeah... yeah, she was going to be fine, just fine.

I looked around my old bedroom, beginning to go through my old belongings, trying to find things that could help her. Out of the corner of my eye, up on the small shelf above the bed's headboard, there was a light glint of orange and yellow porcelain, something I'd forgotten was there. I stalled for a moment, rubbing tears out of my eyes before moving and picking up the small statuette, looking it over in my hooves. I never really noticed it before - it was so very lifelike, that earth pony mare in the stetson, trio of apples adorning her flank, bucking at something in the air. A tiny recreation of one of the Ministry Mares, set on an inscripted base, made to inspire. 'Be Strong'... as I slid the figurine into my saddlebags gingerly, I felt a veil of sorts lift itself from my mind - I was going to be strong, I was going to save my Stable. I was going to get Gamma Ray out of here.

Looking back at her weakened self laying on the bed, I nodded once, running back into the reactor control room. She had to have a few packets of Radaway left in the cabinet, she just was too weak to get up and grab them, that's it. The heavy doors swung open, revealing the small cache of ten of the bright-orange packets and five bottles of the pills, which I was fast in dumping into my saddlebags and rushing back out with. Even as the meter crept upwards, I felt a sort of new-found strength in myself, the world fading down to objectives and markers in my head. Get Gamma Ray out of here safely and back to good health, move the rest of the Stable to... to, well, somewhere that isn't radioactive, and then live happily ever after with Gamma and Minty and everypony else up above where we aren't going to have to worry about ponies who kill their own homes because they just don't see how their actions would harm others, and things like what's happening to us now wouldn't happen to good, innocent ponies who just want to live their lives and die of old age like everypony else. I sniffled once, opening up my bedroom door again and shutting it tightly behind myself. Gamma Ray was resting, breathing softly and laying on her back, her Pip-buck's needle still far too high up than it should be.

"Come on, Gamma, I'm going to get you out of here." I slid a hoof behind her head, lifting it up and pulling out one of the packs of Radaway, placing the spout to her mouth and watching as she slowly gulped it down, some of the orange liquid dribbling out the sides of her mouth. Slowly the needle retreated from the red zone once more, falling back down under 200 Rad by the fourth pack I gently fed to her. She grunted, easing herself up and looking at myself, her eyes still having yet to give up the glow. The way she smiled as she wiped the excess Radaway from her mouth ushered a relieved sigh from myself, each of us embracing one another in a gentle hug once more. Gamma was fine, everything was going to be alright now, the nightmare was over. I was going to wake up in my cosy Stable bed with Gamma Ray hugging me just like she was now, not having to worry about radiation, or ponies with lasers or guns, or who wanted to tear my wings off, or wanted to smash my skull open and eat my brains, or anything else ever again in the world. I was going to open my eyes, and everything would be back to normal.

I wish life worked that way.

Gamma eased herself off of the bed, smiling comfortingly as I gathered what I could after breaking the hug. I knew having junk around and so many ideas would come in handy some day, my desk being rather thoroughly emptied and saddlebags quite filled by the time I turned back to face Gamma. She coughed slightly, grunting and looking towards the door. "Twintails... I-I really am sorry for just sending you off like that. Mayflower was paranoid, Junebug didn't help any, and... and I was unsure, too. If we didn't get you out s-sooner..." I trotted up to her, raising a hoof underneath her chin gently and looking into her glowing eyes. They were growing damp as she blinked tears out of them, sniffling and sputtering, even as I drew her into another comforting hug, gently rubbing a hoof down the back of her mane. Strands of her neon-green hair fell out and caught upon her jumper.

"That's in the past, now. Gamma, we need to get out of the Stable, the longer we stay the worse everypony here will be... including yourself." I held her out, turning to the door and lifting it open. Our Geiger counters began their steady ticking again, rising to the tone of slow, agonizing death as we clambered to the elevator, Gamma already winded by the time the doors slid shut behind us. I helped hold her up, nuzzling against her warm cheek gently as she moved a hoof around my neck, the elevator bringing us both back up to the top level of the Stable. The lights were still out in the hallways, though we were still able to just barely find our way through between the glow from both of our eyes. We moved as quickly as we could, the little indicator on both of our EFSs reading out a persistent dosage of 2-3 Rads per second, slowly creeping up the scale as our bodies were bombarded with the persistent radiation. Gamma coughed heavily - oh, please just be mucus - her retort making me realize something I hadn't noticed when we first stepped into the hall; it was quiet. Nopony was screaming in agony anymore. Goddesses...

We stepped through the entrance to the Stable's door, being greeted with the sight of an augmented unicorn and a blood-stained griffon standing in the cavern with saddlebags positively loaded. Gamma blinked in surprise, watching as the pair stepped forwards, winded but ready for action. Minty trotted up to both of us, extending his metallic hoof to Gamma with a smile. "We got your distress signal, guessing you're Twintails' Gamma Ray?" She shook his hoof, nodding and giving a smile as she turned back to myself, Tablet going up to Bloodbeak and starting to explain the situation... or marvel at the sight of a live gryphon, I wasn't sure. I smiled back at Gamma, letting her rest back on her own hooves in the non-contaminated Stable entryway.

"So, I guess you made some friends up there, Twinnie..." She chuckled, carefully trotting down the steps leading through the doorway. Bloodbeak stepped up alongside her, wrapping a wing around her and helping her outside, leaving myself and Minty to handle the rest of the Stable. Several packets of radaway levitated over into my saddlebags, and with a shared nod we moved into the hallway leading to Stable 34's atrium. The clicking on both of our counters steadily increased as we drew nearer, soon turning into a steady drone. Quickly the supplies of radaway were being tapped into, a juggling act between keeping us both from seizing up and making progress to save everypony else. Minty began looking around as we stepped into the main hall's second story, rushing ahead to the Stable's medical bay. I slowed down behind, looking down from the upper walkway, taking note of the red indicator in my vision; ten Rad per second. You'd think she set off a megaspell, going by that...

"Minty? I think most of the fragments are-" I was cut off by a sudden crashing and breaking sound, turning from the railing and looking down to the infirmary, seeing that augmented unicorn blowing through the doorway with a large metal cabinet levitated in his magic, the doors crashing together as he rushed forwards to myself. There was a radioactive trefoil on the one door - ah, that must have been the thing they used to sterilize the needles and stuff, but, why did he have it again? I mean, the stuff inside would've probably been useful, but it's just a heavy, dense, lead-lined-... what a clever bastard. I let off a laugh, smiling and turning to look down into the main area of the atrium. "Toss it down there, on that one table. The largest fragments are all around that scorch mark, I think. Safe bet." The cabinet fell with a heavy thud, Minty turning back to face myself.

"You're alright now, right? Gamma Ray- what the hell!?" He began blinking in surprise, levitating forwards his glasses and examining them over for some reason, our Geiger counters still ticking upwards. I looked at them with him, mostly just taken aback, before looking past the spectacles and at the unicorn who they belonged to. I stifled a snicker, sucking on another pack of the orange anti-radiation medicine. Welcome to the glowing-eyes-club, buddy.

"Clean up the fragments of the bomb as best as you can, I'm going to get on the Stable's PA system and try to get everypony left to get out. Hopefully." Minty fitted his glasses back on, blinking a few times before nodding and turning to look over the railing, his horn glowing and getting to work. I rushed down the side of the walkway, the door to Mayflower's office sticking as I tried to lift it open. Come on you bastard, my Stable's dying from the inside out! Must have been what Gamma was trying to do, the hydraulics aren't working... perfect. With a few more strong tugs, the door finally pulled open far enough for me to squeeze through... and promptly receive an uppercut from a clipboard. Is it 'beat on the pegasus' week or something!? I stumbled a bit, turning and looking at the very surprised Overmare who promptly dropped the clipboard from her mouth and stepped back away from me, a combined look of shock and horror on her face. I suppose maybe having two high-caliber rifles on my sides didn't help my situation. "So... who owes who an apology now?" She fell to the wall of her office, dropping to her haunches and starting to bawl, pulling her legs in to herself and curling up in a fetal position. Okay, that might have been a bit much, but, hell, she almost caused Gamma Ray to die, for crying out loud! I stepped up to her desk, pressing down on the intercom button and being greeted with a comforting retort of static. From the window, I could see Minty shutting the doors of the cabinet, flipping it upside down and pushing it off into a far corner with his magic. letting off a sigh, I turned back to the microphone, thinking over what I wanted to say.

"Attention Stable 34 residents, attention Stable 34 residents. The, uh, most of the fragments of the bomb have been cleaned up, and the radiation in the atrium should be dropped back to, um, survivable levels. Evacuate the Stable immediately, and, and... well, just be as fast as you can when you reach the atrium. There's a Griffon outside, and a unicorn with a metal horn there to greet you, just, hurry yourselves. Um... Twintails, off." I let go of the button, stepping back and looking at Mayflower; her face was being marred as her eyeliner ran down it with her tears, really, kind of pitiful for an Overmare... well, an Overmare whose child killed her Stable, and herself in the process... alright, alright, I get it, I'm really not playing the good guy here. Guh, being a hero is hard work. Trotting up to the crying figure, I stopped, extending a hoof out to her reach, which she seemed hesitant to take - frankly, I would be too, if somepony also had two .30 caliber rifles aimed on me at the same time.

"I'm sorry about Junebug, but... you either stay here and die like she did, or come and lead your Stable. Which is it?" Mayflower wiped her tears, sputtering softly and looking up at myself with her makeup-smeared face, grabbing onto my outstretched hoof and lifting herself up. I nodded once, turning and running back to the door. The sound of confused shuffling had begun to fill the hallways, Minty barking out orders every now and again as myself and Mayflower squeezed underneath the doorway. The first few other residents appeared, walking briskly to the Stable's front exit, Mayflower following in behind as I pushed forwards to the other side, helping to guide the flow through and out. The levels did drop a bit after Minty did the cleanup - 7 Rad per second - but it still wasn't something you wanted to linger in for too long. Drinking packs of Radaway like Sparkle-Cola, the last few ponies filtered out through the doors, mothers and fathers carrying foals on their backs, makeshift saddlebags carrying whatever possessions they had with them at the time. Even as a practical recluse, the sight was still heartbreaking...

"I think that's everypony. Or, well, I hope it is, anyways..." Minty appeared from behind the last wave of residents, meeting myself on the bridge crossing the upper floor of the atrium. Our Geiger counters continued to click on, myself giving a grim nod and beginning to head for the exit, stopping to take one last look at the inside of the Stable - my Stable - letting off a sigh. So many memories here, trapped forever by a cloud of a bunch of angry little atoms. I suppose, at least, we won't have to worry about anypony coming across it and just downright raiding it... some sort of upside to an otherwise horrible situation. Mooscow's going to get a distinct population bump, though.

We stepped outside to the small crowd of seventy or so stallions, mares, and foals, all murmuring concerned words, or crying out in fear, most complaining about the cold. A tent had been erected, Dr. Lonelyheart stepping out of it and scanning over what remained of the Stable's population for a moment, then trotting over to myself. His expression was just as solemn as always, but... something in his eyes... "Erm, Twintails? You'd better come with me... it's Gamma." I blinked idly, starting to follow him through the crowd, feeling an emptiness start to take hold in my chest. Gamma was supposed to be fine, I got her out of the Stable, she was doing great the last time I saw her! I'm sure she just wanted to see me again, is all, make sure that I was still alright after walking through all that radiation, yeah, that's it. But... if that -was- it... why was that pit in my chest getting deeper?

Lonelyheart lifted up the flap of the tent, letting myself trot inside, seeing Gamma laying on a makeshift cot with a blanket draped over her body, her mane falling off in strands as she shifted around. She coughed and turned to the side, blood staining the sheets and dripping over to the floor as she spat it out. I rushed to her side, feeling my breaths quicken, that pit turning bottomless. No... no, no, she's fine, it's just, just... something she ate! yeah, she's just got food poisoning, that's it. She's going to recover, and we're going to move to Mooscow, and we're all going to be happy together forever. Stupid eyes, stop tearing up, she's going to be fine, don't you see? She's going to... she looked up at me, drawing in a wheezing breath as I stood over her, wrapping my hooves about her in loving embrace. One of her hooves gently patted against the back of my head, and I lifted my face from her chest and looked at hers; her eyes were half-closed, and a smile hung on her face as she took another deep breath.

"Twintails... you know how much I loved you... never forget that. Never forget... that you're a good pony." I could feel myself whimpering, sputtering, looking down at the aged mare I held in my hooves oh so gently, blood staining the side of her face where it splashed back when she coughed. She took another wheezing breath, this one weaker, myself moving a hoof to rub her mane gently, leaning my head against her chest. Her heart was beating... faintly.

"D-d-don't s-say things like th-that, y-you... you're..." I could hardly form a sentence through my tears, my cheek pressing against her light-blue chest as she gently rubbed my own mane, her hooves keeping me close to herself, her breaths slowly getting shallower. She coughed again, wheezing and lifting myself up off of her, letting free a sigh and still following myself with her eyes. She closed her mouth, starting to hum softly... Vera's song. Her hooves began to gently rock myself back and forth, managing to push down the tears long enough to join her in it. She started singing on the last few verses, each word from her mouth a heavenly tone between her wheezing... dying... breaths.

"...we'll meet again, don't know where... don't know when..."

"But I know we'll meet again,"

"Some sun-ny..."

"...day..." Gamma had rested her hooves back against her chest, and let off a long sigh. I'd begun to whimper softly again, leaning over her, looking down at how her eyes laid shut, her gentle, reassuring smile stayed on her face, and her thinning mane fell gently over her eyelids. The tears began to pour out, the weight of her body falling heavy against my hooves, the silence not being broken by her wheezing breaths again. I layed myself against her body, hugging it's lifeless form tightly, as if I could squeeze whatever was still hurting her out, and everything would be okay for us all again, and we could move to Mooscow, and live our lives together happily, and nothing would hurt anymore. As I layed there, nuzzling into the body of the mare I'd grown up looking up to, wetting her coat with the waterfall of tears that flowed from my eyes, that pit in my stomach began to fill again. Everything seemed to hurt.

Dr. Lonelyheart covered up Gamma with the blanket, looking at my whimpering, sniffling self, a frown across his face as well. He turned back to her body, myself keeping my head hung low as I walked through the tent's flap, my eyes stinging with the tears that were still flowing out of them, my running nose beginning to freeze over in the icy chill of the wasteland. A gentle snow had begun to fall, eliciting cries of astonishment from the crowd, Minty trotting up between them and resting a hoof on my shoulder. I looked up into his face, blinking the blur out of my eyes, watching as he came into focus in front of myself. The pit in my stomach continued to fill, my gaze moving to scan over the crowd, a voice I'd long forgotten about in the back of my head beginning to push forwards. Gamma had always been there for me whenever it began speaking to me, but, now...

'Look at that... none of them care. You saved their lives, Gamma Ray is dead, and you're the only one crying. They didn't care about what happened to you when you left, they wouldn't care about what happened to you now.' That voice... that grating, annoying voice... it had a point. But, what about- 'Minty? Really, after coming out crying like a little filly, you think he'd want to still be your friend? You're weak, Twintails, you're a coward. You were just lucky you survived out here for so long.' I looked over to the augmented unicorn who was standing beside me, a concerned expression on his face as he stared into my eyes. He cares, I know he- 'You're a liability to him, you freak. He'll learn it eventually. You should save him the trouble now.' But... but I know that he... he... 'Come on. It'll be quick. You know what a big round like the one those rifles at your sides loads could do to a head. You wouldn't feel a thing.' Tears staining my vision once again as Minty wore a frown, I shuddered. Gamma would have been rubbing my head and making the voice go away by now.

But Gamma was dead.

I snapped my wings, propelling off up into the air in a fast arc and running away. I was running away from the ponies who didn't care about me, the reality I didn't want to face, and the voice... 'I'm impressed, I guess you do have a brain in here. No need to traumatize the little foals any more by blowing your head off with the same rifles they were so scared of when you showed up with them from the outside. You want the pain to stop? It'll stop when you find the place to do it.' With a burst of speed that blew more cold tears from my eyes, I kept on running.

The snow erupted in a plume as I landed against it, dragging my hooves through the snow and looking out off of the mountain I'd stopped on. You could almost see Mooscow from here... ponies didn't like pegasi in the wasteland, either. I sat myself down on a small ledge, a flat portion of rock on the mountain, letting off a shuddering breath as I looked out over the cold wasteland. Nopony cared about me, nopony would remember me. My story is just a... a snowflake in a blizzard. 'Wow, you're really thinking now, aren't you? That's really impressive.' The latches of the battle saddle came undone easy, the bit extending far enough out in front of the rifle barrel to fit, the bolt confirming a round in the chamber. 'Come on, you're not doing anypony any favors. Under the chin, that way it won't slip.' The wind picked up, whistling in my ears, carrying the sounds of the wasteland with it. Far away, shots rang out and explosives detonated, ponies lived and died. What's one more death out of the billions already?

The cold steel muzzlebrake of the single automatic rifle pressed underneath my head, the butt end digging into the snow and supporting myself as my weight pressed up against it. The bit rested in my mouth, and I gazed over the dead, icy, wide wasteland, my eyes starting to glaze over. 'Don't you want to see your precious Gamma Ray again? Don't you want to stop hurting? Come on, do it.' It was a beautiful sight, this could've been a scenic overlook before the war. A beautiful view for a last one.

My tongue rolled over the hard bit in my mouth, ears filling with the sounds of the wasteland again. I could faintly hear an electrical sparking, along with a faint screaming. Somepony was screaming my name... 'Don't you want to not have to listen to me anymore? Bite the bit. Pull the trigger. Stop the pain.'

I shut my eyes, feeling the cold tears running down my cheeks, the firing bit staying held in my mouth, but not being pressed. The electrical discharge and screaming drew closer. It was Minty... hmh. He probably was coming to take care of me himself. I shouldn't give him the pleasure.

'Bite the bit. Pull the trigger. Stop the pain.'

Letting out a shuddering breath, my jaw began to close on the bit, the wires offering some resistance.

"Twintails!"

'Bite the bit.'

Little by little, the lever pulled upwards, the barrel pressing more into my lower jaw as it moved, squeezing on the trigger.

"Twintails!!"

'Pull the trigger.'

The wires were taut. I just needed to squeeze a little more.

"TWINTAILS!!"

'Stop the pain.'

A dense piece of rubber-covered metal connected with my shoulder, my jaw clenching on the bit and discharging the rifle up into the air before it was torn from my mouth and thrown to the side, sputtering sobs coming from my mouth as I was held down. My body shuddered, the freezing snow catching in my mane, blurry eyes staring up into the face of an augmented unicorn with a prosthetic hoof. He leaned down into my view, keeping my front legs pinned under his hooves.

"TWINTAILS! What the hell did you think you were doing?! Why!?" I didn't realize I'd never really heard Minty so in a panic before. I sputtered, my nose starting to run as I tried to form words, make sentences. Explain myself. "What did you think doing... doing -this- would accomplish? What? It won't save your Stable, it won't bring Gamma back to life, it won't do anything but hurt everypony! What did you-"

"It would've made everything stop hurting!" I blurted it out, dropping my head to the side and going back to crying myself out. Minty stepped off of me, letting me alone as I curled up in the snow. I wanted Gamma Ray back. I wanted my Stable to go back to. I wanted my bed, and my room, and all the things I had before I went out into this wasteland. I wanted to go back to not having to be a hero to anypony. The snow crunched softly in front of my face, a field of magic dying around something small as it was set down. I opened up one eye, seeing an orange, porcelain mare wearing a stetson and bucking out into the air confidently in front of me, the base covered in the gentle snow that was falling from the clouds above. I reached a hoof out and picked up the statuette; Be Strong. I needed to be strong.

I cradled the statuette against my chest, sniffing and wiping my nose as I rose back up to my hooves. Minty looked at myself, the battle saddle layed across his back, along with my saddlebags. We looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, the chilly wind blowing our manes about and nipping at our coats. I drew in a sniffle, looking down at the statuette, then back up to Minty with a nod. He nodded back, giving me my saddlebags but keeping the rifles, beginning to trot down the mountainside. I followed behind, finding a pocket on the inside of the duster and sliding the small orange earth pony with the ponytail mane into it. It was kind of comforting... she reminded me a little of Gamma.

We soon met up with the rest of the Stable, Bloodbeak greeting us as we approached. Some of the families had begun to ready their saddlebags, helping to take down Lonelyheart's medical tent. I tried to not look at the mound of permafrost marked by a disabled pip-buck that was under it.

"Seventy-seven Stallions, Mares, and Foals. Mooscow hasn't had that much of a jump since Stable 92 opened up, over thirty or so years ago..." She looked between us, taking a sniff and turning towards myself for a moment. She had a frown upon her face, letting off a cloudy sigh before looking skywards. "We'd better get moving. The skies aren't looking happy today." Minty nodded to her, and we all moved back to the crowd. A voice spoke up in my head - this one was soft, comforting. It was almost Gamma.

'Everything'll be okay, sugarcube.'

I trotted alongside Twintails, as Bloodbeak followed. Twintails stood before the crowd, looking it over, a solemn expression on his face. The large group of ponies muttered between themselves, a few attempting to warm and calm their children as a cold wind bit at their skin. Twintails took a deep breath, looking around at everyone. He sighed, lowering his head a little. “We... we need to head out to Mooscow immediately. The weather’s only going to get worse from here...” He trailed off as the muttering increased a little in volume. “The Stable’s still too radioactive to be safe. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to send a few ponies into it in a few days to gather your things, but...” He took another deep breath, the group gathering up what they had been able to drag outside. “Mooscow’s not far, we’ll find shelter soon.” He was about to turn away when Lonelyheart trotted up to him.

“Twintails... about Gamma... I think you should know some things.” His voice died, his bottom lip quivering a little. Twintails nodded and Lonelyheart turned back, trotting off, away from the group. Twintails started to follow him. I watched as he trotted away. Should I... he already tried once...

“Twintails!” I said, rushing up to him. I wrapped my forelegs around him and pulled him into a hug. “Just... don’t take too long, alright? Bloodbeak said a storm was on its way.” He put a hoof on my shoulder as my eyes started to water a little. “And, please... don’t do that again.” I squeezed him before letting him go. I smiled, wiping my eyes clear. He smiled back, his own eyes tearing up slightly. He was about to speak, but he only managed a small squeak before tears began to run down his cheek. He nodded, still smiling, before turning and heading back towards the tent.

I walked back to Bloodbeak, who was handing out a few scarves. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this many to have made it out alive. I hope we don’t lose anypony on the way.” She said. We double checked everypony was ready and began to lead the large group out of the ditch, and onto the long road to Mooscow.

“Twintails and Lonelyheart will bring up the rear; they’ll help with the stragglers.” I said, walking along side Bloodbeak, whose heat-lamp was shining through the early morning sky. We walked in silence for awhile, the only sounds coming from the bits of conversation we overheard from the group and the occasional explosion and gunfire, which was always followed by a swell of chatter. “So, why exactly are you named Bloodbeak? No offense, but it doesn’t exactly sound like something your parents would name you.” I asked, trying to find a topic of conversation.

Bloodbeak chuckled. “None taken. My given name’s Bladebeak, though that sort of got lost a few years ago. Razorwing and I were prospecting in Emerald Ridge, looking for some more merchandise for the shop. We were walking into one of the buildings when Razor set off a tripwire.” It was clear a couple of the ponies listening in were not enjoying the story as they exchanged worried looks with one and other. “Something swung from the ceiling and blindsided Razor. I think it was some large chunk of rebar. It got him right in the side of the head, knocked him unconscious. Three raiders ambushed me. I managed to shoot one down, but I was running out of ammo, so...” Her grin wavered a little. “Well, I can’t exactly say I’m proud of it, but I tore open the dead raiders chest and pulled out his heart. I, uh, sort of just took advantage of the situation and took a bite out of it. Heart meat is tough.” She chuckled again. “You should’ve seen how fast they ran out of there. Unfortunately for me, Razorwing was awake by then. He just started calling me Bloodbeak as a joke and it stuck. Funny thing though,” She licked her beak, smirking at me a little. “I can’t say I disliked the taste of pony flesh... never tried it again, though, if you were afraid of that.”

My eyes widened as the ponies who were eavesdropping all pulled faces of disgust, one holding a hoof up to his mouth as he made a retching sound. Ooookay, point taken: Don’t piss off the cannibalistic Gryphon. We continued down the road, Emerald Ridge coming into view around the corner. I looked back over Stable 34’s inhabitants, most unhappy and tired, but still trotting along. I saw a pair of ponies far at the back, one a bright yellow helping a kid keep up with the group. I relaxed a little, seeing that Twintails was alright. “What about you? What exactly went on in your Stable?” Bloodbeak asked.

“Aside from the obvious?” I asked, tapping my horn. “Well, everypony gets augmentations when they get their Pip-Buck. It’s not exactly a good idea to give super powered horns and skeletons to foals. The school taught us just about anything we needed to know for life in the Stable: Basic programming, some English, a bit of the arts, and how to maintain our new metal bits and pieces. Oh, and history of course.” I said as we approached the outskirts of Emerald Ridge. “If it weren’t for those bloody striped-skins, we wouldn’t be talking now.”

Bloodbeak raised an eyebrow. “Striped-ski- oh, Zebras? Well, yeah I guess that’s kind of true. You do know they weren’t the only ones slinging bombs around, right?” She asked. I rolled my eyes as we passed some corpses that were partially covered in snow. A couple large bloatsprites were chewing on the frozen flesh. The group of ponies all grouped closer together, staring at the creature warily.

“Of course I know that. You think Equestria would just let striped-skins make those Balefire Eggs without someway to combat them? Doesn’t change the fact they fired first, those foal-eating, mare-raping, flank-holes.” I said. Bloodbeak raised an eyebrow. I looked at her a little aghast. “You can’t honestly tell me you’re a Zebra sympathizer, Bloodbeak. What they did was disgusting, I could barely watch those videos in class. They kidnap foals, rape mares then they just stop sending coal to Equestria! Not to mention their stripes look absolutely awful.”

Bloodbeak rolled her eyes and looked back to one of the ponies who were walking directly behind us. The brown pony was wiping his mouth, a new yellow and green splotch in the snow at the side of the road. He looked to Bloodbeak, his face turning slightly greener when he saw the blood stains on her feathers and beak. “Say, stablepony who just tossed his lunch on the road, what do you think of Zebras?” She asked.

“Ugh... those flies...” He said, shaking his head, still looking a little queasy. “Sorry, Zebras? I don’t know. I’m not exactly a fan of them, but I don’t see why we needed to fling the Megaspells.” My jaw almost fell open. I can’t believe this; I just helped evacuate a stable of Zebra sympathizers! Well, at least Zebra apathetic-ers. “Obviously those Balefire Eggs and Megaspells didn’t exactly improve life around here...” The stable dweller said, shivering.

I grunted a little. I suppose he had a bit of a point there, the wasteland isn’t exactly my kind of idea for a summer getaway. “What about the coal trade? We had a perfectly good deal with them and they just stop sending us coal for no reason!” I snapped. This day didn’t start off well, and wasn’t getting any better. I took a deep breath, trying to relax. “Ah... sorry. I’m just worried about Twintails.”

The colt flinched a little when I yelled, but looked back at the crowd, Twintails lost somewhere in it. “Sorry... I know what you mean though. Gamma and Twintails spent nearly everyday together, I can’t really imagine how this hit him.” We walked through the snow, the sky still its eternal gloomy appearance. The colt sighed. “I hope he’s ok too, he was looked up to in the Stable, everyone was expecting him to return with that chip or coil-thing heroically," He coughed, spitting up a small bit of blood. “I guess that bomb sort of changed our plans.”

I felt a small pit open in my stomach. The colt looked forward as I exchanged glances with Bloodbeak. I didn’t want to tell him about the real purpose of the coil-thingie, so I just fixed my eyes back on the road. We walked along, the rest of the group’s talking having died down, replaced by the chattering of teeth and occasional cursing of the clouds. Snow started to drift down from the sky, thankfully lightly. The fillies and colts looked up in awe, a few holding their mouths open and attempting catch a couple on their tongues. Those that did spit the snow out almost immediately. Fallout doesn’t exactly taste that good, I would imagine.

We were soon arriving at Mooscow, the Stable inhabitants all muttering thankfully and rubbing their eyes. Razorwing was sitting outside the barricade, attempting to keep himself awake. He looked up as we approached, snorting a little. “Oh, thank goodness!” He ran up and pulled Bloodbeak into a hug, squeezing her. “Is everypony ok?” He asked, stepping back, but not before Bloodbeak had returned the hug.

“Minty and Twintails are fine. Seventy seven survivors.” Bloodbeak said, looking back at the group who was still shivering. “They’re cold, hungry, a bit irradiated, and tired, but they should all be relatively alright. The hotel was fine with keeping them for a couple days?” She asked. Razorwing nodded, waving to the group.

“Stable 34? Follow me, there’s a hotel open you can all stay in for a few days. It’ll be crowded, but it’s better than the snow banks!” He shouted. He opened the doors, leading the group through the metal barricade. I searched through the crowd, spotting Twintails at the rear, still looking a little gloomy. I walked up to him as he came to a stop next to Bloodbeak.

Bloodbeak looked over her shoulder at us, preparing to shut the door. “You guys planning on staying? I still don’t like the look of the sky.” She said, looking up at the sky. The clouds had grown a little darker, the cold wind and snow picking up. I looked over at Twintails, watching him toss the idea around in his head.

“No... no, we need to get going. If that storm is as bad as you think it will be, we could be stuck here for awhile.” He looked through the opening in the barricade, the large group of ponies led by Razorwing turning the corner to the hotel. “And, well... I think I need to spend a little time alone. Or, as alone as I can be.” He looked over at me, smiling slightly.

I returned the smile, Bloodbeak looking concerned. “Alright, but make sure you get there and back as fast as you can, wherever you're going.” She said. She fished around in her saddle bags for a moment before pulling out a large lamp. It swung a bit on its handle. “Here, it’s my spare heat lamp. I always like having an extra in case this one dies out.” She patted the one currently hooked on her left wing. “Take good care of it, I’d rather not have to steal my brother’s to fix it.” She grinned a little.

I levitated the lamp up, hanging it in the air between Twintails and me. The talisman powered lamp flickered every now and then, but even its weak glow helped against the cold. “Thanks.” I said, Bloodbeak settling herself down in a makeshift tent. She hung her lamp up and tore open an MRE. We crunched through the snow, heading in the direction of NEAMO.

We walked quietly, the snow starting to fall a little harder as we approached the raider camp. There were a couple bloatsprites lazily hovering above a cleaned corpse, its bones shining slightly in the dirty snow. I pulled out my pistol, Twintails placing his mouth over the trigger to his machine guns. The sprites took notice as we approached them, one spitting some glob of acidic spit towards us. I fired my pistol a couple times, one sprite melting as Twintails swept the area with his big rifles. Uhm, overkill much? “Hmh, didn’t feel like using your fancy new rifle?” Twintails asked kicking aside one of the dead sprites.

“Saving ammo.” I said. “It wouldn’t hurt for us to stop by the factory, they might have some more batteries." Twintails tilted his head to the side a bit to acknowledge he heard me. “Hey... are you sure you’re feeling alright?” I asked. Twintails sighed, looking down at the ground. He didn’t respond for a while, just leaving me to scan the road for any raiders.

“I don’t know... I...” He searched for words to explain. “I think I just need to mope for awhile. Try and accept it.” I looked worriedly at him. He glanced over, trying to smile. “I’ll be ok, Minty. You... you'll make sure of that.” I grinned at him. He returned it, even if it was a little shaky. We walked along the side of the hill, kicking the occasional clump of ice into the valley.

Time seemed to pass slowly as we walked, though flipping on the Pip-Buck radio helped a little. As we passed the RobronCo facility, there was an especially long break between songs. There was a crackle of static before Hi-Fi’s voice came on. “Hey, all you wastelanders, just got some news in from Mooscow,” Her voice wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as it normally was during her broadcasts. “A personal friend of mine’s Stable was destroyed last night. He and some of his companions were able to rescue many ponies... except the one that mattered the most to him.” I looked over at Twintails, seeing his pupils shrink a little again, his eyes starting to well with tears. “If you’re listening to this, I just want you to know we’re all sorry for you... for what it’s worth, in this cold icebox, we’re all sorry.” The voice died, another song starting up. I watched as Twintails’ lip trembled as the familiar voice started up.

"We'll meet again,
Don't know where,
Don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again,
some sun-ny day..."

Author's Note

This was a tough chapter to get through, but I certainly hope the result is enjoyable! Only one major emotional breakdown was had in the making of this chapter.
-Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan.

Dreaming

The icy blast of the wind blowing snow against my face was of little comfort as we wound along the mountain road, the last few notes of Vera's song still ringing out in my ears. The bright lights of Jumper Cables' factory cut through the gentle storm ahead, Minty providing a bit of light between us from his horn as he levitated the heat lamp, the chill only being subsided mildly by the small thing. I let off a shuddering breath, glancing down at my Pip-buck as we walked along - the indicator on the EFS hadn't popped up yet, but every now and again you could hear a faint click emanate from it. The wiggling needle on the dosimeter hovered gently above 130 rad, remnant from... no, the storm, it's just the radiation from the storm. Oh, don't start blubbering again...

"Twintails? Are... I mean..." Minty stepped up alongside myself, shuddering breaths and whines escaping me every so often. I sniffled in, looking over at him for a moment and lifting my head back up, giving it a shake. Snow was melting and freezing up in my mane, giving it some momentum and causing it to tug at the roots. Ow... the wasteland really hated everything, didn't it? Maybe I should just forget about NEAMO, find somewhere in Mooscow to settle permanently... no, wait, pegasi were evil. Maybe Hi-fi and Neighrer would- oh, what am I saying? Just find something to focus on, you little two-tailed blubbering freak of a foal. A pair of orange hooves seemed to buck that last thought into dust the moment it popped into my head, the statuette in my front pocket seeming to warm a bit.

'Would you quit putting yourself down? You're not doin' anypony any favors.' That hay-maned mare in my head did have a point. I shouldn't let... let that get to me. Ponies do that all the time in the wasteland, billions of ponies did it at once a little less than two centuries ago. Our- the song, the song was even older than that! But... why... oh, she wouldn't have known. Couldn't have. That was just a coincidence that that song came up on the radio right after the broadcast went up, a very emotionally crippling coincidence that she pulled out Vera Lynn to play. Be strong, goddess-damnit, be strong. The mare smiled as I stood myself up, looking ahead. The factory, then NEAMO. One step at a time.

The factory loomed over our heads, what remained of the lot in front now illuminated as well, the doors leading to the lobby having been replaced. Well, at least it'll be warm inside. A robotic mare approached us as we stepped inside, a digital smile across her face. Robots were weird... and Minty had that look again. Don't even think about it, you battery-powered unicorn, you're weird enough. No programming sex droids.

"Welcome to RobronCo factory one-eight-three-three-four, established two centuries ago for the production of wartime emergency protection robotics. Would you like a tour of the facility, or are you here to see about one of RobronCo's many possible investment opportunities?" The robot had a rather tinny voice, but it definitely was that of what I suppose was once a pretty mare. If I'm gonna have to use that Balefire Egg to make sure Minty doesn't try to ride that garbage disposal...

"We're just here to see our friend Jumper Cables. Is she in?" I put a hoof up against Minty's chest - down, boy - stepping forwards. The greeting mare kept the smile on her face, her digitally-displayed eyes flickering as she stared at the both of us. She seemed to nod forwards, taking a whirring step backwards. I looked over at Minty, him still making that googly face at the oblivious robot greeter, eliciting an eyeroll from myself as I wrapped my hoof around his neck, starting to lead him along.

"I do not have a 'Jumper Cables' listed on my employee dossier. Looking it over, in fact, all of the employees that -are- on my programmed employee dossier are deceased. Many of them on the same day, even! Isn't that peculiar?" She smiled as we passed by her, Minty not once looking away. Right, note to self, smack some sense into that battery-powered unicorn... or at least find something to give him a rude awakening. They make explosives that mainly affect electronic parts, right? "If you're certain that your friend 'Jumper cables' is here, I suppose there's nothing I could do to stop you from finding them. I was regrettably never built nor programmed for anything other than greeting and secretarial work. Don't injure yourselves!" She cheerfully trotted away, Minty giggling like a dumbstruck fool as I pulled - dragged, more like it - him along. Come on, we still have those charge cells or whatever to get for your goop guns, lover-boy.

"Hehehe... pre-war robots can be pretty beautiful..." Minty trotted alongside myself, heading up the stairway up to the main offices area, his eyes all starry-like. Yeesh, I chose this guy to travel with? If he starts sleeping with that new goop rifle of his, I'm out of here. Hiding my thoughts behind a quiet sigh and eyeroll, We soon were trotting by rows of cubicles and file cabinets. Ponies and robots moved about idly, tending to whatever they tended to, I suppose. It was rather pleasant to see this taste of life before the war, even if it was decayed and otherwise unkept... and all the ponies were walking around armed to the teeth with their own goop guns and other boxy strange weapons. I'll stick to knowing about my own cartridge weapons, thanks.

"Just to be clear, if I wake up and see you getting friendly with a toaster, I'm moving in with Tom and Hi-fi." He paused for a few minutes, snickering, an assistant-bot carrying several satchels of electronic parts about passing by behind us. Jumper Cable's office, according to the posted signs, was up on the fifth floor of the factory; well, time to wait for the elevator, I guess. I pressed the button, Minty still laughing behind me. "What, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. How would I even do it with a toaster, anyways?" He chuckled, the elevator dinging as it arrived on the second floor. An earth pony and robot shuffled out, carrying a few terminals between them. Minty, wearing a smirk, stepped in with myself, turning to face the door and pressing the button. We stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for the doors to close. "...A space heater and my plasma rifle, on the other hand..."

We arrived on Jumper's office floor, Minty rubbing the side of his head where a very curious rifle-butt mark was left against it, grumbling silently. The wastebaskets were littered with shattered soda bottles and coffee mugs, the sound of a mare shuffling papers around and mumbling to herself, cut in every now and again with the sound of idle sipping. I pushed aside the heavy door that separated reception from the main office, being greeted by a rather spacious area with wide, large windows facing out in the direction of NEAMO. In between, on the supporting column, was hung a large, faded portrait of a very dapper-looking stallion, hair slicked back and mustache trimmed neatly, standing in front of a massive metal... hoof? Huh, well, I suppose stranger things are out there. Jumper Cables sat hunched over her desk, steaming cup of coffee in one hoof and papers in another, her eyes glazed over and half-opened. She looked up as Minty trotted in, his augmented hoof banging heavily against the floor.

"Oh, heh, nice to see you two again. Feels like... what, two days? A week? Ah..." She paused, taking a sip of her coffee and shaking her head, rubbing at her baggy eyes with one hoof, her shaggy mane falling in her face. Sleep, girl, you need sleep. The orange mare in my head seemed to hide behind her stetson, an embarrassed smile on her face. "...buh, anyways, just stopping by, or something? Ooh, looking for an extra companion, we're working on pack units to help with caravans, extra thousand pounds worth of storage..." She let off a big yawn, her head lowering onto the desk. "...space... nnh..." We watched as she nodded off right in front of our eyes, snorting awake and splashing what was left of the coffee in her mug on her face. Um, er, well, that's one way to wake up, I guess. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes again as a weird hovering ball-robot flew over, picking up the empty mug and replacing it with a full one. Working yourself to death like this is not a pleasant way to go, I would think.

"Actually, we're here because Minty needs his mental processing unit checked, I think he's in love with your secreta- Ow!" Coffee mug bashed over the head, yeah, I think I deserved that. I rubbed the porcelain out of my mane, my head ringing a bit as Minty smirked coyly. "Er... spark batteries and energy cells, I mean. Son of a parasprite..." Aaaand that was a clipboard. Stupid unicorns with their stupid magic and stupid ease with bashing stupid ponies over the head. I dropped to the floor, rubbing the back of my head, Jumper Cables looking down at myself in a bit of surprise, coffee still dripping in spots from her face.

"Ah, well, uh, sure. Um, you two aren't planning on heading off anytime soon, right? That storm outside... isn't looking like it's going to be slowing down anytime soon." I stood myself up, blinking a few times and keeping a hoof against the back of my head as she trotted around her desk, glancing between the both of us and the windows outside. Minty looked up at the portrait, seeming to study the stallion in it... or maybe he was just gawking at that giant robot leg or something... somepony turn off the doorbell, please. Stupid concussions.

"We have a prior engagement, have to get there soon as we can. If you have enough spark batteries to spare, we'll manage." Minty pushed his glasses back and tapped his metallic horn, smiling at Jumper Cables as everything finally got back into its proper focus for me. She blinked a few times, looking over to me with a look of confusion and concern. I blinked a few times, shrugging idly and trotting over beside Minty.

"Battery-powered unicorn, what can I say? I might as well be traveling with a robot." Alright, credit where it's due... rifle butts applied at velocity to the cranium REALLY friggin' hurt!

My head thoroughly mummified in healing bandages after a quick stop-over in the factory infirmary, myself and Minty were following Jumper Cables over to the storage area, moving past several deconstructed robots. Minty seemed to be blushing rather profusely as we stepped by the secretarial assistance droids, though for the sake of not having my head bashed in any further I kept my tongue held. The little orange mare in my head seemed to cover her face with her hat as we passed the security robots, myself spotting inscriptions on some of the metal parts that made up their armoring; Ministry of Wartime Technology. Oh yeah, that's right, the Stable history textbooks had her picture - well, an older picture of her - listed on the page, one of the Ministry Mares of pre-war fame. Wonder why they all were chosen, though... ah, I suppose the princesses had their reasons. That, or I just managed to sleep through those particular classes. Can you blame me, I really only enjoyed the lessons about the escalation of the war up to the use of megaspells and balefire bombs. Those things were just pretty, is all. The mare didn't seem to particularly agree with me on that, from the way she rolled her eyes.

"Here we are... recharged power supplies and reclamation section, feel free to take all you can carry." Jumper Cables yawned profusely, unlocking the door and letting Minty step inside. "We'll make more, don't worry. Just... mmh, just don't go electrocuting yourselves. I've gotta get back to my office." I held open the door, watching as she turned and began trotting back through the factory at a slow gait, her head drooping as she took each heavy step. Again, it really, -really- can't be healthy to work yourself to death like that. Stepping into the room, I was met with a spark battery to the head, Minty digging through the piles gleefully and lining his saddlebags.

"Oh, COME ON!" Yup, my head was ringing again. Man, those damn things were heavy... My augmented friend looked up from his dig, a length of copper wire held in his mouth, looking at myself curiously as I slumped back against the wall, rubbing my forehead tenderly. At least I had the bandages on this time. He chuckled weakly, stepping out and trotting over to me, setting the wire down. I sat on the floor for a while, watching as he levitated some of the batteries out and started wiring them up in series, terminal to opposite terminal, making a big ring of them. Well, at least I didn't have a broken leg this time...

"Ah... eheh... sorry..." Minty seemed to blush of embarrassment, levitating up the two end wires of the rig and taping them together, separated from each other by about an inch. I picked up a few of the spark batteries and energy cells myself, dropping them into my saddlebags - hey, they could be useful things to pack in the event of a snowball fight or burst of inventiveness - turning to face him. He let off a sigh, looking up at myself from his hobbled-together power source. "How about we agree now to not make fun of whatever either of us might find pleasurable, or get us excited, alright? Not going to last long if we keep beating each other up... partners?" He raised his non-augmented hoof, looking at myself with a little smile. Well... if it meant I wouldn't have to deal with more ballistic brunt-force rebuttals against my head, it wouldn't hurt. I bumped my hoof up against his, returning the smile.

"Partners... even if you do like an inferior soda brand." I let off a chuckle, Minty grumbling and eyerolling as he lifted up the wires from the rig. I wrapped a leg around his neck, hanging onto him as he readied to teleport, smirking coyly.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again." The air smelled of ozone once again, Minty making the connection and sending a buzzing tingle through my body, my head not exactly liking the extra voltage running through it. Electricity was weird. A brilliant flash encircled the both of us, the mare in my head even hanging onto her imaginary stetson as we made the jump from the back storage room of the RobronCo factory all the way to the front door of... ah, ponyfeathers. Red lights lit up on my EFS, first the warning that the area was irradiated - not just from the snowstorm, which was still kind of light - and then a series of red bars around us. A third indicator flashed up, this being a new one for me; Moonlight Crater. Thanks, Minty, you managed to miss NEAMO and drop us both in a bomb crater instead! The fourth thing of note, and regrettably the thing that made me very happy that NEAMO had functioning clothes washing facilities, was a very familiar, freakish, unequine scream.

This was going to be a looong night...

Remember when I nearly blew my eardrums out picking that lock with Gamma's pistol? Well, apparently firing a pair of light machine guns and having a preexisting headache is not a winning combination at all either. At least the six or so ghoul ponies around the crater weren't impervious to either .30 caliber rifle bullets or concentrated energized goop, thankfully. All that just left the trek over to NEAMO itself, then, which apparently wasn't all that far away from it as it was. Oh, hope that being teleported twice didn't fry those talismans up too bad... I stumbled along behind Minty, following him towards the facility all lit up by the strange greenish arcane lanterns, the snowstorm blowing around us in the frigid cold wind. Are we ever going to arrive back here when it isn't completely miserable out? A large gust of icy cold wind blasted in my face as we passed over a snowbank, my head stinging as the frigid cold pushed against it. That's another thing, are we going to have one day - just ONE day - where I'm not coming here injured!? A masked unicorn stallion wearing aged combat armor approached us, carrying his signature long-barreled magnum at his side, stopping on top of a large snowbank cut over by barbed wires.

"You two actually came back? You're either as determined as the Doc... or just plain goddess-damned nuts. I'm gonna save you the trouble and just go ahead and assume the latter. Well, come on." He grunted, helping lift Minty up over the wire as I flew myself over, my head pounding like somepony started up the war again inside my skull. I slid down the snowbank, White Thunder getting a glance at the pair of rifles on my sides as we started making headway to the facility's actual entrance. He seemed to be a bit surprised, actually. "Now where in the name of Celestia did you find a piece like that? Heh... I knew a Lieutenant who carried a pair of rifles like those. Wildcat, think her name was. Was stationed up at an airbase to the far northwest, 48th flying scout wing. Base probably's gone now." He chuckled, looking up, letting it die off in the wind. "Wonder whatever happened to her, anyways..."

He opened up the door, leading us both back down into the significantly pleasantly warmer facility, which seemed to be buzzing with more livelihood than when we first arrived. The ghoul nurse looked over the both of us, smirking and eyerolling - so -those- are the muscle groups that move your eyes around - before continuing onwards, her faded clothes swaying idly over her flanks and covering what remained of her mane. Minty trotted ahead, stepping into Megaspell Mary's chamber almost gleefully, his saddlebags already opened up and the multitude of talismans levitating out of them. The familiar ghoulified earth pony in the labcoat and armored vest looked down from the upper terminals on the gun, smiling widely as we stepped into the chamber with a veritable cloud of functioning targeting talismans levitated over us.

"This going to be enough, Doc? Was all that we could pull out of the targeting maneframe in the first silo, other ones were sealed, or collapsed, or something. So, when are we gonna be able to start wiping that striped scum off the planet?" Ah, Minty, still delightfully racist as ever. The Doc seemed to cringe a little at that comment - no, wait, that cringe was just from landing after jumping from one story up - as he approached us, grinning widely and chuckling.

"Oh, my boys, you've made me the happiest ghoul in the entire wasteland! Megaspell Mary will fire again!" I managed a smile, feeling a banging in my head again. Stop kicking that gong already! The orange earth pony in my head opened her eyes in surprise, looking back at her rear hooves for a moment before shrugging. Alright, so if you're not playing gongs, then who the heck is firing artillery in my head!? Minty levitated out my share of the talismans and began following Doc's orders on where to place them in the maneframe, myself dropping to my haunches and rubbing at my head. Oh, somepony stop playing that damned overture...

"I'm gonna go... find a cot. Friggin' headache..." Minty and Doc huddled by a hatch for the maneframe as I trotted back down the hallway, breathing heavily and going by the lines on the walls. Med bay was down this hall and to the left... or, was it right? Or the next hallway down? Was there a door I had to go through as well, or was it just a straight shot? Buh, note to self, get a goddessdamned map of this place drawn up. I found myself wandering a bit, head still feeling like somepony sat on it with bricks in their pockets. The hallways seemed to blur together in a mess of greens, blues, and grays as I stumbled along them, stopping in front of an open door and peering in. Lots of pre-war posters with red 'X's through pony faces and weird writing, not medical bay. Wait, what? Oooh, head... save the mysteries, I need to find a bed.

After a few more minutes of wandering, the ghoul nurse bumped into me - or, I bumped into her, I think - and I finally made way down into the infirmary. She didn't seem to be one much for chatting, but at least she knew what she was doing, re-mummifying my forehead in new bandages and helping me out of my barding. It's kind of a shame she was stuck here, come to think of it. Not many ponies like her out in the wasteland; then again, may be for the better. Haven't seen all too many ghouls outside of here and Quebuck, and with the majority being of the zombie-ghoul type... apt to shoot first and ask questions later. Even balefire bombs and megaspells can't kill prejudice, I suppose. She gave me a light nod as I layed back, resting my sore head on the pillow, the nurse trotting out back into the rest of the facility, probably to let Minty know, maybe. That'd be nice of her, she seemed like the kind type. The mare in my head gave a small flicker of a smile, my eyelids weighing heavy as I shuffled to a more comfortable position, tails wrapping around my midsection and serving as an impromptu blanket as the sweet bliss of sleep fell over myself again. Today was a long day...

The warm wind blew around myself, rustling the soft green grass and moving the flowers gently, the sun shining brightly in the sky like a distant megaspell explosion. I rested on a blanket layed out, my wings dropped to my sides and legs under my head, napping and watching as my friends played with each other down the hill. A young mare, barely in her thirties and with a mane a vibrant bright green, broke away from the group and made her way up the hill towards myself, a gentle smile on her face. I kept myself layed out, taking a deep breath of the gentle, warm air and stretching idly, lifting my head up as she came closer. She was humming a soft, familiar tune, one that we both knew very well - our song. She sat herself down beside me, myself rolling up onto my haunches and wrapping one of my wings around her back, turning and smiling at her.

"Nice day today, isn't it? Not a cloud in the sky..." She let off a soft sigh, hugging myself close, nuzzling into my mane lightly. Hers smelled of a faint perfume of coolant fluid and oil, masked by the fragrant aroma of flowers and grass all around us both. I shuffled myself closer to her, smiling and looking down into the valley. The ponies below - pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, all happy as they could be, frolicking and playing in the wide fields with each other, nothing to worry themselves with other than enjoying each other's company.

"Yeah... it's good to see you again, Gamma." I smiled softly, squeezing the unicorn beside myself tightly, feeling as she hugged back. A warm breeze rustled the trees around us, birds chirping idly and animals scurrying about, the creek below bubbling as it flowed along. This place was so peaceful, so tranquil, so untouched by the hooves of modernization... it was a perfect haven. And, most importantly, Gamma Ray was here. I never wanted to leave.

"Love seeing you too, Twinnie... heh, and your little friend there, as well." She giggled gently, sticking out a hoof at a small orange mare with an appropriately size-matching stetson resting on my shoulder. The tiny mare hopped onto Gamma's hoof, drawing both our attention as she seemed to hop around nervously, looking around in a panic. I leaned back, Gamma scratching her head in confusion as the little earth pony pointed to the sky, using one hoof to hold on her hat. We shared a glance, turning our gazes up at the wide, blue, sky, the sun shining bright in our eyes. I raised a leg to cover my own, noticing a small glint trailed by a long line of smoke coming down from the sky.

"What the hec-" The sky lit up white, the screams of laughter from the valley turning into screams of terror. Gamma threw herself on top of me, her face nuzzling up next to mine as a pulse of heat rushed over our bodies, the screaming from the valley being silenced by a deafening roar that filled what gaps were between us. Everything burned. Gamma wasn't moving. My vision was turning white. In the distance, somepony was screaming for me. I cuddled Gamma's body against myself, my vision bleached and ears recovering from the roar, the screaming growing in volume.

"Twintails!" I woke with a jump, breathing heavily and being greeted with Minty staring myself in the face, his hooves on my shoulders holding me against the bed. The bandages around my head were damp, as well as the sheets on the cot, my feathers sticking to the soaked fabric as I lifted myself up, taking gasping breaths. Minty took a step back, the nurse mare looking on from the other side of the cot, both of them sharing concerned looks as I leaned forwards, regaining myself. I was fine, it was just a dream... Gamma was still dead. Wet wings falling to my sides, I sniffed, rubbing at my stinging eyes.

"W-what's up? We going to head out again?" I sat up, rolling off of the bed and giving my wings an idle flap, sending a few water droplets splashing around. I hate night terrors. The nurse carried over my barding and helped me slide into it again - oh, how I loved the feeling of freshly-cleaned pants - as well as fit me into my battle saddle, both rifles snug against my sides, underneath my wings. Minty looked over at me, still keeping that concerned look on his muzzle.

"Yeah, but... are you sure you're alright? You... you were saying something about Gamma Ray... and then you started screaming." He trotted up in front of myself, looking into my tired eyes and placing his non-prosthetic hoof up on my shoulder. I let off a sigh, looking to the bed beside us, examining the large damp mark on the sheets. When was the last time I had night terrors like that? Goddesses... has it really been that long since I first left? Putting a weak smile on my face, I looked back up at Minty, nodding idly.

"It was just a bad dream. I'd... I'd rather not talk about it, really." We looked at each other for a few moments, Minty taking a step forwards and wrapping his hooves around my neck gently. I smiled softly, patting his shoulder with a free hoof, himself releasing the hug and watching me as he turned for the door.

"I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you. C'mon, we've got a long hike ahead of us, we're heading to this place called Trotisk, well past Quebuck." He smiled, adjusting his glasses and stepping out the doorway. I slid into my saddlebags and followed behind, my bandaged head finally beginning to not hurt as much. Glad somepony found the volume controls for that damn artillery barrage...

"What about the storm? Can we at least see in front of our faces without being blinded by our own glowing eyes?" I chuckled lightly, Minty looking back at myself with a smile, the stairwell leading up to the door coming into view. "Or was I out for -that- long already?..." Minty levitated out a small map, holding it up for me as we trotted along. A line was drawn across it, leading up over past Moonlight Crater and looping widely around past Quebuck.

"Storm should be heading to the southeast, we keep north and we should be able to make it there in a few days. Who knows, maybe we'll find your Vera there and her and Tom can do duets~" He chuckled, folding up the map and sliding it back into his saddlebags, the door to the outside swinging open easily enough. Gentle snow was falling over us both as we trotted along, heading to the snowbank we passed over last night, White Thunder giving us a wave of the hoof as we passed by.

"Har-dee-har. What are the chances of that happening twice? I mean, that'd be amazing, but at the same time I don't think I'd like my legs broken again." I rolled my eyes, hopping the barbed wire and following along behind Minty as he sank into the soft, new snow. At least we wouldn't have to kill those freaky crater-ghouls twice, I suppose - still couldn't help but wonder why it was called Moonlight crater. Obviously wouldn't have predated the war, being a missile impact site, and all. Maybe the Pegasi are afraid of covering the sky somewhere, so when the moon comes out it always shines into the crater bowl? Who knows...

"Bah, you're one to whine." Oh, great, playing the 'I had to get a replacement leg because I couldn't have seen the fragmentation mine in a snowstorm at night' card. We walked by the rim of the crater, red indicators and ticking coming up on our EFSs. Least the dosage was low around here. Minty seemed to stifle a snicker, glancing back at myself. "Hey, you don't happen to have an empty soda bottle, do you? I think I've got another bottle ready for you, you wouldn't mind it fresh, right?" Fresh Sparkle-Cola? What the... oh you son of a striped changeling parasprite.

You know, it's funny how easy it is to collapse a snowy overhang with auto-rifle fire.

After a rather colorful exchange of remarks, goop fire, and finally boiling down into ballistic snowballs, we continued over the crest of the ridge that the crater resided on, looking down at the frigid rolling wasteland that lied beyond. Straight ahead was a large crescent-shaped scar in the earth, where thin trails of smoke floated up out every now and again. The view beyond was obscured by the dense snowstorm, the wind blasting into our faces, and carrying with it the omen of things getting worse either way. We charged forwards, tumbling, rolling, and leaping wildly, the snowfall beginning to thicken around us as the depth of the ravine became evident. Fires flickered at the bottom, the wind blowing snow through it and making it almost whistle.

"Right, best option, get out of the storm before our flanks freeze off. Let's hope those fires are from non-zombie ponies..." We rushed down the side of the ravine, hiding behind the rolling snowdrifts as we moved forwards, looking up and seeing the storm raging above. Equine forms milled about at the bottom near the fires, adorned in rather skimpish clothing. Maybe it was warmer near the bottom, or something? Certainly seemed like that was the case back in Stable 34, deeper levels when the conditioning units went out were just unbearable. Could be worse...

"Yeah... keep your guns out, just in case." I looked down at the hoof holster that held Gamma's... my, pistol, fitting the bit for the twin auto-rifles in my mouth. Please don't be a horde of radioactive zombies who want to stomp us into a fine paste... we trotted forwards, slowly, a unicorn with quite a... um... -interesting- cutie mark of what Long-Dick Johnson got his first name for. This was going to be fun. He wore a smirk, a rather interestingly large-bore rifle rested on his back as he approached us, eyes manic and wide.

"Well, lookie what we got here. Frostbite, what d'you reckon this fresh meat is?" Oh, that was a voice that could grate on nerves. Minty glanced over at me, his big goop rifle being encompassed by his magic. An earth pony mare with spiked mane and cutie mark of, well, I'm going to go ahead and assume that's frozen bear meat, stepped forwards, snorting and spitting to the snow beside.

"Pair of Stable newbies, probably will squeal like fillies. Oh, look, one of 'em's even got a metal leg! Hey boys, we got a cripple over here!" A small group had begun to emerge from behind the snowbanks, each of them carrying blunt objects or small-caliber guns, all eyeing us with -very- disconcerting looks. In retrospect, losing skin to a snowstorm would've been a much nicer alternative to the band of what I think are ponies about to use us like improvised dildo-testing machines. A laugh sprouted from one off to the side, Frostbite and the other earth pony stallion leading the group and moving us both backwards.

"The yellow one's a pegasus! What's the matter shorty, got captured by that cripple to be his bitch?! So much for the fuckin' Enclave, hah!" The bottom of the chasm was a swarm of these mentally unstable and apparently severely sexually deranged pony-like creatures, each one seeming to eye over the both of us wanting quite especially to have a piece. Forty-eight rounds plus whatever Minty has...

"...we're gonna need more bullets." A cry went up from the group, both of us turning tail and running - well, flying/teleporting - up to the top of the ravine, both of us jumping as the ground exploded between the snowbanks we opted for cover. Minty's horn was glowing orange - oh, that can't be good - and he was doubled over, his guns dropped in the snow as he searched around for a spark battery. I peered up over my snowbank, feeling a pulse of warm air supplemented with an icy chill as the ground exploded in front of us again. Damn, I wanted a gun like that! Hopping up for a brief moment, I swept the crowd with both of my rifles, watching as some of them fell and were trampled by the rest. Definitely going to need more bullets.

"Twintails!" I dropped behind the snowbank, for now ignoring the seeping warm sensation and bruises from behind my vest, both rifle barrels smoking in the snow. A black egg-shaped object flew past my vision, dropping from Minty's magic and landing in the snow. It kind of hurt to look at for a long time, but... oh, ponyfeathers, how did I forget we had that!? Minty levitated up his plasma rifle and was blind-firing over the snowbank, the ground between us exploding again as light arms fire whizzed past us. He nodded towards the massive group, pointing a hoof at the egg. Say no more, my friend - it's going to be my pleasure.

"Hey assholes, hi there!" I smacked the top of the egg once, carefully picking it up and carrying it in my hooves as it began to hum. Snapping my wings, I bolted up like a rocket - no, wait, missile - bomber? - arcing overhead and listening to the bullets screaming by my ears. The group looked so tiny from up here. Egg held against my body, vibrating at a rate that I was embarrassed to admit felt -really- good, I began my dive, feeling my wings slicing through the cold air. My EFS popped up with a note - Moonlight Ravine - some in the large group beginning to turn tail and run. Didn't blame them, buut... I was faster. The egg dropped away as I peeled up, feeling a tingle run through my body as somepony spiked the contrast and began blasting a recording of a thunderstorm in my ears. Balefire, baby! The whole chasm seemed to shake, myself being thrown up and over into the wall, getting a fantastic taste of the local sediment before falling into a nice, comfy snowbank... with a boulder in it. Hey, who turned out the lights?

The room was dark. Too dark. Somepony-shut-down-the-reactor dark. I tried to look around, not feeling myself there, but- okay, that was a wall. And that's the floor. And that was... a unicorn's horn sparked in the darkness, illuminating the area. Gamma's light-blue magic filled the room, herself looking at me with those amber eyes of hers, a solemn look on her face.

"Wake up, Twintails. Wake up. Please, please wake up..." I reached out to touch her - but I couldn't see my hoof. Even with her magic, I couldn't see much of anything. And, weirdest of all, her voice sounded... tinny. And male.

Dreams are weird.

"Wake up!" That tinny voice rang in my ears again as I rolled in the snow, my wings, back, face, chest... my everything aching and freezing, eyes cracking open to the sight of a very weird parasprite-shaped robot hovering silently overhead. I blinked a few times in disbelief, before scurrying backwards at the sight of the laser it had mounted on it's undercarriage. It hovered backwards a bit as well, looking down at myself.

"Uh... hi?..." I blinked again, reaching out a hoof at the weird robot, sprite-thing, before righting myself again. Oh, right, head injuries do not like being aggravated! "Oh, fuck me with a fuel rod, what happened?" The sprite-bot hovered in silence as I rubbed at my head, looking up at... a giant snowslide that filled the chasm completely, multicolored hooves, torsos, heads, manes... among other things... jutting and spilling from the snow. I blinked, dumbfounded, staring at the carnage, the sprite-bot hovering beside myself idly.

"You are the most mentally insane non-Enclave pegasus I have ever encountered." I rose to my hooves, shaking my head free of ice and snow, still surveying over the damage. The sprite-bot hovered behind myself in silence, save for the buzzing of it's wings. Slowly I approached the base of the pile, looking up at it. One balefire egg did all this?... Goddesses, I need another one of those things!

"I'll take that as a compliment. I can't believe it..." I smirked, sitting down at the base of the pile, prodding at it idly. Some snow shifted around, uncovering the remains of some poor wrecked small-caliber pistol and smashed hunting rifle, landing with a thud at my hooves. The sprite-bot looked up at the summit of the pile, hovering silently.

"Stable 34... you're a long way from-"

"I set off a balefire egg and didn't even get to see the explosion!" With a groan of annoyance, I fell back into the snow, looking upwards at the storm that was passing over the top of the ravine, making day seem like night. The sprite-bot looked down at me, seemingly in a mix of surprise, disbelief, and... oh, stop shaking your head, er, body like that! I wanted to see the detonation...

"Ah-... you-... I bu-..." The tinny stuttering was getting to be somewhat grating - who was this guy anyways? "...you are the single most utterly insane pegasus I've ever encountered." Again with the compliments? Yeesh, you'd think this guy was coming on to me. Oy. I rose to my hooves, looking up at the sprite-bot with a smirk.

"Sorry, I prefer ponies who aren't completely robots... nice job trying, though~" The sprite-bot went silent, myself giving my wings a flap and hovering up the hill. The familiar teal mane of the augmented unicorn popped up as I reached the summit, landing atop it with a wide smile. Minty let off a light chuckle as we met, his expression changing as the buzzing sprite-bot followed behind me.

"Dude, that was just creep- ah..." The voice on the other end of the sprite-bot died off, Minty seeming to blush as he looked at the hovering robot, stammering softly. I looked between them, grinning coyly. The sprite-bot turned towards me, hovering silently in confusion.

"Minty, this is my new friend, uh... what'd you say your name was?" The sprite-bot hovered backwards, looking between myself and Minty, both of us looking up at it/him. Minty sniffed in, biting his lip and covering up his muzzle with his augmented hoof, his cheeks a rosy red.

"Um... Watcher... but... Oh, would you look at the weather reports, gotta go!" The sprite-bot rushed off, the voice feed sizzling out and being replaced with an upbeat marching tune that rang throughout the ravine as the robot bounced along in the air, floating along idly. I blinked a few times, shrugging and turning to Minty. A slow drip of red flowed from his nose, cheeks a vibrant red blush as he swayed uneasily. I stifled a snicker, watching him stumble about before catching him. Come on, he couldn't have sounded THAT dreamy...

"Come on mister Roboto, we've still got a long road ahead. Trotisk is still pretty damn fa-" For somepony who has a nosebleed at the voice of somepony else broadcasting through a sprite-bot thing, he sure can run fast when he wants to. I tumbled down the hill, catching myself and hovering up just in time to see the poor spritebot hovering for it's, uh, circuitry I guess, my augmented friend in hot pursuit. And that Watcher-guy thought -I- was the insane one...

"Wait up, ya circuits-for-brains!"

I finally caught up with the lovestruck augmented unicorn, racing him over what looked like another massive open field in the wasteland. He dropped his head, losing sight of the sprite-bot, finally deciding to take a resting stop - ouchie, my wings. Oh, do not fly long distances with an aching everything. Minty seemed to be looking around idly, trotting along as I landed next to him.

"Woof... could you at least give -some- kind of forewarning before you go running after a robot again? Sheesh..." I huffed out a warm breath, the two automatic rifles at my sides clinking together as we trotted along through the snow towards Trotisk. Our EFSs flickered, a light snow falling around us, the day beginning to slip over noon as I took to examining the various large holes about - weird, they were all completely conical in shape, and they didn't seem like they were bomb craters. I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen them before...

"Ah... uh, it's complicated. You'd probably think it was silly..." Minty let off a cloudy sigh, blushing softly and turning away. Um... what happened to trust between us? Besides, chasing robots was already pretty damn silly as is... stop snickering, your friend is going through some depression here, you moron.

"Minty, chasing after a robot because you heard somepony's voice on the other end is silly. Being depressed when you have a friend to talk to is silly. Come on, let's hear it. Least that you can do for me, I want to help you with this." I smiled, looking over at him and wrapping a hoof around his neck, hugging him a bit. He turned his head, the faintest bits of a smile wavering over it as he took a breath.

"Alright... well, see, it's just that... since we rescued your Stable, I haven't really been able to stop thinking about getting back in contact with Cross StWOAH!!" The snow seemed to give underneath our combined weight, both of us tumbling and falling through. My EFS popped up with a note, finally telling us where we were, and bringing a surprised smile to my face - 'Snowdrop Megaspell Test Range.' History was made here! A high-pitched whining was the second thing I noticed, following the fact that I had a nice soft augmented unicorn to land on. I lifted myself up, being greeted with the very boxy end of... some kind of energy rifle, I guess. Past that, a very surprised, shaking unicorn in some weird all-metal armor stared down at the both of us, the rifle aimed squarely at my face. First I don't get to see the balefire egg going off, and now we're being held at energy gun-point for accidentally dropping in?

"Oh, ponyfeathers."

“D-don’t move!” I heard a new voice stammer, my face still buried in the snow. I stood up, shaking the dirty snow off of my body, only to be facing a unicorn, levitating an AER9 standard issue laser rifle between us both. The navy blue pony was shaking slightly, the tips of his orange mane being blown by the small breeze that blew in from the hole in the roof. He flicked the laser rifle upwards a bit, indicating for us to relinquish our weapons. His eyes flicked back and forth between Twintails and myself, or more specifically, my horn and leg. “W-what’re you doing here? Were you the ones that set off the explosion?” I levitated out my plasma rifle, but I didn’t drop it. I may be willing to give this guy the benefit of the doubt, but there’s no way I’m leaving myself unarmed.

“We may have. There are a lot of ponies around here, and a testing facility like this one isn’t exactly unfamiliar with explosions...” I said. The pony just kept pointing his rifle at us. I scanned the pony’s body, fixating on his armor. I froze, my heart picking up… No way… that’s… I squealed, leaning in for a closer look, completely disregarding the trigger happy wearer. “OhmyCelestiathat’saT-51BPowerArmorsuitwhereinEquestriadidyougetthat?” I was grinning giddily. Power Armor had to be the best thing behind plasma; there’s no way a bullet’s getting through that thing!

The pony looked at me, his nervousness changing to a bit of surprise and confusion. As I inspected his armor he traded glances with Twintails, who only shrugged. Ooh what I wouldn’t do for a set of that armor. It’d definitely mean less concussion induced naps. Well, barring an Electromagnetic Pulse of course. The pony still looked a little confused, but holstered his rifle (I suppose I could do with one of those too), figuring we would’ve fired by now if we were going to shoot him.

“So… what do you guys know about what happened?” He asked. He shifted his weight a little, his suit releasing air to lower pressure and allow him to lean. That hiss of air probably got me a little more excited than I should have been. Twintails raised an eyebrow at me as I stood myself straight up again, before turning back to face the power-armored unicorn.

“There was a camp of raiders holed up in the ravine,” Twintails said, the other stallion pressing a small button near the collar of his suit. A red light began to flash as a soft crackle of static was heard. “We gunned a couple of them down, but we were running low on ammunition as more were approaching. We climbed out of the ravine... I think... and lobbed a Balefire Egg into there. The explosion knocked me out, I didn’t see what happened afterwards, except a giant snowslide where the group was.” Twintails ears lowered a bit, looking disappointed.

The unicorn squinted a little. “That sounded and felt a heck of a lot bigger than just a single Balefire Egg. You sure you didn’t ‘accidentally’ find a Megaspell warhead around here?” He asked. I bit my lower lip a little, partially afraid to disclose the information to the unicorn and partially not wanting to disappoint Twintails even more.

“Well… I may have seen… some kind of large metallic object buried in the ravine before I chucked the Balefire Egg in.” The unicorn squinted a little, looking upset. “I swear I thought it was some kind of mainframe!” I said, not wanting to anger him any more than I already had. He pressed the button on his collar again, the light stopped its flashing and the crackle of static was heard again.

“Alright, but I want you two out of here, now. And if I hear another explosion, my superior’s won’t be happy.” He ran off to investigate the canyon, leaving Twintails and me standing in the small room made out of a big depression in the ground. Twintails looked over to me, raising an eyebrow a little before we started to climb out. I pulled out my Pipbuck, finding we were only a bit east of the Quebuck ballistic defense base. Well, I suppose that at least makes sense.

“Superiors? Who do you think he’s working for?” Twintails asked as we trotted across the test site, many craters dotting the landscape. I watched Twintails’ eyes dart excitedly around the place, wide as dinner plates; sheesh, they’re just irradiated holes in the ground. “You don’t think he’s with the Enclave, is he?” He started to drift towards a small shack near a fence. I only rolled my eyes and followed him.

“It’s unlikely. He was a unicorn after all, and I don’t think Enclave use T51-B model armor. It’s good, but there are better models out there.” I said as we approached the small shack. “Heck, that suit wasn’t even winterized; He’s probably freezing in it.” I chuckled a little. Twintails ignored me, walking up to the shack. He tried the door, the hinges creaking loudly as it swung open. He trotted in and I followed, Twintails already on the look for any sort of explosive device, I could guess. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t think I’d like to have that guy’s friends swooping down on us.”

He dug through the various junk surrounding the room, tossing aside empty cans of beans. “Oh relax, we’ll be fine.” He said, moving from the shelf to digging around in a locker. “Are you kidding me? An emergency shelter on a test bed doesn’t even have an instruction manual? C'mon, pre-war Civil Defense, I though you were better than that...” He tossed aside a burned up book. I started to dig around in the garbage as well - who knows, maybe there’ll at least be some microfusion cells around. I came across a safe, pulling out my set of bobby pins and trusty screwdriver.

For a testing facility, the lock was surprisingly simple, just a quick jiggle, turn, and click! I opened the safe, expecting just some old bits and perhaps a few caps. Instead, there was just a lone, faintly glowing sphere in the center. I levitated it out, staring into it. It looked pretty fragile and the glow pulsated slightly. “Hey, Twintails, any idea what this is?” He looked over to see the object I was holding in my magic, studying it for a moment.

“I think… yeah, that’s a memory orb! Minuette at the museum in Mooscow told me about them.” He stared into it a bit more. “I wouldn’t touch it to your horn, though, she said you’re kind of stuck watching the memory until it ends... and this isn’t exactly the best place to do that.” I nodded and lowered the orb into my saddle bags. “I think we may as well head out, there’s nothing here.” He said, letting off a sigh, still looking a little glum.

We headed out of the shack, finding our way to the frozen gates of the site. We trotted down the road from the testing site towards Quebuck. The path from the site to the military outpost was pretty uneventful, only the occasional bloatsprite needing a shot of plasma and .45 Auto rounds to the face - I really ought to tell him how overkill he is sometimes. We passed by the defense complex, myself having to practically drag Twintails away from the doors to the silos - no, the missiles aren’t going to magically reappear Twintails, let it go.

We crunched through the dirty snow through Quebuck, hoping beyond hope more ghouls weren’t eyeing our flanks. “So… what were you saying about finding old world tech earlier?” Twintails asked, keeping his voice a little low. I mulled the idea over in my head. Admittedly, there were a lot of reasons, salvaging parts, improving augmentations being just a couple.

“Well, probably for the same reason you’re obsessed with explosions.” I chuckled a little, Twintails rolling his eyes. “After all, what’s not to love about robots and computers?” I asked. He smiled, shrugging a little. “And… well. I know it’s a long shot, but on my way out of the Stable, I grabbed instructions on how to convert the one way radio in my Pip-Buck to a two way transmission radio. I was hoping, maybe Cross Stitch and I could stay in contact.

Twintails looked at me as we continued through the city, approaching the demolished limits. “I tried to convince him to leave, but he didn’t think he’d survive. I knew I couldn’t stay, I just hoped he’d be willing to go with me.” I lowered my gaze, a little disheartened. “And after seeing your stable destroyed, I’ve gotten really worried mine might…”

Twintails put a hoof on my shoulder, smiling softly towards myself - there was a faint tinge of pain behind his eyes, but he was hiding it well. “We could always stop by Stable 76, if you need to.” He said. I smiled at him as we exited the city limits and continued along the road. It wasn’t much, but the option comforted me. I pulled out a bottle of Sarsaparilla, popping open the cap, checking for a star. Aaaand... nope, nothing this time. I took a swig as Twintails made a gagging noise, the drama princess he is. Giving an eyeroll, I tossed the cap at him, smirking at the satisfying *ping* as it bounced off of his head. He grumbled a little, pulling out his own bottle of Sparkle-Cola, shaking it up and pointing it at me. I did my best to cover my face, but he still managed to fire the cap at my exposed cheek. Ouchie, geez, yeah, that stung. Yeah… yeah, I guessed I deserved that. He chuckled a little before starting to drink it down. As we headed along, a large figure started to come into view from over the horizon to the west. It looked like a city, a fair deal smaller than Mooscow, but containing still a fair number of houses.

As we came nearer to the settlement, it was easier to see it was surrounded by several crashed train cars, a few lying on their sides. We approached one of the train cars which had its doors cracked open. Twintails slid them apart and stepped through, revealing a small collection of buildings. We trotted in, a few ponies wandering about, a couple sitting at a small shack serving food. A small rusted sign was placed in the dirt, the words “Welcome to” in peeling paint, with the word “Turnpike” spray painted beneath it, the larger word covering the “Welcome” a little.

A large, grey, muscular stallion in a parka trotted by as I started to head towards a small building with the words “Stockcar Supplies” spray painted on the side of a large red boxcar. Jeez, you think they’d at least get the type of car right. I looked back when I noticed Twintails wasn’t following me. His gaze was following the stallion, his eyes unfocused, and seeming a bit distant, almost as if... I rolled by eyes and grabbed ahold of his tails with my magic, dragging him to the store. “Come on, lover boy. You can make googly eyes at the locals later.”

We entered the car, the place lit by a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. A brown earth pony was repairing a 10 millimeter gun at a workbench. She waved to us, lifting a pair of goggles up over her black mane. “Ah, hi there! Welcome to Stock Car Supplies. Anything in particular you need?” She asked. “I got all sorts of ammunition, weapons, armor, you name it!” She said. We browsed the stores, Twintails collecting a few bags of Rad-Away and .30-06 rounds for his rifles while I scooped up some Microfusion cells and health potions. She rang up the items. “Alrighty, that’s… 137 caps.” She said. I counted out the caps and slid them across the counter.

As she collected the caps, Twintails slid his purchases into his saddle bags, and I slid mine into my own. We turned to leave, the mare going back to her repair. “Ah, we've been doing a lot of walking... think we could rest here tonight?” Twintails asked as we left the store. I saw him scan the area, no doubt in search for that stallion from earlier. Sheesh, if all it took for him to have the hots for somepony was a blue mane and grey coat, where'd he get the right to question my love of robotics from?

I pulled up the map on my Pip-Buck again, looking at the distance between the Turnpike and the marked Trotisk. “C'mon Romeo, it’s not too late in the day, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be much longer of a hike.” I said. “Besides, we don’t need another reason for you to go running after whoever that was.”

Twintails stuck his tongue out playfully at me. “Aw, come on, I was hoping we could have a three way.” He smirked, myself chuckling as we left the settlement. Alright, you got me on that one. We followed the road yet again, the wasteland just as empty as ever. My mind was clawing for something to fill the silence. Umm… A… brax…o. Yeah… I remember the jingle tune, but of course the only lyrics I remember were the childish ones from school. Great, now that’s stuck in my head.

Abrax-O, makes your mouth turn green.
Abrax-O, tastes like gasoline.
Abrax-O, for a clearer head!
Abrax-O, for a you that's dead!

I shook my head, flipping on the radio to find something to overpower that song. A crackle of static and a familiar voice appeared. “Hey all you wanderers out there, it’s time for another news update from your favorite little Turtle in a Stable! Remember, Turtle, not Tortoise!” Hi-Fi’s voice came on, just as enthusiastic as ever. “There’s something strange going on out in Pripytrot. Haven’t heard any sort of broadcast coming from there in a few days, and no one’s been going in and out. So, just a warning to all of you, you better be careful when visiting that area, who knows what’s going on out there? And now, the weather, with our brand-spankin' new weather stallion, Tom Neighrer!" Well, looks like Twintails'll get to hear Tom a bit more often, at least. An entire city gone silent? That was just plain weird, even for the wasteland...

"Thank you, Bertie! Our sensors predict will be a 100 percent chance of radioactive snow tomorrow, followed by more snow, and just to change things up, clouds, and snow the day after! I'm no meteorologist, but I'm pretty sure warm clothes are very highly recommended...” The ghoul-pony said, chuckling, Hi-fi - ah, Bert the Turtle, I mean - coming back on.

"Sounds like sound advice far as I can tell! Now, to tickle all your listening ears, here's a nice soothing melody from one of Tom's collection, put your hooves together and put down that machine gun because it's National Brotherhood Week on CONELRAD radio - all classics, all the time!"

I looked over at Twintails as we trotted along, turning down the radio volume. “What do you think happened at Pripytrot?” I asked. He shrugged, kicking a chunk of ice along, the frigid wind blowing in our faces. The song continued on softly, being intercut with static every now and again as a big gust picked up a wall of icy snow. I guess the reception on these things aren’t quite as good as I thought.

“Who knows?” Twintails said. “Raiders, undetonated Balefire bomb, dysentery outbreak, anything could do it, really.” He said. I tilted my head to the side a bit. That’s true, death wasn’t exactly uncommon. It’s just weird an entire city would go out. “Or, heck, maybe their radio towers just all lost power and they can’t send a message... at the same time...” He said. We continued along the road, myself looking south, in the direction of Pripytrot as it's icon showed on my Pip-leg map. Nothing seemed off, except the clouds were a little darker than normal. I suppose that could just be a storm though, maybe the antenna idea wasn’t too farfetched.

That dumb Abraxo song still stuck in my head as we walked along, despite the plethora of songs we heard during that time. Another city appeared over the horizon as we walked, this one much larger than the one made around the Turnpike along the highway. We walked up to the edge of town, this one not barricaded off as Mooscow and the Turnpike had been. We followed the roads, ponies milling about in the cold. Thankfully there was a motel near the entrance, as the sun was starting to set in the sky. We headed into the main room, a golden stallion standing behind the counter. “Hey, got any free rooms?” I asked.

The pony nodded, lifting a key off of a hook and spitting it onto the counter. I picked it up and stowed it in my saddlebags. “First time in Trotisk?” He asked. Twintails and I nodded, as he let off a grunt. “Well, if you want to know anything about this place, I’m an open book.” He said. “There’s the general store on the south side of the city, pretty much everything not weapon related you can find there. There’s a Gun Runner’s station just across the street from them. Let’s see… medical clinic on the north side, food pretty much everywhere in between… Oh, and of course the Plasma Spaz. Best energy weapons shop in the wasteland.”

My ears perked up when I heard the name of the store. A store specializing in energy weapons? That’s on the top of my places to visit before I’m mauled by a bear list now. I looked over at Twintails, grinning broadly. He chuckled, rubbing his eyes a little. “Tomorrow, Minty. It’s really getting late, now.” He said. I let off a sigh, following him out. I suppose it could wait. Sleep is more important than Lasers, Minty. We walked up the stairs to our hotel room, slipping the key in and unlocking the door.

We walked into the room, Twintails gently sliding off his saddlebags and machine guns, doing his best not to ding them up. I set Bloodbeak’s heat lamp on the bedside table, levitation off the metal chunks of my armor and saddlebags. As I did, I remembered the memory orb we’d picked up earlier. I lifted it out of the bags in my magic. “Hey, Twintails, did you-” I stopped short, already seeing Twintails had flopped down into the bed, settling himself down. I looked into the orb, curiosity starting to gnaw at my insides. It couldn’t hurt just to see what it was, right? After all, I doubt these orbs could hold a large memory, it was barely the size of my horn. I lifted it up, bringing it close to my horn, resting back in the bed beside the gold-coated pegasus. I paused for a moment, not sure if I really should go through with this... oh, you're in a locked bedroom, aren't you? Twintails would wake up if he heard screaming... wouldn't he? I gulped a bit, and pressed my horn into the glass-like material. Everything seemed to fade.

---oooOOOooo---

I found myself riding in the back of a carriage being pulled by two large stallions. I bounced in the seat, but when I tried to take a look around, I found myself unable to move my eyes... were these my eyes? There were a couple ponies sitting beside and across from me, all in advanced suits of power armor. We passed by a large wooden sign on the side of the road, which read in big red paint “If you wouldn’t tell the stripes, don’t tell anypony.” Oooh, this seemed official. The carriage bounced along the dusty road for a few minutes before coming to a slow halt. There were a few trenches dug into the dirt, two mares in thick jackets standing in front of them.

I felt myself stand up, hopping out the back of the trailer and walking over to the aging mares, saluting with a wing... ooh, that felt weird. Is this what a pegasus feels like? The purple unicorn nodded, and I felt my host - that seems like the right term, right? - stand at ease. An orange earth pony with blonde mane flowing from beneath her wide stetson started to pass out dark goggles and ear muffs. The mare seemed strangely familiar, but for whatever reason I couldn’t remember where I’d seen her before... the purple unicorn turned to face myself and the other ponies.

“This is the first air activation of a self-contained megaspell. You must wear your eye and ear protection at all times. This is a highly classified test, and is not to be discussed with anypony, regardless of their status, or whether or not they are present here. There will be a siren sounding at thirty seconds before detonation. At this time, one should double check their gear is properly secured. After the detonation you are to remain in the trenches until ordered otherwise by myself.” The orange pony returned, and the purple unicorn hopped onto the carriage and started to head towards a steel bunker a ways up the hill. Yeesh, that mare could just go on and on and on in a lecture, couldn't she? At the same time... well, she seemed like she knew what she was talking about.

My host walked to one of the trenches, settling in as a few other ponies joined us, the others sliding into the one behind me. He slipped on the goggles, both of our vision darkened, followed by our hearing muffled as he pulled on the ear muffs. We simply stood in the trenches for a while, a few of the ponies looking around, unsure of when something was about to happen. I looked off in the distance, seeing the faint shadow of a tower and some strange, brightly metallic object hanging from it.

I thought about what was going on… the secrecy, the object, the mare who talked as much as my old teacher… wait… I thought back to the ravine earlier. That metal sphere… was that? My heart wanted to pound faster, but it remained its steady beat as a siren started up. Thirty seconds. The siren was a bit quiet through the ear muffs, my gaze fixed upon the object swaying in the breeze. This couldn’t be happening. Twenty seconds. I tried to run, to scream, but I was simply stuck staring at the tower as the siren continued to blare. Ten seconds. No, this close to a Megaspell detonation? What were those ponies thinking?!

Five. The siren started to die down, the air seeming very quiet in comparison. Four. I wanted to cower down into the trench, but no matter how I struggled, nothing moved. Three. Oh no. Two. This won’t be good. One. The silence was deafening, time seeming to slow to a halt before... there was nothing for a moment, then there was a very, -very- bright flash.

It must have been like looking into the sun, I thanked Celestia I had the goggles on, or I’d have likely gone blind. There was a low rumbling as the flash dissipated, a cloud of dirt and snow starting to rise into the air. Suddenly, the rumbling grew louder exponentially, then a shockwave slammed us into the side of the trench, an ear shattering explosion ripping through the ear muffs. The host gained his bearings, moving forwards and staring back to the explosion - a fiery cloud rose up, the top starting to expand outwards, forming a mushroom like shape. I looked up at the cloud, my vision going dark.

---oooOOOooo---

I shook my head groggily, trying to get my bearings. I found myself sitting in a room with no visible doors or windows. The floor, walls and ceiling were made of some soft, puffy material. I tried to move, but I looked down, finding myself bound up in a jacket. My left foreleg felt especially short… was I missing my leg? And is my horn gone? I groaned in pain, suddenly noticing a mare cuddled up to me. She nuzzled me a little, before noticing I’d woken up. “Oops, I don’t think you’re supposed to be up yet!” She pulled a syringe out from her pocket of her saddlebags, jamming it into my neck. Ooh… geez that hurt… My vision went dark again as I heard her giggle, herself snuggling up to me again.

Oh, I knew that was a bad idea...

Author's Note

This was a monster of a chapter to write, honestly! Also is the first major tie-in between this and This Is Not A Drill - optional short stories, but there for your reading pleasure regardless!
~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Discovery

The frigid sunlight shone through the slats of the window blinds, managing to strike me square across my eyes as it started it's slow ascent in the east. Blinded by it, I rolled myself over, grunting and stretching, my dampened mane slightly frozen in the air and sticking to the pillowcases. Goddesses, I don't know what's worse, the fact that it was absolutely freezing cold out, or the fact that that heat lamp gave off enough to make me get all sweaty even in the freezing cold. Yeah, I ought to ask Minty how to turn that thing off before we go to sleep... damn thing getting me all hot and flustered. Stupid heat lamp.

Cricking my back and stretching, I tugged my worn barding on, having a bit of trouble with the pants - morning wood, why'd I have morning wood? I mean, I didn't even see that Balefire Egg explosion, unless... wait a tick, where was Minty? Oh, goddesses, don't tell me we actually -slept- together last night! I mean, he's a really cute stallion, but at the same time, something like that is something I'd actually kind of like to remember! Then again, he did seem concerned about getting back in touch with his coltfriend Cross-Stitch... oh, just forget it, of course nothing happened. That's right, he was looking at that memory orb when I blacked out. Peh, he probably went down to that energy weapons shop or something. Oooh, I'll give him something to consider if he blows all our caps on a big fancy new goop gun he'll never use because he'd think it wasteful, point-thirty inches of something, matter-of-fact... then he'd just scold ME for wasting ammo. Bah, screw it.

I slipped on the battle saddle and Auto-rifles - you never know, somepony might want to start a game of knifey-bullety with me in this place - and looked out the window, taking a whiff of the cold, musty air. There was that smell of cooking meat again, as well as the usual smells of sulfur, sweat, and broken bathrooms. Ew. The door clicked shut behind myself as the key and tumblers worked together, keeping most everything safe - I'm sure if Minty came back before me, he could get somepony at the front desk with a skeleton key or something. It was akin to a morning in Mooscow, except, well, with less ponies about, and with more of the gloomy sky visible. Why weren't they settled more towards the interior of what remained of the city, anyways? And why didn't they even have so much as a wall around them, with the Wasteland being what it was? And where do you get glass that's -that- clear out in the wasteland? "Ow..."

Rubbing my bruised muzzle gently, I stepped out into the open settlement that once was the Trotisk suburbs, sitting in the shadows of the remains of the large skyscrapers that still were standing after so many decades of decay. Man, it must have been especially eerie before the war, just seeing these giant, tall, collosal, vertigo-inducing... don't even think about it, you're miles away from NEAMO and Minty isn't going to strain himself by teleporting you that far just to get your pants washed. Eyes forwards and down, look at the ground, look at the shops, look at the ponies milling about.

Taking a breath, I turned my attention to the partially-restored and otherwise refurbished and re-used building fronts along the main road, groups of mares, stallions, and foals all milling about them. Shops advertised as selling armor, food, repairing barding, ice-cold drinks, room & board, medical services, potions, second-hoof weapons... say, wasn't there supposed to be a shop around here that specialized with guns or something? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to just take a look-see, and maybe find another balefire egg or two... or five. Minty didn't need -all- of these spark batteries, did he? These damn things were still pretty heavy.

The big display above the fully-refurbished two-story corner shop made finding the place little short of a cakewalk, fancy neon lights proudly advertising 'Gun Runners' in huge glowing letters. A gust of warm air greeted me as I stepped through the door, a bell ringing above as I trotted forwards into... sweet mercy above, this was Gamma short of heaven. Rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, grenade machine guns, anti-TANK rifles, missile launchers, rocket launchers, a Balefire Egg launcher too, all lined up on the walls neatly and held in place behind talisman-projected fields of energy. I could feel my jaw dropping in pure bewilderment, shaky on my hooves as I stepped forwards towards the stallion who sat behind the counter, fiddling with a .45-caliber submachine gun. He looked up from the gun, blinking a few times, myself still oggling all of the beautiful, pristine, wondorous weapons.

"Ah, er, is there a problem, Flash-Bang? I thought you weren't going to be back from Turnpike for a while, after Pripytrot went silent." He scratched his head, myself returning the look of confusion to the eyes behind those small glasses of his and cocking my head. Flash-Bang? Why'd he think I was that pony? He shrugged and pushed himself back from the counter, falling to his hooves and fiddling with the door behind him with his magic. "Well, as long as you're back, got an order from Effin' Bee again. All packed and ready for delivery, looks like you're going back to Turnpike again. What the hay he does with all this plastic explosive and scrap metal is beyond me... the usual payment of five hundred with ammunition, of course, for when you return." Before I could even get a word of protest out, the large pair of courier saddlebags were strung across my back, the contents jingling and clinking against each other as they shifted around. Five hundred... five hundred bottlecaps? For just carrying all this crap from here to Turnpike? Goddesses, I didn't care if he thought I was a six-legged pony with a purple polka-dotted mane and shooting stars coming out of my eyes, I'll take it! The orange mare in my head blinked, seeming a bit bewildered as I turned and trotted out of the doorway of the shop. What, too specific?

The bags hung heavy against my body, but at least left my wings free for flight - eh, that makes sense, couriers're probably mostly pegasi. Nopony else'd have the speed, or mobility options, and I'm pretty sure high explosives don't mix well with unicorn teleportation magic. Well, I mean, for unicorns that can do that... don't think I've ever seen Gamma teleport. Minty, hell, those augmentations probably would let him move the planet if he plugged straight into a reactor!... as long as he could handle the surge, anyways. For the sake of not wanting to destroy the wasteland again, let's not test that anytime soon, like, ever. I gave a good few flaps of my wings, nopony seeming to care as I lifted off and took to flight over the wasteland, some of them even giving waves as I passed over. Some towns liked pegasi, others hated them - well, the enclave, at least - with a passion... could the wasteland just make up it's mind already?

A cold wind blew against my tails, pushing myself along towards Turnpike and the delivery point. I fiddled with the radio, grimacing at the quick whine of static that blasted in my ears before it was replaced with Tom's voice. Oooh, yay, a radio concert! I turned up the volume knob, just able to pick his voice out from the static. "Gooood morning to all of you fine stallions and mares, fillies and colts, and other whatever-you-may-be out there in the N-E-W! Short for North Equestrian Wasteland, the undisputed world's largest icebox this side of the Crystal Empire..." Ah-huh, alright, so not a concert... did Hi-fi let him do this morning's broadcast or something?

"...Today's morning news reports come fresh out of Mooscow, as the caravans are back up and running in full force and the local Stable population is growing accustomed to life upstairs. Complaints of frozen flanks have been slacking off since Stable 34 was evac-ev-ev-er...relocated, yes, by a very brave pair of young stallions who, with the assistance of the gracious gryphon gatekeeper, helped lead the entire remaini-uh, population that decided to c-come... ah... right! A-anyways, um... goddesses... yanno, l-let's just put on some tunes. This is, ah... m-me signing off." Smooth save, Tom. Really smooth. An orchestral started up, followed by a full-blown public service announcement from before the war all on what to do in case fallout reached your area. Ah, well, for a place that always seemed to get fallout, it was knd of appropriate. Buh, just get Hi-fi back on...

The road was mostly clear - marked, at least - easy enough to follow from the air. I left the radio on, mostly waiting for Hi-fi to come back on for broadcast, but also actualy kind of enjoying the PSAs and Civil Service alerts. Some great performers seemed to endorse hope and allay fears about the possibility of megaspell-scaled conflict, reminding everypony about buying war bonds and local civil defense booklets. 'Do your part for Civil Defense, Support our troops on the front lines, Everypony has a place in the Ministries,' all that kind of fun nostalgia. I guess it might've made sense ages ago, but it's all just a vague, distant memory now... unfortunately.

Just as the fifth reprise of 'Wake up Equestria' played, the steel train cars of Turnpike passed underhoof, the sun high above the clouds. My wings were starting to ache - okay, maybe I'm not that great a courier - as I set down in the township, grunting and adjusting myself under the heavy bags. Effin' Bee... who in the name of Celestia was Effin' Bee? I flicked off the radio, looking around the town idly; it was sectioned off in two parts, the T-junction of the overpass acting as a sort of canopy for the shop district, with some train cars set up as residences and living areas. Ponies milled about both above and below the junction, foals playing in the snow and following behind their parents, shopkeepers and artisans showing their wares from side-layed hopper cars and out of repurposed boxcars... I never considered railcars could be used that way. Bah, look at the architecture on your own time, you've gotta find Effin' Bee.

I trotted down the main section of the town, looking side to side at the groups of ponies who all milled about. Buh, alright, no taking somepony else's courier work by accident anymore when you don't even know who you're delivering to. I tugged at the heavily loaded bags again, trotting forwards into the path of a quite massive, grey-coat blue-maned... it was him. Oh, sweet Luna above, how did I forget about -him-. I'd never seen somepony so absolutely dreamy before, the way he kept his mane trimmed short, the absolute girth of his muscular neck, those soft light-blue eyes... I stammered a bit, sitting in the snow, looking up at him as he turned to face myself, extending a black, massive hoof. "Abh... buh... uh, s-sorry..." He helped me back up onto my hooves - ooh, I think that was my back going - myself stumbling a bit with the loaded saddlebags. He pased on a light smirk, his eyes seeming to light up, patting myself on the shoulder and nodding towards the residential areas.

"Flash-bang never mentioned a brother. Name's Featherweight, or, 'F and B' if Firing Pin asks." He looked back at myself, the large parka he wore flapping idly in the breeze as I trotted alongside him, feeling a bit dwarfed by his large stature. F and B... Effin' Bee... I'm an idiot. Well, at least I found him and could make the delivery. With ponies like him around, I could imagine why this Flash-Bang was staying, though... I found myself giggling like a fool, a quick smack across the face from my left hoof rectifying that and prompting a look of confusion from the much larger stallion. I grinned and chuckled embarrasedly, looking off to the side.

"Eheh, ah, I'm Twintails, nice to meet you... oh, right, actually have a delivery for you here, fifty pounds' worth of Composition 4 and scrap." I tossed the bags up a bit, feeling my legs falter as the cargo fell back onto my back with a heavy thud. Have I mentioned I do a lot of stupid things pretty often yet? I let off a little squeak, Featherweight blinking and looking down at my stumbling self, relying on the rubber padding on my front hooves that came with the barding to hold back a scream. He chuckled with that deep, gentle voice, coming to a stop as he looked back.

"Heh, well, I can see why she didn't mention you now, not a courier, are you?" I stumbled forwards a few steps as he pulled up alongside, picking up the saddlebags off of my back and tossing them effortlessly onto his own, barely even flinching as the heavy things settled and my back stopped screaming at me. He rested a hoof around my shoulder, looking down at myself. "C'mon, I think Buzzy's got some fresh dinner cooking. You look like you could use the rest." I began trotting alongside him, returning a light smile, our breaths condensing in the frigid air as we passed by makeshift shacks and repurposed sleeping cars.

"W-well, no... honestly, I don't even know who the heck this 'Flash-Bang' pony is. The shopkeeper at Gun Runner's - ah, Firing Pin, right? He basically just tossed the packs onto my back and sent me off before I even got a word out. And, ah... Buzzy?" I looked up at him, feeling my smile fade a bit, ears falling back. Oh, ah, well, I probably should have guessed... great, feeling like a foal again, because of a hunch on a crush on somepony who probably could have any mare he wants with little more than a flick of his mane and that soft, welcoming gaze from those beautiful eyes. Featherweight chuckled, turning down a road that led off from the main intersection and to the edge of the small town.

"My little sister. Better mind yourself, she might pounce you like a cat, eheh..." Just a little sister? Well, that's a smile back on my face... not going to go ahead and assume that means he's automatically single, but that's still a smile nevertheless! "Well, if you aren't related to Flash-Bang, I guess it could be chalked up to just another wasteland coincidence. You honestly look almost exactly like her..." Well, huh. Weirder things have happened, I guess. We approached an old rail service junction, a caboose with faded and flaking paint sitting snowed in on the tracks, smoke rising from it's small chimney and bringing with it the sweet, sweet smell of juicy, warm meat. The snow around seemed to be cratered in lines, with damaged old wagons and other, um, red squelchy things filled with holes. I swear I've seen that phenomena before...

I followed Featherweight into the spacious caboose, being greeted with a mass of red and green flying at me and pouncing myself to the floor, the large rifles on my sides bumping heavily against my wing joints as momentum is a heartless bitch. Large, red-colored eyes looked down at my face, uncomfortably close I might add, as the small filly... spread her wings? Abuhwha? "I dunno Featherweight, I think you could do better'n this for a coltfriend. We c'n use him for target practice if he shoots first, right?" Points to the little filly, she managed to both make me blush and lose me entirely in the span of about ten seconds. She hovered off of myself - so THAT's why she's named Buzzy - as Featherweight took off his parka and the cargo. I got back up to my hooves, shaking my head a bit and reaching back to rub at my wings, pushing the auto-rifles about. Yeah, something tells me they weren't designed to handle inverted flight. Buzzy landed, looking up at myself inquisitively, Featherweight looking over with his... strong, meaty flanks and rippled midsection freely showing in the caboose, massive wings dripping with condensation and reeking of power and strength, elegant in their size proportionate to the massive stallion that looked over me with those soft, beautiful eyes.

"Ah, hey, um, are you alright?" He stepped forwards towards myself, everything starting to get a bit lighter-feeling as he placed his massive, strong hoof on the bottom of my chin, touching it gently to my nose and looking at it. He touched me... he touched me! There's my blood on his hoof and he touched me!! Oh sweet Luna above, could this day possibly get any better?

Why's everything gone dark?

There was a deep, throaty hum around myself. The frigid air bit at my wings as I peered down through the sight, hoof rested on a button. The ground passed by underneath; from this high up, even through a telescopic aim sight, equine forms were little more than blurs and dots on the ground below. The metal and glass cocoon around us rocked in the air, dull thuds hitting near us and causing the metal to ping with flak as the shells exploded nearby. Luna help us. A shell exploded right overhead, air starting to whistle through holes in the skin as we flew on, my gaze still fixed in on that crosshair in the bomb sight. A voice came up from behind me; female, exasperated, starting to freak out.

"Are you going to drop that thing or what!? We've gotta get out of here, I dunno how much more she can take!" The craft rocked with an explosion, another hole being torn in her side. It began to roll, grunts and straining coming from the mare behind me as she fought to keep us upright. "Come on, baby, keep yourself up!"

I let out a breath that condensed in the frigid air, forming a small cloud that was tossed around in the air currents that circulated throughout the cockpit. My target came into view; a large palace at the center of the city, flak batteries surrounding it and all firing upon us. Damn, that's actually impressive that they built shells that could reach us all the way up here. Shame it'll all be vaporized in about a minute. The crosshairs lined up smack in the center of the palace, a quick push of the button and sigh being the end of the first part of the run. a metallic thunk sounded as the payload fell, a sharp bank to the left getting us the hell away from what was about to happen. I looked up from the bomb sight, reaching up and pulling down the dark goggles I'd left on the top of my head, everything except for the sun taking on a deep amber hue. Everyone held their breath, waiting those agonizing seconds.

The cockpit filled with a brilliant flash, a heat pulse running through the holes in the craft as the weapon detonated. A second rumble over the engines filled all our ears, before we were rocked by the blast wave that followed, a deep metallic groaning and crunching sound being heard. The mare piloting us screamed, the craft pitching about and shaking violently around all of us. There was a constant pinging sound, followed by a gut-wrenching squelching as the body of our navigator was struck and thrown by one of the manual cables swinging up and beheading him. I scrambled up from my position in the seat, looking at the pilot mare just in time to see as her body was crushed by the control shaft smashing forwards into her, illiciting a horrible scream from her writhing self. The entire craft pitched downwards, and I was thrown against the front canopy, looking down at the planet below; deathly fires raged, and smoke billowed up, the dark, black clouds coming ever closer. A dull thudding sound could just barely be heard as the craft began to break apart under the stress, a heavy object landing against myself, seeping warm juices from the base. I turned myself around, picking up the fuzzy, warm object, staring at it with a look of horror on my face; the white coat, red eyes, teal mane and metal-coated horn...

I held Minty's severed head in front of myself as the cockpit seperated entirely from the rest of teh fuselage, plummeting towards the ground. The metal cage kept moving as the glass smashed, cutting deep into my back and driving clean through my body, tearing deep gashes in my flesh and pulling my wings apart. The metal horn seemed to glisten as it drove itself into my chest, peircing through to my lungs and fixating itself there, leaving me conscious, writhing, and unable to do anything except watch. The rest of the flaming, firey wreck followed not far behind, heading straight for myself, the cockpit screaming as it was rammed through by the fuselage, exploding with the remainder of the fuel aboard it.

There's a metaphor for something in here, somewhere.

I woke up with a scream, greeted with the sight of Featherweight looming over me, and Buzzy hovering idly beside. They both shared looks of surprise, staring at myself as I panted heavily, dropping my wings and slowly regaining my composure. I rubbed at my muzzle - crusty blood, hurting nose, noticeable tightness in my lower armor... smooth, Twintails. I shuffled myself to a sitting position, rubbing at my nose to clear the dried fluid from it, sniffling in the cold air. Featherweight and Buzzy both slid beside myself, Buzzy carrying some emptied healing potions in her mouth.

"You ain't gonna survive for long in this family if you pass out everytime your special somepony touches you, yanno." Somepony really ought to tell her how blunt she is sometimes. I stuttered, blushing, glancing over at Featherweight. He shared a surprised expression with myself, the faintest hints of blush coming on his cheeks, before looking down at Buzzy sternly. She trotted along the bed, looking up at both of us. "What? Inn't it obvious?"

"B-Buzzy, why don't you go check on the food. Don't pester, he's obviously got a lot to deal with as is." She eyerolled, hovering up off of the bed and moving to the door, crossing her forehooves. Featherweight took a step in her direction, and she opened up the door, letting off a huff and pausing. "Come on now, let us be." I watched the puffs of air condense infront of myself, Buzzy looking back from the doorway and puckering her lips, darting through the opened door and shutting it behind her. Featherweight glanced back at myself, clearing his throat and looking around the cabin with a light blush. "A-ah, pff, little sisters, am I right? I-I mean... eheh..." He passed on a weak grin, rubbing at the back of his head idly. I tugged at my barding a bit, easing off of the bed, looking over at him with a similar expression.

"Eh, I'm sure she's just, ah, just teasing. I mean, like, you're not... are... you?" I gnawed at my lower lip, Featherweight showing a blush on his large cheeks, letting off a gentle huff and looking out the window. A door somewhere opened and shut, hooves trotting around on the floor, the large grey-coated stallion looking down, his breath condensing on the window that opened to the wasteland beyond. I trotted up beside him slowly, hesitantly lifting a hoof up, standing there for a moment. He looked down at myself, a small flicker of a smile spreading across his face, his head gently nodding forwards.

"You're not exactly the most subtle of ponies, but I think you already knew that. C'mon, Buzzy ought to have lunch ready by now." He gently wrapped a hoof around my neck, rubbing at my mane as we stepped towards the door. Buzzy hovered up as we stepped through it, looking over at myself in confusion and rubbing her head. Featherweight continued on over to the stove, picking up a fork with a wing and picking up the juicy-smelling slab from the metal pan.

"Just got a message for you from your twin sis, apparently somepony in a tin can was spotted comin' out of your room in Trotisk last night, carryin' Sugar Rush's twin brother. You know anything about that?" I stalled, blinking a few times, trying to comprehend. Twin sister? Twin brother? But, only Minty was with me last night, and he wasn't there this morning. Somepony in a tin can...

Oh, fuck me with a fuel rod, I -knew- there was something off with that stallion at the old test site!

"Mmh?" Featherweight looked up from the cooking pan, setting the fork down, myself looking frantically around. My rifles, where were my rifles!? Buzzy hovered out of my way as I darted around the place, Featherweight reaching out a hoof and grabbing onto me. "Hold up there speedy, what's going on here?" I panted for a bit, taking in a breath and holding it for a moment. Letting it out in a sigh, the larger stallion looked down at myself, my eyes glancing around the area.

"My friend Minty, augmented unicorn, Stable 76, he wasn't in bed this morning. I thought he was just up at the energy weapons place, but... ah, ponyfeathers, I should've known we got away from that pony in the power armor way too easily!" I grunted and smacked my hooves against the sides of my head, grimacing and trying to concentrate. Power armor, did he mention who he was working for or what he was doing out there? "Think, thinkthinkthink... my rifles, where are my rifles?" I stood myself up, Buzzy hovering over with the two long automatics, if just barely. Man, talk about some strong wings.

"Power armored pony... have an energy weapon on him, seem kind of stuck-up?" Featherweight tapped a hoof against his chin as I fitted the rifles and saddle on, glancing over at Buzzy. I nodded, tightening the straps with my mouth and cycling the bolt once, picking up the bit. "Buzzy, get your pew-pews and load them with the AP rounds, looks like we're going after Steel Rangers. Stealing weapons is one thing, but pony-napping? Really?" He looked back to myself, resting a hoof on my shoulder as Buzzy saluted and hovered off with a wide grin, rumagging through an upper closet. We stood there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, myself removing the auto-rifles' firing bit from my mouth and looking back up to him.

"He's just a friend, I-I mean, we haven't-" Featherweight moved his hoof to my lips, silencing me, looking down with a smile. I blinked a few times as he returned a soft gaze from those big blue eyes, his short mane floating a bit on a small breeze from the stove. Buzzy's searching continued in the background as he glanced up, grinning and dropping his hoof, leaning forwards and giving me a light peck on the cheek. I stuttered in surprise from the gesture, my eyes going wide as he chuckled and righted himself, a small green pegasus hanging upside-down from the upper section behind him.

"I -so- called it!"

I'd managed to get a head-start towards where the tin can ponies were camped out, some old bunkers or facility up north of Trotisk. Featherweight and Buzzy were following behind, something about him having to find his own battle saddle for the occasion - I'm sure he'll be able to be here in no time. Ooh, I do kind of wonder what kind of armament he'll be packing, though. For such a strong stallion, I wouldn't be surprised if he could dual-wield missile launchers or something, and carry Buzzy on his back with her own guns. No I'm not beating around the fact that the other reason I left in such a hurry was that that little filly wouldn't quit making us both blush whenever I was around Featherweight. I fiddled with the radio, being just barely able to pick up Hi-fi's signal.

"Good afternoon, wasteland! Sorry about our issues with the morning broadcast, somepony thought that DJing was easy and decided against waking me up. At the very least I hope he learned something from it!" Chuckling weakly, the sounds of grumbling could be heard over the mic, followed with a light yelp of pain. Stick to satire, Tom. "Anyways, news time! The first new security robots have rolled off the lines at the old RobronCo facility, going for a surprisingly inexpensive price of 1000 caps each! Get yours before the next time the cold invades your home, heheh. Happening in the rest of the wasteland, reports of ponies wearing tin cans have been spotted along the Trotisk-Mooscow highway. I dunno about you, but I'd probably make sure to keep a good supply of 'nades and AP rounds loaded if I were planning on traveling in the next few days. Anyways, I think you've listened to me babble on long enough, let's get some music going! First up is an oldie from Tommy, something called the MLF Lullaby. Kinky bastard, haha~" Alright, yeah, that got a snicker out of me. I turned the radio up, giving my wings a snap, flying low over the small road that supposedly wound over to the facility.

"Sleep, baby, sleep,
in peace may you slumber.
No danger lurks,
your sleep to encumber!
We've got the missiles!
Peace to determine,
and one of the limbs upon the buttons will be gryphon."

I found myself idly humming along, sliding the rifles' bit into my mouth as the road passed alongside an icy river. Buzzy said that the locals in Trotisk called this place Steel Creek for whatever reason, was the name for it before the war. Had an entire salvo of Zebra missiles sent against it, all managed to miss, mostly. The local population of Steel Creek probably sure knew it, though, when their skin started peeling off... or when they were reduced to ash and shadows. The road wound away as the ice opened to a wide, flat expanse, something my Pip-buck seemed to identify as 'Horseshoe Basin'. Honestly, it certainly didn't look too much like a horseshoe. I eased myself down onto the ground, looking warily about the snowdrifts that seemed to pop up along this section of road. I'd rather -not- be blasted out of the sky, thank you very much. The cold wind blew off of the frozen basin, whistling through the snow dunes and chilling my face, everything aside from that and the radio seeming eerily silent.

A sudden discharge of a red laser flying over my head and melting the snowy ice that'd accumulated in my mane was ample notice that I wasn't alone. I dove behind a snowbank, digging myself in, hearing the sound of metal impacting metal and annoyed chatter over the icy wind. With a hoof, I pressed the bolt back on the rifles and checked the chambers; loaded with the AP rounds, good, tin cans ought to be no trouble. A voice boomed over the wind, myself hugging the snowbank, pulling the bit into my mouth in the meantime.

"Drop any weapons you have and come out with wings at your sides, and we won't open fire! State your business in this area." Friendly. Well, better than raiders, and I don't have another balefire egg to throw at them, anyways. But, they still took my friend... "You have ten seconds to conform, or we will open fire!" I huffed out a breath, spitting out the bit and leaning back against the top of the snowbank, peering over it.

"I'm here for my friend! Unicorn with a metal horn, peppermint on his flank, one metallic leg. Did you take him last night?!" Right, I'm outgunned, outnumbered, and probably out-armored, but I'm not going to make myself an easy target. Lasers -really- hurt. Oh, when's Buzzy and Featherweight going to get here!? "I don't want a firefight to go down as much as you do, just give me him in one piece and we'll leave!"

"What are you talking about? Nopony's even been to Troti- ah, nopony's left since... since... nopony's gone anywhere! Go away! Nopony's home!" Another clang of metal. Must be a new troop or something, because if this is what they had for their best... Minty would be so embarrased to have been captured by these luddites. A dull screaming came in from behind, turning into a roar as I looked up, half expecting to see a crumpled, flaming fuselage roaring towards me. I think my pants sighed as I spotted Featherweight screaming in with a pair of absolutely massive guns at his sides, Buzzy holding steady a pair of small submachine guns while she sat against the ammunition containers on his back. Oh, this was gonna be bad... especially with my nose bleeding again!

The machine-cannons at his side opened up, tearing large craters in the snowbanks and scattering the surprised - and honestly terrified, I would think - Steel-plated ponies. I jumped out and lifted up behind them, strafing the ground as they hurried and ran back along the road. Featherweight and Buzzy hovered by, waving over at me, the pair of massive machine guns smoking in the cold air. I rubbed my muzzle, sniffling in and waving back, hovering over.

"They've definitely got Minty. You think we're clear for an aerial assault? I mean, ah, they do have those lasers and goop guns and things... but, hot damn..." I blinked a few times, my attention falling to the pair of massive drum-fed guns that were attached at Featherweight's sides. Those things practically could fire smaller guns! And they were loaded with explosive bullets, too?! If I were a stronger pony...

"Steelponies ain't the most manuverable in those tin cans, but their guns are. We gotta come in low 'n fast if we want to catch 'em and keep in one piece. Maybe we try not to kill any so they don't try to completely kill us, eh? Just warning shots?" Buzzy looked between the both of us, Featherweight nodding with his battle saddle's bit in his mouth. She did have a point, no casualties means that they maybe won't do anything worse to him than what they've already done, if they've done anything. "'sides, that'd probly be a new record for shortest relationship ever."

How can such a little filly make big stallions blush so hard?

Right... that was a LOT more than just a few ponies in tin cans! Featehrweight and Buzzy were weaving through laser fire overhead, the armored ponies having set up rather heavy defenses at the front of what I thought was just a tunnel. I managed to plink one enough times in the right spot to get his suit to fizzle out - funny, you'd think these things were just robots, if they didn't scream so much when you got a lucky rebound off of the ground and narrowly avoided turning them into a mare. Just need to hit the right spots. lasers scorched the air overhead as Featherweight opened up with his cannons on a mounted laser minigun-thing, the pony operating it having just enough time to turn tail and get blown off of the platform by the high explosive shells. I made another bolt skywards - owowowow, laser burns, laser burns! - diving onto the second mount and spraying it with the regular rounds, watching as it's operator jumped clean off of it. I landed with a thud against his side, sending him rolling onto his back. Sheesh, this stuff made ponies into turtles!

"P-p-please, don't kill me! I-I have ah, a wife, and, and foals!" He whimpered from behind his suit's facemask, raising his hooves in surrender. Well, he did at least miss a few shots... but they still had Minty in their armored facility. I glared down through the visor, standing over him for a moment, raising a hoof - my back hoof - into the air. The orange mare in my head blinked a few times, bringing her stetson off of her hay-colored mane and holding it infront of her face. She cringed and covered her eyes as the forceful kick had that father singing alto, his forehooves reaching for his crotch as I jumped over him and charged for the ponies in the trenches ahead, tackling one to the ground as Featherweight went for another strafing run. A mare's voice rose over the battle, if just barely, the sounds of explosions and gunfire almost drowning it out.

"What is the meaning of this!? Everypony, STOP! CEASE FIRE!" I was just about to add another pony to the Writhing Choir when a whitish-teal film of magic encompassed my body, lifting me up out of the trench and over to the enterance. Come on, don't make me an easy target, that's just cheating! I struggled in the field, hearing the gunfire start to fade, the stattaco of Featherweight's and Buzzy's guns dying as the wind filled the wasteland again. The earth seemed to shake beneath me - or, wait, that was me shaking... ooh, stars - as I was levitated to the ponies standing at the end of the tunnel, shaking my head a bit and bringing them both into focus. One was a unicorn mare adorned in heavy robes, and the other...

"...Minty?"

“Ugh… my head…” I groaned as I started to gain consciousness again. I tried to put a hoof to rub my head, but I found something was holding it down. I blinked several times, my vision returning to me slowly. I found myself lying on a large metal table that was tilted up. My legs were bound to the table by metal rings, except- My eyes widened as I looked left. Where was my leg?! What happened to my leg? I wiggled my stump of a left leg in panic. Well, at least it healed over well. I tried to pull my legs free, but the bindings were too tight. My armor was missing as well, the cold metal pressed firmly to my back. I focused as I tried to call upon some magic to undo the latches. Nothing more than sparks flew. My panic grew. My horn… shit, did they take my horn too? My heart was pounding as a door in front of opened. The circular lock spun open, the door rising up into the ceiling. A teal pony with a mix of light blue and green mane walked in. She was wearing a dark blue robe and her mane was tied back in a ponytail.

She trotted up to me holding a clip-board in her hoof and a pencil in her mouth. “So, how’re you feeling?” She asked, scribbling something down onto her clipboard. I just stared at her, confused and irritated. She looked up from her clipboard, raising an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Oh, you know,” I said. “A little stiff, kind of hungry, and wondering what the hell is going on!” I almost shouted, but I tried to retain my composure. After all, if she was to get angry, I’m not exactly holding an advantage. The mare only scrawled down my response before looking back to me, as if expecting another response. “Seriously, where is my leg? Unless you’re planning on giving me an upgrade, I don’t approve of this.”

The mare grinned a little. “Your leg contained technology unfit for civilians. Section 23B, Article IV of the Codex states we are to reclaim any technology, functioning or not, deemed to pose a threat to the user, others, the wasteland, or civilization as a whole.” She said. “Your horn was also considered contraband, or at the very least worthy of study. The remaining technology is planned for removal in a few minutes.”

The bottom of my stomach fell out. They were planning on tearing open my skull? I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. “B-but… that’s fatal!” My mind went to producing images of scalpels, wire cutters, and nope, didn’t need those ideas. I struggled in my bindings, the mare wheeling in a gurney. She was followed by another pony in robes, this one a unicorn. The teal mare stood over me as the unicorn’s horn began to glow. I felt the bindings around my hooves open. Adrenaline, don’t fail me now! I quickly sat up and punched the mare in her temple. She gave a cry of pain before falling to the floor. I felt the unicorn lift me into the air, to pin me into the gurney as quickly as he could, but he didn’t bother to keep me away from his face. One swift kick in the jaw and he fell to the floor.

I stood over them, panting. Ok… ok, calm down, figure something out. Ok… one leg short, running is out of the question. I’m not going to be able to sneak around. I looked down at the stallion’s robes. Well… it might not fool everyone, but it’d better than nothing. I pulled his robes off, slipping them over me. I pulled the hood up over my head, covering the nub of my horn that hadn’t been torn off by these madmares. I looked down the hallway, various exposed pipes were running along the ceiling and under the grated floor. Thankfully it was empty… first things first, find my leg. I turned left down the hall, the claustrophobic passage not helping my nerves. I closed the door behind me, lest the obvious unconscious bodies give me away.

I came across another room, and after confirming there was no one hanging around in it, I slipped in. The room looked like an old conference room, a large, round, wooden table sat in the middle, surrounded by chairs. There was a large, tattered flag hanging on the wall. It contained a sun hovering over a moon, twin Alicorns, one white, the other a dark blue circling it. The darker one seemed oddly familiar, but my mind was quickly pulled back to reality as I heard footsteps clanging down the hallway. I slipped into the corner, praying the pony passing by wasn’t going to check on the others. As I stood in the corner, I noticed a gleaming pole leaning against an open locker. The pole itself was simply well polished hardwood, but the top was adorned with a golden head of a unicorn. Upon closer inspection, it looked similar to the unicorn from the memory orb, albeit with a ridiculous grin on its face. Well, this is better than going unarmed. I grabbed the cane, using it partially as a walking stick.

I peered down the hall again before sneaking down, hoping I could find my leg soon. I crept through, thankfully not running across anyone else. I was honestly surprised those who were planning on tearing the wires out of my brain hadn’t been alerted yet. I passed by a few rooms, one of which looked like a small library. Come on, there had to be a workshop or vault around here. As I walked through the hallways, I came across a room filled with broken tech. A few other ponies in robes were standing over a large weapon. I scanned the room, and my mood immediately lifted. In a large glass container imbedded in the wall, my leg and horn were being held. I glanced over at the ponies in robes, one reaching for a wrench. I snuck into the room, doing my best to stay hidden. I slipped over to the container, a keypad imbedded in it. Ugh… if my horn wasn’t on the opposite side of the glass I could hack this. Guess stealth isn’t an option now.

I lifted up the cane in my hoof, shifting my weight to lean against the wall so I didn’t fall over. I swung the cane into the glass, causing it to shatter and an alarm to go off. I swiped my leg and horn from the cabinet as the two scribes looked up in surprise before their eyes landed on me. I jammed my leg into the mechanical clamp, feeling it close over, the large wire plugging into the one embedded into leg. The scribes each pulled out a laser pistol. Well, I can get my horn later. I dashed out of the room, holding my horn in my teeth. I charged through the hallway, the robed ponies hot on my heels. As I ran, I saw the stallion I’d stolen the robes from walking out of the room, wheeling the gurney in front of him. Thank you, sir!

I leapt onto the cart, paddling against the floor with the scepter. I wheeled down the hall, the robed ponies firing at me, a couple ponies in power armor joining them as I sped down the passage way. I leaned to the right and let the bottom of the cane scrape along the floor, attempting to turn along with the hall. The gurney started to lean too far, and I used the staff as a vaulting pole, the gurney falling to block the hall. I galloped ahead, the ponies behind me firing and quickly moving the gurney out of the way. Ach, that was my ear! I ran through a room of computers, one old pony in red robes jumping out of the way of the parade of energy wielding ponies. As I ran through tunnels, more ponies started to follow and the lasers and plasma getting harder to dodge.

I turned into a room with two guards standing on either side of the door, an older mare sitting in the center. I skidded to a halt, the ponies behind me ceasing their fire. The mare stood up from her chair. She was wearing purple robes, but they appeared to be much more elaborate than those of the ponies in the workshop. "What is going on?" She demanded. The teal mare who I'd first seen stepped forward.

"The outsider managed to escape while we were attempting to bring him to study." She said. The purple robed mare nodded, waving a hoof to dismiss the crowd. All aside from the teal mare and the stallion from who I'd stolen the robes obeyed. The older mare sat back down behind her circular desk.

"Nova... did you follow protocol?" The mare asked. The younger mare looked away, her ears flopping down. The older mare sighed before turning to me. "Well, outsider, now that you've seen our inner workings and I doubt you have a good impression with us, why shouldn't I have the guards proceed with the operation?" She asked coldly. My already racing heart sped up, sweat starting to bead up.

"W-well," I began, spitting my horn into my hoof. "Obviously you have a fascination with my... tech." I took a breath, trying my best to calm down a bit. "But, wouldn't it be better to study a live... uh, specimin?" I asked. The mare nodded slowly as the stallion trotted over and jabbed my side.

I started to take off the robes as the mare simply said, "A fair point. Go on." I handed the robes off to the stallion, who took it roughly. He also took the staff from me before turning to leave. I shifted a little, trying to collect my thoughts.

"You don't know exactly how these work." I said, motioning to my horn. "Tearing out the wires would only give you a vague idea, and you couldn't put them to any use after studying them." The mare nodded again, and I gained a little confidence. "Suppose I allow you to run a couple tests on me and afterwards I'm let out of here. With my armor and weapons." I said.

The mare thought the idea over a little before speaking. "You have a deal, outsider, but bear in mind you will not be allowed to speak of this bunker's location beyond its walls." I nodded and the mare looked to Nova. "Take him for testing, but leave him alive." She said. Nova immediately brightened up.

"Yes mo- Elder Quazar." She started to lead me down the narrow halls of the bunker. "You have no idea how glad I am, I was worried you'd be killed for sure!" She said excitedly. I cocked my head to one side, confused.

"Wait... but you were the one who was going to take me to be killed in the first place." I said. Nova grimiced a little as we took a right down another hall. A few more ponies were trotting around in power armor and robes... I think I even spotted the one we ran into at the Megaspell testing facility.

"Well, those were orders. Believe me, if I had the ability to convince the Elder, there's no way you'd even been on that table in the first place." She said. We turned into a small room with various device lying on tables. She walked to one with a small needle protruding from one end. "Here, place your hoof next to the needle." I complied, Nova pressing a button which shot the needling quickly into and out of my hoof. "Just a DNA test, more a formality than the others." She then led me to a small machine with several wires and nodes spread out along side it.

"We normally use this one to measure brain activity to see if somepony is lying. I hope whatever you have in your head won't blow the circuitry." She giggled, starting to place nodes in various spots on my temple and forehead. I noticed she seemed a bit too... loving with the movements, for lack of a better word. As if she was worried she'd press to hard down and hurt me. "Alright... try levitating the pencil around a bit." She said, removing one from her robes and placing it beside the machine.

I focused, a little surprised my magic reserves still had some energy remaining, and an aura appeared around the pencil. The machine started to tick quietly, paper flowing from one end as several needles sketched lines on it. I made the pencil rotate, fly left, right, up, and down as Nova studied the paper. "Well... I have to say this is... interesting." She said, a light blush appearing on her face. If I just found another pony as obsessed with machinery as much as me, Cross might have a little competition!

We continued, levitating larger objects, performing more complex acts, and I demonstrated how I recharged my magic supply, Nova taking notes all the while. "Well, that looks like everything for now. Let's check the DNA information to see if there's anything you need to correct. It can be a little unreliable sometimes." She said. We walked over to the machine that had taken a sample of my blood, a new paper with digital lettering having printed itself out from the side. Nova tore off the paper, scanning it. "White... blue mane... unicorn... It all looks correct. Hang on.... there's a relative that's popped up in our databanks." She said. I raised an eyebrow. Was this the machine acting up?

Nova scanned the paper repeatedly. "No... this... but... no..." Her eyes grew wide as she scanned it again. "This says... your grandmother was Elder Quazar's mother... You... I..." She didn't need to finish the statement for me to put the pieces together, my eyes widening a bit too. She stood still for a moment, horrified. Then suddenly said loudly. "I was trying to sleep with my cousin? Ew, ew, ew, euch!" She said, dropping the paper.

I stepped back from her, both of us freaking out a bit. My cousin tried to hit on me! She didn't know but... gross! As we freaked out though, a resounding "boom" echoed through the bunker, throwing each of us off balance a bit. "What was that?" I asked, worried. Nova paused for a moment, before drawing her pistol.

"I think we're under attack! And whoever it is has large artillery!" I gulped, hoping Twintails hadn't just decided to start a one colt suicide run to get me. "Come on, let's get your stuff!" She said, running out of the room. I ran after her, power armor clad ponies rushing past us towards, presumably, the exit. We entered an armory, Nova punching in a code on a locker. It opened up, revealing my gear. I grabbed it, slipping it on as Nova ran to an intercom. "Mom? Mom, I've got Minty... the outsider... it doesn't matter how I found out his name, but we're getting his stuff, he's going to help us defend the attackers. Yes, yes I'll be careful." She paused for a moment, blushing, before whispering. "I love you too." She took her hoof off the intercom button as I finished sliding on my armor.

I was about to draw my rifle when I noticed another, large, wrapped up object in the locker. I was sure I didn't have anything on me this big when I was in the hotel... I pulled it out, letting the fabric, which seemed very similar to the robes worn by Nova, if not as elaborate, slide off. My heart practically froze. I had a full blown, Mark IV Tesla Cannon in my aura. I squeed, lifting it onto my shoulder. I buckled a bit beneath its weight, but just the feeling of its smooth glass and exposed wires running along my neck. Ooh, I think I'm in love. Along the back end was inscribed a fancy "i", and whoever it meant, I thanked them to the very heavens for this gun.

Nova looked back at me, her expression turning to one of surprise immediately. "Where did you get that?!" She asked. I only chuckled, walking with some difficulty out of the room. I followed the group of guards to the exit, itching to fire this thing off. As I stepped out into the cold air, I saw a small figure dart about. I shifted the Cannon slowly before magically pulling the trigger. I felt the electricity jump from the cannon, to me, to into the air, sending a tingle down my spine again... and almost knocking me over. I grinned. I may have missed, but I was more than willing to fire again. Just as I was about to though, my eyes landed on a familiar golden figure armed with shoulder mounted machine guns...

"Twintails?"

The aura dissapated around my, unfortunately now-upside-down, self, giving me a good taste of the oily snow as I landed. Somepony ought to smack some sense into that unicorn... at least he seemed to be all in one piece. I shook the snow out of my mane, sneezing some more of it out as Featherweight and Buzzy landed beside, some of the power armored ponies trotting up to surround us. Right, well, this was an otherwise unfavorable situation. Minty trotted up, us both sharing a quick hug while slight murmurs and radio static could be heard over the wasteland wind.

"You have -no- idea how worried I was about you. These tin turtles didn't hurt you, did they? You've still got everything in one... what in the name of sweet Luna above is THAT thing!?" A large metallic pipe-thing adorned with more wires and lights than I could count was levitated in Minty's magic beside him, the... forward end of the barrel, I guess, sparking and arcing idly and making the cold air smell faintly of ozone. Minty chuckled, aiming it skywards, resting it on it's back end in the snow for the moment. There was a weird s-shaped 'i' on the back end - uh, no, wait, don't tell me, ion cannon? Integrated disintegrator? Intriguing thing?

"Mark IV Tesla Cannon. Yanno, just a little weapon I found~" He smirked, the robed mare beside him trotting forwards. Buzzy and Featherweight watched on from the sides, Featherweight's autocannons still smoking idly from the fighting earlier. She seemed to be shivering a bit in the cold - don't come out too much, do you, missy? - the other power armored ponies looking on through their expressionless visors, large guns all kept in their idle positions. "I'm thinking of naming it little Ivan... oh, right, ah, Twintails, this is... my second cousin, Nova." Great, he's got a BFG and is already thinking of names for- wait, WHAT!? Cousin, Minty, Nova, cannon, Minty, Cousin, WHAT. Hold the fucking phone here...

...why were they both blushing?

"Cousin... right... ah... well, this came way out of left field. Have any more megaspells you want to hit me with before we get going, or..." I took a few steps backwards, feeling my tails brushing against the chest of a very large stallion, prompting a quick spin and lip-bite as I felt for myself what heat that firing a gun like the ones he had at his sides in full auto could generate. Singed fur filling the air idly, I let off a light awkward chuckle, taking another step backwards. "Oh, uh, right, Minty, Buzzy and Featherweight. Buzzy and Featherweight, Minty." My bespectacled friend looked up at the pair, Featherweight nodding slightly as Buzzy climbed up ontop of his head, the small ring of power armored ponies beginning to disperse slowly. Buzzy seemed to look over Minty, shrugging idly, as the robed mare trotted forwards, coughing a bit.

"Ah-hem, right, ah, how did you all manage to find this place? And... where in the hell did you get a pair of twenty millimeter autocannons for a battle saddle!?" She seemed to exclaim this in honest surprise, and concern, pointing at the guns mounted on either side of Featherweight. The large pegasus cocked his head, looking down at the smaller mare. Wait, did they really think a facility like this was hidden from everypony's knowledge? A bunch of mares and stallions in tin cans coming out of a tunnel with mounted machine lasers and trenches at the enterance is not in any way inconspicuous, lady! Buzzy hopped onto the back of one of the Steelponies, tapping at the metal helmet idly as the stallion inside tried to look around to see her.

"You're kidding, right? Everypony from here to Pripytrot knows this place is where you all come out of, posting guards along the road isn't exactly keeping a low profile. 'sides, we personally saw you guys on the ground when we went to get these puppies from the airbase up north. Or, well, we think we saw you... none of you are pegasi too, right?" Even I figured that a weird thing to ask, I mean, I'm pretty sure power armor would be -really- awkward to have to fly around in. The mare - Nova, right? - gave him a look of confusion, Buzzy having successfully managed to harass the power armored pony into removing his helmet. Wow, what a mustache.

"What kind of group do you think we are, of course we don't have any bastard pegas-as-as... dah... of course we don't have any with us! You were probably just seeing things." Brilliant cousin you have there, Minty, insulting a pair of pegasi with battle saddles loaded with guns that could tear her limbs clean apart before she could scream. Still, that's got to be a bit unnerving to find out the one-way glass you've been living in front of is actually nothing more than a sticker in the corner. Sheltered life, I guess. She pouted for a moment, Featherweight rolling his eyes and turning off, Buzzy hopping off of the duster-green stallion with the mustache with a smile. He seemed to grumble, looking at me for a few moments before turning back to the facility, following behind Nova. Minty levitated his new cannon across his back, chuckling weakly as he slid up beside me, and we started the journey back to Trotisk. He peered ahead, seeing Buzzy waving at us both.

"So, you -did- go back to find him, didn't you? When'd you figure to come looking for me, before or after you spent a few hours as his cuddle-buddy?~" He snickered, his hooves moving shakily under the weight of the large cannon, manging to draw a blush out of myself. We'd only just met today, ya battery-powered unicorn. Besides, I'd hope we would've done a lot more than just cuddling... this many nosebleeds in one day can't be healthy.

"Oh, pff, and what's the story between you and your cousin Nova, then? Going to be a few half-robot foals running around up here that look like you now? Minty and his cousin, kissin' in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-n-g~" Snickering and giving my tails a sly swish, I stepped on ahead of Minty, almost caught up with Buzzy and Featherweight now. Glancing back, I had just enough time to see Minty's face positively red, and a very large snowball levitated in his magic flying towards my face.

When am I going to learn to shut my goddess-damned mouth?

"Good evening wasteland! This is your local fireside stallion Bert the Turtle coming in with a bit of news! Strange lights and other phenomena have been reported coming out of Pripytrot these past few days, along with a persistent rolling fog at night. Reports from some in the area from Turnpike also claim that the fog itself is highly, highly, body-meltingly highly radioactive. Anypony who doesn't have blood made out of Radaway is encouraged to not invesitgate the area - that stuff is like walking into a plasma wall on steroids! In other words, let's just hope that whatever's made Pripytrot into a no-go zone will clear out as soon as goddess-damned possible.

"In other news, has anypony else seen a raider in a while? No? Don't be surprised, their numbers have definitely been wearing thin lately. Nopony really knows why, honestly - hell, maybe the fact that it's about seventy below absolute zero out there finally caught up with the naked bastards. Or, hell, maybe those tin cans patrolling north of the Mooscow-Quebuck stretch are taking care of them, or something. Nopony here is complaining! Keep the work up, guys, and maybe leave the caravans alone while you're at it.

"And finally, to round off this evening news update, there have been reports of garbled static coming out near the former raider encampment of Emerald Ridge. Some ponies say it's ghosts, others say it's a broken transmitter from one of the Stables out that way, even more claim aliens. Aliens. Alien ponies, seriously guys? Some ponies need to lay off the Mint-als and Hydra. Anyways, to those two stallions out there who I know are from that area, maybe you'll be able to make sense of it. Give my regards to any grey ponies with antennas you might find! The things I pick up on this goddess-damn shortwave... Ah, anyways! Here's one that Tommy helped me dig up out of the storage area, because apparently not everypony likes hearing classics all the time. Label's kinda degraded, but I'll be a pile of ash if I don't say I love this one's sound! Let's have a listen~"

"Please allow me to introduce myself,
I'm a mare of wealth and taste.
Been around for a long, long year,
stole many a ponies' soul and faith..."

Face cleared from snow... again... we finally caught up with Featherweight and Buzzy, Featherweight picking up Minty's cannon and gingerly setting it across his back, carrying it with a twinge of strain. Holy moly, how much could that stallion carry!? Minty couldn't take his eyes off of it, gingerly nudging it with his magic every now and again as we trotted along, myself flicking on the radio on a low volume to drown out the wind.

"I shouted out, 'who killed Big Macintosh?',
when after all, it was you and me.

Let me please introduce myself,
I'm a mare of wealth and taste,
and I layed track for the hoofsoldiers,
who get killed before they had their day."

"So, uh, non-stable pegasi actually do live on the surface? In normal towns? Without being shot on sight?" Minty chuffed out, looking as Featherweight wrapped his big cannon in a wing carefully, grumbling. Buzzy was idly looking up at the sky, puffing out clouds of breath, watching as they were carried by the wasteland air.

"Well, let's just call it a sort of love-hate relationship. We've had an Enclave deserter or two come through Turnpike, but when they're not firing their guns, or just downright don't have any, most sane ponies don't fire back. Live and let live, call it." Featherweight let out a huff, the cloud of steam condensing in front of his large muzzle, the autocannons clinking together idly. "We were both surface-born. Not much has been the same since mom and dad walked off into that storm, but we get by. Got these autocannons seven years ago, Buzzy was born a year after that." The pegasus filly on his back, blinked a few times, huffing and rolling her eyes.

"I still remember the first time you were playing with these things. You had to fire on that old skywagon, didn't you? Nearly blew daddy and yourself to bits." Featherweight glared back at her, herself just shrugging idly and brushing her mane out of her face. "Well, ya did. Least he did make that other battle saddle for you 'n' me in the meantime, so you didn't have to carry these all the time." She tapped at the rounded ammunition drums for the autocannons, resting against them idly. Other battle saddle? Outside of holding rifles, what more could a battle saddle do?

"Ah... right, that one. Yeah, why don't you explain to our friends here how you misjudged a few weeks ago and accidentally dropped those poppers right on their heads, eh, Buzzy?" A few weeks... wait... were they what that was? Those lines of craters near their house, bah, I -so- knew that they looked familiar! They were the exact same ones that were left on the road when we went to help with Mooscow's raider problem. I should've recognized that scream when Featherweight was diving in. "I'm sure they'd -love- to know, especially Twintails - didn't I recall you calling them a cute pair when we helped them into the crater, out of the cold?" Minty and I shared a blush, the road starting to wind in towards Trotisk. Buzzy pouted, staring up at Featherweight.

"So I misjudged the bomb run once, I was freezing and we were being shot at, remember? They're both fine now, ain't they?" There's likely a VERY good reason foals were never part of the Equestrian Armed Forces... then again, this -was- the wasteland, after all. "An' I said that you and him would be a cute pair, silly." Featherweight let off a weak chuckle, huffing out another steamy cloud of breath and adjusting his battle saddle a bit. That little filly is nuts, but... oh, phooey, just focus on getting home for the moment Twintails. Or, well, to Trotisk, anyways. Home, yeah, right. Minty fell behind, myself meeting with him as Featherweight and Buzzy got into their arguments over when either one should be in charge of the battle saddle.

"So, um, right... we're hanging in Trotisk for a while, right? I kind of still want to check out that energy weapons place, and I kind of want to know if they might have anything to help with holding that cannon. Levitation only helps so much, yanno." Minty chuckled idly, kicking at a bit of clumping snow with his robotic hoof. I nodded, my gaze slowly drifting from him to the stallion in front of us, his strong flanks keeping all of the things he was loaded with aloft out of the snow as his gate had him unknowingly swinging his short tail back and forth tauntingly, a gentle sigh escaping myself. A frigid impact of something against the back of my head knocked me out of that flank-induced trance, the unicorn beside me rolling his eyes as I wiped the remains of the snowball from the back of my head. "Lover-boy~"

"Oh, c'mon, you'll probably be doing the same when your Cross Stitch comes out of the Stable." The worn wagon tracks started to appear underhoof, the outskirts of Trotisk humming idly with the sound of pony life. The large neon lights of Gun Runner's were off, and across the street the Plasma Spaz's windows were shut, no light escaping. The town was slowly going to sleep, it seemed. Minty gazed over at the closed energy weapons shop, myself letting of a small chuckle. "I'm sure he'd -love- to hear about you, Nova, and your little foals~" I recognized the glare he gave instantly, biting my lip and bracing for another snowball, which intriguingly never came. Glancing back over at Minty, he had his head lowered, trotting slowly beside myself, a saddened look on his face.

"Let's just get back to the hotel. It's late, and I just want to rest without the help of intravenous injection." Watching him trot along like that, a twinge of guilt slowly grew in myself. Alright Twintails, touchy subject, don't mention the cousin anymore. Featherweight and Buzzy had stopped off in front of the hotel, Minty's large cannon held by Featherweight's wings carefully as we trotted by them. Minty lifted it up in his magic, sulking in throuth the hotel door with it and trotting up the stairs, leaving myself outside with Featherweight and Buzzy. They both glanced between us, Featherweight placing a hoof gently upon my shoulder, letting off a long sigh.

"I think you both ought to talk things out. Your friend doesn't look too happy... we'll let you be." I watched in through the doorway for a few moments, each light huff of breath condensing on the glass door and causing it to cloud over. Featherweight leaned forwards, nuzzling lightly against my cheek, bringing up a light blush on my cheeks. "You know where to find us tomorrow. Hope we'll see you again, Twintails~" I turned to look up at him, watching as he smiled softly and stepped back, spreading his wings widely and bolting up off into the night. His silhouette hung in the wintry night for a long while, myself watching as it disappeared against the clouds a few moments later. Chase your dreams some other time, Twintails - you have a friend to help right now.

I trotted in through the small lobby, the young mare at the front counter glancing up once from her old magazine, only to return to it moments later. Fine by me. The stairwell wound up to the second floor, the hallway dimly lit by the lights above, offering just enough to find the way to the room. The door opened with a soft creak, affording myself the sight of Minty laying on the bed, his face buried in the pillow and barding completely removed. Oh, goddesses, I really screwed up this time, didn't I? He shuffled a bit as I removed my saddle and duster - turned to face the wall. His big cannon was rested upon the dresser, the calligraphic 'i' only just covered under the fabric portion of his armored barding that was tossed carelessly over it. I let off a small sigh, sliding out of what remained of my armor. Whoof, note to self, figure out some other place to wash this stuff every now and again. Oh, focus, man.

"Ah... Minty, are... I... I'm sorry." He shuffled a bit as I lifted up the covers, sliding in beside him. He grunted once, myself getting a long look at the back of his mane for a while, the small heat lamp humming gently on the headboard between us. I rested my cheek against the second pillow, breathing gently, watching him. There was a sniff, and he began to shudder every so often, raising a bit of alarm in myself. "Minty?..."

"I miss him, Twintails, so much. I didn't even get to say goodbye before I left. I... I just hope that he's alright." My augmented friend gently wept beside myself in the bed, rolling into his back and wiping his eyes with his non-augmented hoof. They were reddened from the tears - redder than usual, anyways. "I never even got to say g-goodbye..."

"Minty..." I gently rested my hoof against his augmented one, holding it carefully, rubbing softly. He whimpered, rolling towards myself, looking into my eyes with his own. This was going to require some Gamma-level comforting... and maybe a bit more. I tugged the blankets around us, feeling a cool chill permeate the room, gently rubbing my nuzzle up against his and wrapping a wing over his body. He sniffed, whining cutely, sliding his own foreleg around myself and cuddling against, resting his cheek against my neck. I took to lightly rubbing his mane, letting him cry himself out in my hold. It'll be alright, no more crying, no more tears...

"T-twintails?" The white unicorn looked into my eyes, shuddering gently but seeming calmer now, at least.

"Yeah, Minty?"

"Thank you."

The next day had us both awakening in each other's warm embrace, shuffling into our barding and picking up our saddlebags, ready to greet another day out in the wasteland. Minty hefted his big cannon along as well, obviously seeming to strain underneath it's intense weight - sheesh, easy there, tank-boy. I moved to help him with it, supporting one of the non-live-wire sections with a wing. "Any particular reason you're lugging this thing along? Expecting for us to have to kill, ah, a pony in a giant metal robot, or something?" I chuckled, holding open the door for him as we trotted out and down the hallway. He laughed a little, eyerolling, the lights glinting off of his glasses' lenses.

"Well, see, it -is- kind of in need of some TLC, and, ah... well, Tesla cannon schematics aren't the kind of thing they put in civilian literature. Unfortunately..." He let off a chuckling sigh, carefully easing himself and the gun down the steps. "If any place nearby knows how to fix lil' Ivan up, it's bound to be the Plasma Spaz. Besides, I wanted to see what they had to replace that dinky old plasma pistol, anyways. Thing's more liable to kill me than anypony else at this point..." He did have a bit of a point, last time I saw it I think I remeber the duct tape starting to peel off. That's the kind of quality they had in his Stable's armory? Sheesh. I passed a smile, us both stepping out into the cool morning air.

"Fair enough. After seeing you with this thing, I kinda wanted to see what else Gun Runners had to offer - think there might be a grenade launcher in there with my name on it~" Minty stifled a snicker, something that quickly turned into a laugh as we slowly made our way through the small town's center. I looked back at him as he regained himself, adjusting the large cannon and getting the last few chuckles out. What's so funny, eh? "What?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing..." He snickered, moving his glasses back up on his muzzle and looking back at myself with a stupid grin. "...I'm pretty sure we'd have to go to a totally different kind of shop for something known as 'Gadget', though~" Gadget? Wha-... oh... oh, you little coy cuddler, you. I shared his laugh, bumping against his flank playfully and grinning widely, turning down the street for the two shops. Trotisk - well, what remained of it, anyways - was laid out in a sort of upside-down L-shape, the hotel placed at the farthest northern end with the shops at the corner, all of it just surrounding the outskirts of the walled-in city. Still kind of wanted to know why they weren't settled further inside, it seems like there'd be more protection in the inner city than just out in the open like this.

"Well, hey, what do you mean we'd need to go to a different shop? Old Colt Johnson seemed to do fine with a grenade rifle~" Passing on a smirk, Minty gave a look of disgust, shaking his head.

"Buh, don't remind me. Why did he have to show us the damn thing? He could have at LEAST cleaned it out first!!" we both shared a shudder - ah, yeah, maybe I should've remembered that image before opening my yap. Sparing the details, it looked like a severed hoof in a plushie... control your gag reflex, Twintails. Even the ornage mare seemed to be struck dumb with disgust.

I tagged along with Minty as we stepped into the goop weapons shop, idly looking over the various lasers and other pieces on display while Minty hefted the cannon up. It landed with a thud on the counter, much to the surprise of the mare running the shop, who... uh... nope, there wasn't a mirror behind the counter. Teal-blue mane, white coat, red eyes, glasses, metal horn, she was the spitting image of Minty. An uneasy silence fell on the shop, myself turning away from the big laser gatling gun to dumbfoundedly glance between the two of them. "Gwah..."

Minty- no, wait, Minty was on this side of the counter. Okay, Not-Minty glanced down at the large cannon, her eyes popping open widely and her whitish-blue magic encompassing it, hooves tenmderly rubbing over it's exterior. "Custom finishing, well-worn, main capacitors are... goddesses, how did you manage to fire this thing!? Just look at these frayed wires, and this corrosion on the coil terminals... gah! There's even a crack in the charge casing! This thing is a glorified pulse bomb in this state!" She poured over the cannon, spouting more technobabble that was mostly lost on me, and even sufficiently managed to confuse Minty as well. Just how non-civilian -was- this weapon supposed to be? "Oh, fuck me... I'd be a dead mare if I didn't at least... ah, r-right, bringing it in for repairs? This might take a little while, but I'll be damned if I let you walk out of here with this thing in it's current state." She set the cannon down, Minty's pip-leg being encompassed in her magic aura and brought up onto the counter, Minty stumbling a bit as he was left on three legs once more. Not-Minty fiddled with his pip-leg for a bit before levitating it back, turning back to the cannon behind the counter, Minty staring on, still reeling from seeing Not-Minty, I guess. "I'll have this teleported back to you once the repairs are done, along with the bill for cleaning and tuning. Consider the repairs themselves on the house." She trotted back into the back room, leaving us both still in a state of surprise and disbelief.

"Uh... what just happened?" Minty stuttered, reattaching his pip-leg idly and turning to face myself. I blinked a few times, shrugging and shaking my head, staring back at him for a few moments. In relative silence, as Not-Minty began working out with Minty's cannon, we slowly trotted out of the store, the bell ringing behind us both as the door shut.

"This is a weird Wasteland." I idly kicked at a clumping of snow as we trotted across the small street, the bell ringing on the door as we both stepped inside the more conventional weapons-aimed store. A grin slowly grew across my face as I approached the counter, tapping on the bell once. Minty jumped a bit, shaking and brushing his mane back - yeah, probably isn't smart to touch the arcane shielding for the weapons on display, is it? I chuckled, Firing Pin looking at myself behind his cracked glasses from the other side of the counter.

"Ah, good to see you made it back. Now, ah, sorry about the confusion yesterday over yourself and Flash-Bang, but since the delivery was made anyways and Effin' Bee made the payment, well, be grateful she isn't working under contract. Five hundred caps and two boxes of thirty-aught-six rifle ammunition, as promised." The unicorn levitated over the small bag and two boxes - whoof, well, I guess I'm set in the ammo department for a while - smiling idly. I glanced around the shop, resting a hoof on the satchel of caps, scanning for the rifle I'd seen yesterday. He gave a curious look, examining over myself. "Er, is there an issue?"

"Hm? Oh, no, no, just, ah... oh! Right, how much for that Model 79 with the barrel extension over there, in the case?" Pointing a hoof up, I put on a smile, trotting along the counter with him. Underneath the glass was an absolutely goregous 4-centimeter grenade rifle, breech-loading, back-supported, fine-aim with optional talisman-enhanced loading clip. Oh good goddesses above, it was a beautiful piece of explosives-slinging weaponry. Firing Pin looked up at me, cocking his head slightly.

"Ah, four-seventy five, without ammo. You sure you can handle this thing? I mean, a forty-mil round kicks a LOT more than those rifles you've got... but, ah, well, hey, if you're buying." He shrugged, levitating out twenty-five bottlecaps from the satchel and dropping them on the counter, taking the rest. Eeeee, I'm getting a grenade rifle! Oh, I'm so going to have to try it out, and show it off to Featherweight... hm. You know, taking some time for target practicing doesn't sound like a half-bad idea... Minty trotted up beside me, eyerolling.

"Please tell me you're not planning on replacing me already! We only just slept together for teh first time last night!" I shot him a quick scowl, Firing Pin stuttering for a moment and setting the unlocked rifle on the top of the counter. He looked between us, obviously confused, disturbed, and disgusted. Minty only chuckled. "What, you mean sane stallions -don't- use the barrels of large-caliber weapons when there aren't any mares around?"

"Yeeeah, don't mind him too much. His family is... very close. Hasn't been new blood in the gene pool since, what, the last generation?" I snickered, picking up the rifle off of the counter with a wing, looking at the twenty-five caps and two boxes of rifle ammunition that remained. Well, I certainly couldn't kill things with it just by swinging it around... "Ah, anyways, as far as ammunition goes, have much in stock? I'll buy whatever the rest of these caps and one of those boxes gets me." Firing Pin nodded, slowly trotting into the back room, glancing at the both of us as he passed through the doorframe. Oooh, you could feel how furious Minty was... even without the metal leg to the face. Ouchie.

"Aim a lil' higher, can't fire that thing like a regular rifle. Has a ballis... buh-lize... the rounds don't travel in a straight line." Thank you, Commander Obvious. Buzzy rested on my back, peering through a pair of fancy binoculars, which she had rested ontop of my head. We were all gathered on a small hillside a short ways south of Turnpike, Featherweight with his Twenty-millimeters, Buzzy with her ten-millimeter pew-pews, and Minty... waiting on his Tesla cannon, still. Gee, I hope we'll have enough to pay for whatever Not-Minty is doing with it. I found myself constantly shifting back and forth as Buzzy centered her weight, the rifle arced high up into the air. Boy, this thing was not made for firefights... pfft, like that would stop me fom using it in them, though!

"C'mon, let him fire the blasted thing already! If I wanted a ballet lesson I would've gone back to my Stable." Minty groaned, laying back in the snow. He did have a point, we'd been doing the 'left, right, north, south, corner' dance for almost a half hour now, and I just wanted to fire this thing! Why'd I let Featherweight talk me into helping Buzzy train her aim again? I mean, all he said was if he did this for me, he'd be sure to make it worth my while... and then gave me dreamy eyes and a wink. Okay, reasons perfectly justified now, let's get cracking, Buzzy!

"Hold it!..." She hummed a little bit, myself finding a fairly awkward position to be standing in, myself only just barely able to see the horizon now, and the skybus skeleton I was supposedly aiming at. Surely it couldn't be THAT far away... "Fire!" Grinning at my cheeks, my tongue hit the mechanism, the round exiting with a smoky trail and the recoil stumbling myself backwards. Whoof, oh yeah, man that felt good! Buzzy watched the round through her binoculars, myself recovering just in time to see the shell explode against the side, sending a spray of glass, ice, dirt and snow up into the air. I love the smell of high explosives in the morning.

"Well, that was exciting... anypony else smell ozone?" A staticy, crackling sound filled the air, before a very large and familiar cannon, with some rather sleek new detailing, I might add, appeared overtop of Minty's head. Oh, karma, you're so delicious when you're not affecting me~ A second pulse yielded a small note, one I took to reading while Minty unburied his head and his cannon from the hillside. "Pfft. Ah, well, huh, I think it's a bit lighter than what I remember, now..."

"Repairs and service bill for 'MARK IV TESLA CANNON', previous condition; basically a bomb waiting to happen, current condition; could smite Celestia. Total cost - repairs, Zero caps; maintainence and tuning, 100 caps; direct delivery, 50 caps. Upgrades - carbon-fiber case, alloy conduits, re-coiled transformers and coil, three... hundred... caps. Fuck me with a fuel rod, that thing had better be able to level a building if we're shelling out four hundred fifty caps for it!" I glared back at Minty, who was already on his hooves, looking over his newly-repaired cannon with glee. Yeah, you're paying this bill with your own caps, buddy. Featherweight trotted over, looking down at the total cost as I dropped the slip in the snow, trotting up to my energy weapons-obsessed friend.

"Whoo... ouch. You might want to think over staying a while, picking up some odd jobs - the Plasma Spaz has some pretty mean rules when it comes to their 'repairs on credit' service." He trotted up between us, Minty still entirely lost in his cannon. He hefted it up onto his shoulder, levitating it carefully and aiming down the sights, a smirk on his face.

"Heh, hey guys, there's a Zombie down on the range... well, at least right now, there is~" He chuckled, holding the giant thing steady in his magic, myself, Buzzy and Featherweight all peering off into the distance. Good thing it wasn't too windy today, could almost see to where the clouds over Pripytrot, I think, began. There was a small speck out on the horizon... no, wait, a few small specks, I mean, along with some weird thing sticking out of the ground at a skewed angle. He was seriously planning on sniping with a lightning cannon? Pff, well, this is going to be entertaining.

"You're insane if you think you can hit something that puny with that... whatever-it-is!" Buzzy retorted, whipping out her binoculars and peering with Minty. Oh, don't tell me those glasses of his were actually part of his augmentations! The familiar smell of ozone filled the air as Minty squeezed on the trigger with his magic, the weapon's discharge erupting in a loud crack as a bluish bolt flew downrange, everypony's hair standing on end afterwards. Minty shuddered, grinning widely, starting to chuckle with glee - ah, well, I guess if that's what it's supposed to do...

Buzzy kept watching through her binoculars, giggling a little herself. "Hotshot, ya missed 'im. Gonna hit that weird striped thing instead." She smirked, looking back at Minty, himself falling back onto his haunches in the snow and hugging his cannon, giggling. Geesh, I liked firing my new Grenade rifle, but you don't see me sleeping with it... yet. Buzzy hovered between us, everypony turning attention to the augmented unicorn whose mane was still stuck straight up, giggling stupidly and rolling about in the snow. I glanced over at Buzzy, who was looking to me quizzically. "You seriously travel with this guy?" I shrugged idly, hearing a light breeze blowing overhead.

"Eh, he's a real shocker sometimes." Chuckling idly, my attention was quickly drawn away as the skies above illuminated with the radiance of a thousand flourescent bulbs, Time seeming to slow to a standstill in those few fleeting seconds where I threw myself, hoof over my face, into the snowy hillside. Buzzy screamed, Featherweight yelled, Minty scrambled and wound up tripping over myself, a sudden pulse of heat rushing over us and causing the snow to steam up around us. It... it couldn't be... here? Buried so far north? What could have it been aimed at? Why didn't it go off then?

Why did it go off now?

Carefully, I picked myself up from the snow, the dissapating fog carried by the chill wind that blew around us still, a fast ticking permeating my ears. I looked down at my pip-buck screen - the display was blurry, but coherent enough to display an alarming pulse dosage of about 8 rad per second at the peak. It faded off, myself panting heavily, Minty holding his head in pain and Featherweight curled up around Buzzy. Carefully, I turned myself around, looking towards the south, down the range, at... oh my goddesses. It was beautiful. A gigantic greenish fireball rose over a newly-forming stem, completely cutting through the clouds above and explosing a brilliant blue sky. A white skirt trailed underneath the cloud, rolling and moving, rushing towards us, myself so positively awestruck at the sight that I completely forgot about that blast wave. I leapt into the air, a stupidly massive grin on my face, beginning to laugh and holler my lungs out.

"A BALEFIRE BOMB! HAAAAA-YEAH! AN ACTUAL HONEST-TO-LUNA BALEFIRE BOMB!! AND I WAS HERE TO SEE IT GO OFF!!! WAAAAAH-HOOOOOEY, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT CLOUD!? ABSOLUTELY GOREGOUS! A GODDESS-DAMNED BALEFIRE BOMB!! HA-HAAAA!!! WHOOO!" In a gleeful stupor, I flailed my hooves about, my wings keeping me aloft as the looming shockwave drew nearer and nearer. Oh, goddesses, consider my life complete, an actual balefire bomb went off and I was alive to see it happen! I didn't even need to wait for Doc to finish with Megaspell Mary, that was an actual Balefire bomb! I kept on laughing and hollering, right up to the point where the rolling sea of snow passed underneath, the explosive roar of balefire thunder ringing out in my ears, myself flipping head-over-hooves as I was catapulted into the overturned snow. At least I didn't land on a sharp horn this time... a balefire bomb! So awesome!!

A magical aura encomassed my tails and freed my head from the snow, Minty staring at myself, a drunken grin still held upon my face. He blinked a few times, adjusting his glasses and moving in closer to myself. "Earth to Twintails, Twintails, are you alright? That was... that was insane. Thank Luna nopony got hurt." I giggled a little bit, relaxing and letting my head drop, looking at the snowy ground once more.

"A balefire bomb... can we do that again?" Minty let out a huff, his magic aura audibly dying out, gravity taking over once more. Hello, snow!

"Yeah, he's alright..."

"Hey all you mares and stallions out there, this is Bert the Turtle cutting in with a very astonishing special report. Now, many of you around the Trotisk and Turnpike region may be wondering just what the heck that light show east of Pripytrot was earlier today. Well, from a pair of anonymous voices who were with a certain unicorn and very excitable pegasus at the time, what many of you may have seen was nothing other than an honest-to-Luna balefire warhead detonating. Celestia knows what the hell a missile was doing so far up north, or why it didn't go off sooner - the reports don't say. Keep some Rad-X and Radaway handy, Tommy's gone into a fuss over calculating where the fallout from this puppy's going to be landing, but it seems like the worst will pass most populated centers to the west. Mooscow, Quebuck, Emerald Ridge - all in the range, but it's likely to dissapate if the winds pass. J-just stay indoors for the time being, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. Ah... yeah... we'll pop on some PSAs in the meantime. Stay frosty, wasteland, and try to avoid anything glowing green over the next few weeks."

"Crawl out through the fallout, baby,
when they drop that bomb!
Crawl out through the fallout,
with the greatest stars around.

While your white count's getting higher,
hurry, don't delay.
I'll hold you close and kiss those,
radiation burns away!

Crawl out through the fallout, baby,
To my lovin' hooves,
through the rain of Strontium 90!
So why don't you crawl out through the fallout,
back to me!"

Author's Note

Holy mackerel, this one was a doosey in the making, and the longest chapter so far! Relationships are made, new weapons gotten, a bonus chapter or two may be in the works, all to bring you reading folk this!

As always, Occupational Hazards couldn't have happened without my friend Minty Candy helping along with the writing - he's as much an author as I am!
~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Homecoming

I quickly made my way to where Twintails was standing next to the lowered door, holding his head groggily as he rose back to his hooves. Sheesh, how big of an impact would it take to actually destroy that thing? Buzzy and Featherweight followed closely behind, the little filly visibly shaken from the shockwave of the blast. I looked through the large hole where wall once was, following his gaze upwards. My jaw fell down as I looked upon the Pegasus, her skin hanging off of her hind leg loosely, revealing her blood stained bone. She was clearly panicked, somehow managing to flap herself around the room with her damaged wings. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” She darted this way and that, double checking all the things on the wall, some of which looked very delicately made.

I quickly rummaged through my saddlebags, pulling out my copy of “Rusty’s Electronics”. I flipped to the back, revealing the black & white picture of the authors; a dark grey earth pony with her hair pushed back by a band, and with a hoof around the shoulder of a lighter grey Pegasus. The caption beneath the picture read, “Author: Rusty Wrench (left) with her sister and co-owner of R&G Manufacturing, Greasy Gears (right).” I looked back up at the Pegasus who was still inspecting pieces of metal. Sure, she was missing some hair and muscles were showing, but the two were unmistakably the same. “Um... G-Greasy Gears?” I asked.

The Pegasus turned to me, freezing for a moment. “W-What? Why do you know my name?? Who are you ponies!?” She spouted off, backing away from us. Featherweight raised an eyebrow to Twintails, who only shrugged in response. Greasy dropped the collection of stuff she was carrying, trying to bolt past us. Featherweight simply put a hoof up, letting her run into it and bounce back. “What’re you going to do? Torture me for information? I’m not giving you any!!” She jumped to her hooves, getting into a defensive stance.

“C-Calm down,” I said. “We’re not with Zebras. We were looking for... lift motors, right, that. We weren’t really expecting anypony to still be alive down here.” I guess our entrance didn’t exactly help our argument. Greasy calmed down a bit, but was still twitchy. “So, ah, how long have you been down here?” I asked, looking around the room. Various mechanisms lined the walls, none of which suffering visible damage, aside from a few scratches from flying rubble. They ranged from what looked like advanced weaponry to simple modifications to manufacturing devices. I trotted up to a set of bronze wings. “And... my Celestia, what are these?” I grinned as my eyes studied the sharp blades as they shimmered a bit in the light, the shiny surface clouded by dust from age.

“H-hey, don’t touch those!” She said, rushing over to push me away from them. “Those are Rusty’s! She’d kill me if she-” Greasy stopped short, her degraded ears falling back a little. “If she were...” She sighed. My grin faded as I looked at her. We stood silent for a moment before Greasy continued. “The bunker initiated the automatic lockdown when the first bomb hit, she was out gathering a few more schematics. We managed to get most of them, but...” The ghoulified pegasus' voice trailed off. We stood in silence for a bit, none of us wanting to be the one to break it. Greasy looked back at us, her eyes seeming a bit dampened, and distant. “Did... did we win?”

We all looked away, myself mumbling a little. “Not exactly.” Twintails said. Greasy’s pupils shrank as she started to hyperventilate. “Oh, no no, the Zebras didn’t win!” He said quickly, Featherweight rushing over and trying to calm her down some more. “The bombs just kind of, uh... wiped out nearly all the living things in Equestria. Everypon-... everybody, in all honesty, lost.” Greasy’s panting slowed as she put a hoof to her chest, Featherweight running a hoof down her straggly mane. Buzzy hopped off her brother’s back, walking over to me as I inspected some of the weaponry that had been set aside.

“Boy, you sure know how to pick ‘em.” She said under her breath, snickering. I ignored her and picked up something which looked like a cross between a plasma pistol and Ivan. “What the heck is this stuff anyway? Were you guys making stuff for the war?” Buzzy asked, turning back to face Greasy. She was holding some mechanical arm, no doubt meant to assemble robots and the like. Greasy jumped over, shooing us away from the pile and taking the gun from me.

“Don’t you touch this stuff! I’ve been working on these things for years, this is all I have left!” Greasy pushed the stuff over to a safe underneath one of the work benches. “Rusty was usually the one doing the fine tuning; I wouldn’t trust these things as anything more than a fancy bomb waiting to go off.” She spun the dial on the safe, opening it and revealing a huge collection of schematics. She inspected a few of the smaller weapons, placing them in the safe. “And, yes, but Rusty and I were hoping we could build things other than weapons, even if the Zebras didn’t seem to hold the same opinion.” She locked the safe before facing us again. “Now, what is it you planned on using those lift motors for anyway? They're designed for major industrial moving, and since it's probably safe to guess that every factory from here to Appleoosa is a smoking crater, well...”

Twintails bit his lower lip, trying to think of an excuse. I don’t think Greasy’d be too happy knowing we were planning on firing up another warhead flinger... “There’s, ah... a RobronCo factory nearby, near Mooscow. Some ponies are trying to rebuild it and needed the motors to fix the crane for all the... heavy bits.” Greasy didn’t look entirely convinced, but looked a little more interested at the mention of the factory. She started to look over some of the larger devices.

“RobronCo? Well, I’m not exactly a fan of their management staff, they weren’t exactly the nicest ponies to try to negotiate with.” She tossed a large chunk of broken glass over her shoulder, forcing Featherweight to duck. “But if you guys are serious, I’d be happy to help fix that place up. In case you haven’t noticed, R&G’s probably bit the dust at this point.” I gave tilted my head noncommittally. She did raise the question as to why this place seemed to have been hit so much harder than the old RobronCo place. I figured a robot factory’d be a bigger threat than nail guns and hammers. “Assuming this isn’t some elaborate trap you guys have to lead me into Zebra territory.” Well, aren't you just fun, missy paranoid.

Greasy finished her inspection, lifting a couple large pieces of machinery onto her back. “Believe me; I’d rather chop off my horn than ally with Zebras.” She raised an eyebrow, looking at my metallic horn. I rolled my eyes. “Ok, chop it off again, I mean. Stable augmentation.” Featherweight offered to carry some of her things, and Greasy thanked him, but made it clear no one touched the wings on the wall but her. We all agreed, and she carefully removed them from their display hooks. The blades of the wings squeaked a bit from age as they were folded together. She gingerly laid the blades onto her back as I lifted up the safe containing her schematics with my magic. “So, um, where are the motors?” I asked as we made our way out of the room.

“I’ll give you the motors once we make our way to the factory. I’m already risking enough bringing all this stuff with me if you guys aren’t telling the truth. Though, I suppose I can’t leave these things here anyway, what with the door as it is now. Opening is one thing, closing the huge thing... well, we never got it to close tight enough. Which might explain some things...” I grumbled a bit. Being thought of as a Zebra spy was not at all flattering. We started to head up through the facility again, making our way through the decrepit halls and around the broken security robots.

Twintails walked to match my pace, him and I leading the group with Featherweight and Buzzy pulling up the rear. He glanced back at Greasy, seeing her struggling underneath her heavy load, but still swatting off Featherweight's advances to help. “We’re not really going to take her all the way back, are we? We’ve wasted enough time trying to find those motors, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Doc thought we were dead.” I grunted a bit, shifting my shoulders so my Cross Stitch plush wouldn’t slip off.

“No, but don’t tell her that.” I muttered under my breath. “We’ll take her to Sugar Rush. She seems to have some good connections about. Besides, she’ll probably be happy to help fix up some of the stuff too.” Twintails nodded as we came to the lobby of the factory, stepping over some large cockroach carcasses. Greasy made a soft retching sound, putting a hoof to her mouth at the sight of spilled bug guts. We opened the main doors, Greasy’s eyes watering as we stepped into the cold air, the unfriendly skies above beginning to gently drop radioactive snow.

Thankfully, nothing confronted us on our way back to the center of Trotisk, though a few loud roars were heard off in the distance as we trotted through the snow. Greasy shivered as we walked through town, the wind biting at her exposed skin and muscles. We soon approached the entrance to the Plasma Spaz, Greasy stopping for a moment, looking skeptical. “We’re picking up ammo. You can’t expect us to escort you all the way with nothing backing up these guns.” Greasy shrugged and followed us into the shop, the secure-mares gaze following us the whole while.

Sugar Rush was tinkering with a plasma rifle, leaning back as sparks flew and a bit of excess plasma dripped from the tip. She wiped up the plasma as I walked to the desk. I'll never get used to seeing me... her... whichever one we were. “Hey, ah, Sugar Rush?” She looked up, blinking a few times, a small smile forming on her face. “You’d never guess who we ran into at R&G.” I chuckled a little, stepping aside. Sugar’s jaw dropped as she saw Greasy. She practically leapt over the counter, rushing up to her.

“No friggin' way... is this real? It can’t be!” She trotted around Greasy, looking her over. Greasy was clearly a bit uncomfortable as her gaze followed the excited mare. “What’re you guys doing here? I mean, I'm more than elated that you're all back, but...” She asked, grinning widely. I placed Greasy’s safe onto the counter as Featherweight slid the other machines onto it. Her gaze followed the moving of pre-war technology with an almost orgasmic glee, bouncing on her hooves giddily. Her left forehoof thudded louder than the others as it impacted the wooden floor - again, sheesh, it was fifty shades of weird seeing her.

“Well, we were planning on heading back to the RobronCo factory, and Greasy said she’d be willing to help them rebuild the place.” I said as Sugar Rush stepped away from Greasy, now focusing on the various things that’d been placed on her counter. “But, well, we need to head up to Steel Creek to ‘seal the deal,’ as it were.” I looked over to Greasy. “Would you be willing to stay here?” Greasy looked horrified, her eyes twitching and darting about the room. Oh, this can't end well...

“I knew it! You're spies for the Stripes! All spies!! This isn’t a factory, you’re just planning on torturing the information out of me!!!” She ran to the door, dropping everything she had only to bounce off of Featherweight again. She jumped up, her eyes jumping back and forth between us. Buzzy raised an eyebrow at me as Greasy picked up one of the broken weapons from the floor, holding it over her shoulder, one of her feathers held on the trigger. The orb in the center began to glow, lasers arcing to needle-like prongs around the edge. “What’re you going to do? Water torture? Ripping my entrails out? Memory orbs? Plucking!? Well, not now you striped bastards!!”

She pulled the trigger, the end of the weapon flashing before there was a loud explosion and smoke filled our vision. I coughed, waving the smoke away, seeing Greasy laying on the floor, the end of the weapon releasing a cloud of dark smog, an acrid smell filling the store. Sugar rushed to Greasy, levitating the gun away from her. “Are you mad, girl!? You’re lucky that thing didn’t set off any the grenades in here!” She helped Greasy to her hooves, the pegasus weak on her hooves.

“Ow... s-sorry. I guess I... I'm just still a little paranoid.” She coughed into her leg, spitting up a little blood. Twintails made a ‘you think?’ face to me as Sugar helped Greasy over to behind the counter, leading her through the door. Twintails and I picked up the broken machines, placing them on the counter. Sugar soon returned, shutting the door gently behind her.

“She's lying in bed now, I’ll call up a doctor to patch her up.” I nodded and we turned to leave. Sugar chuckled a little, looking giddy again as she looked over the various machines on her counter. “I think you guys have more than made up for that Tesla Cannon repairs. Come on back if it starts breaking down again... which looks like it won’t be long the way you guys take care of everything.” She smirked as I rolled my eyes and we headed out of the shop.

“Where to now?” I asked Twintails. He thought for a moment as we walked through town. Snow blew off of the roof of the tall buildings, a few ponies that were milling about bundled themselves up some more. A couple parents called in their kids, looking up to the sky with a little worry as it darkened.

“Well, it’s going to be a while before Greasy’s probably willing to give us those motors.” Twintails said as he trotted a bit faster to lead us. “I was hoping we could head up to EQUAD to find more info about that Steel Ranger back from Quebuck.” I agreed, starting to wonder what exactly he’d been doing to be in the area, and feel the need to help us. Featherweight, on the other hand, paused for a moment.

“If you two don’t mind, Buzzy and I ought to head back to the Turnpike. We’ll stick around until you guys get to the first checkpoint, just in case we run into more of those bear things, but I don’t think the Steel Rangers’d be too happy to see us after our, ah... 'skirmish' last time.” We nodded as we continued through the street, a large gust of wind managing to dislodge an icicle from the roof of the Gun Runners. I flipped on the radio, a soothing voice filling the air.

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My dear, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I’ve walked Manehatten, to Hollowshades
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

We approached the raised gate, Buzzy and Featherweight flying off into the distance as snow fell from the sky. One of the Steel Rangers made a mark on a clipboard, recording the traffic they’d experienced through out the day. We trudged up the hill towards the bunker, power armor-clad ponies milling about, firing at targets on the mountain for practice. “You see him?” I asked, looking back and forth between the ponies. Twintails shook his head as he scanned the crowd as well.

As we trotted up to the large metal doors, I started to hear a faint building of white noise. I shook my head, the static getting a little louder. Twintails looked back as I stopped in the snow, putting a hoof to my head. What the heck was going on? “Minty, are you feeling alright?” He asked. I tried to nod but the static was giving me a headache. It felt like my horn was vibrating painfully. I shook my head again; hoping whatever was causing this would pass. I looked over the edge of the hill, feeling a bit nauseous. Twintails walked over to me, looking worried. I panted a bit as the static began to fade, my headache going with it. “W-what happened? Should we head back to Turnpike?” I stood up straight, shuddering lightly and resting a hoof against my temple. Don't tell me my augmentations could be loose...

“Ugh... I don’t know...” I said, swallowing the bit of acid that’d creeped up from my stomach to my throat. “I... think my horn just picked up something weird.” We trotted into the bunker, the doors sliding shut behind us. Trotting down the stairs, the sound of our hooves clanking on metal flooring echoed through the hallways. We came to the entrance hall, a squeal coming from the left. Before I could react, I was tackled to the ground. Oh, hi cousin.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re ok!” Nova said, hugging me tightly. “YouguysweregoneforsolongandoneofourscoutssaidtheysawtwoponiesbeingattackedbyaHellHoundandIthoughtyoutwoweregonersbutnowyou’rehereandfineandnotdead!” She said at a mile a minute. Twintails snickered a bit as I pushed Nova off. “Don’t scare me like that again! Write or something!” She said, letting me stand back up, the wide smile on her face giving way to an expression of light confusion. “What’re you guys doing back here, anyways?”

Twintails spoke up, trying to hide his chuckles. “W-we were looking for a ranger. He saved us from those big... dog things. I didn’t see his face, but he was using an anti-tank rifle chambered in point-five-o BMG, if that’s any help.” Nova tilted her head to the side as she thought for a moment, gently tapping a hoof to her chin. "This was in Trotisk, about a week ago. Just want to, well, say thanks."

“Hm... well, that really isn’t that helpful, honestly. There are a ton of guys here who use sniping weaponry, even exclusively, and most all of them are deployed at the same time.” Twintails' ears drooped, the pegasus looking a little disappointed. “We could head to the records to see if anything was reported lately. You two were spotted fighting that thing, but I don’t know if anypony reported helping out.” She trotted off down a hall, Twintails and I following. Well, isn’t everypony here just a big warm family.

We turned down a few halls, passing by a workshop before finding our way into another large room filled with terminals. A few scribes were reading the screens, typing in a few lines of data here and there. Nova walked up to one of the terminals, flipping a switch on the side. The screen flickered to life, a few green lines starting to scroll up it as Nova punched in a few commands. “If anything was reported, it should’ve been pretty recently.” Nova hit enter, the computer starting to search through it's banks for anything relevant.

A few results popped up after some minutes of searching: “Scout Report: 09-23-68, Scout Report 09-27-68, [CORRUPTED FILE].” Nova opened the first document. “Scout 829, a couple scavengers were found wandering around the Snowdrop Test Site. Questioned, audio recording uploaded. Later had a run in with a Hell Hound, but managed to kill it with Scout 731 and Scout 284, who sustained minor lacerations through armor.” Nova closed it before opening the next. “Scout 432. Two ponies were spotted exiting the R&G facility before being attacked by a pair of Hell Hounds. Injured and killed one, before being attacked by the other. They injured it before it was brought down by an unidentified sniper, both passing out soon after.” Again Nova closed the file before attempting to open the corrupted one, a string of unintelligible characters filling the screen.

Nova gave a grunt of frustration, banging the side of the terminal a bit. “I keep telling the head scribe to have these things looked over, they crash more often than a drunk parasprite.” She closed the terminal, looking annoyed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you guys out. You’re willing to try fiddling with it, but I don’t know if it’ll be much use. I’m going to go talk to Scribe Flare, she really needs to get these things fixed. I’ll see you guys later.” Nova trotted down the hall, her hoof steps quickly fading away.

Twintails looked over to me, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. “You think you can get it to work?” He asked. I smiled a little, tilting my head towards the port, inserting my horn into it. That data won’t be corrupted for long. My eyes filled with streams of code as I felt electricity course through my horn and the interlocking wires in my head. I jumped over to the corrupted file, the useless numbers and letters flashing before me. A few words jumped out, Knight, Hell Hound, Pegasus, Fringe, Blunt Trauma... ugh, there’s no way I’m fixing this stuff. I removed my horn, powering the terminal back down.

“Well, that corrupted stuff’s an absolute mess, I don’t think I can touch that, but I managed to decode a couple words. Not sure how much it’ll help, but who knows.” Twintails nodded as I punched in the gibberish into my Pip-Buck. We turned to leave, my mane standing a bit on end from the extra charge. We wandered through the halls a bit, trying to find our way back out. Twintails had to drag me away from one of the workshops we passed. Come on, Twintails, it could make big explosions too, probably!

We were climbing up the steps back out of the facility as I started to hear the static again. This isn’t good... I felt dizzy again as we stepped onto the snow, the static growing louder in my mind. I fell to my rear, feeling sick. Twintails looked back at me, seriously worried. “Hey, are you ok? I don’t need you having another stroke!” He sat next to me, as I groaned a bit. As I sat, I heard a faint of list of numbers. 2… 8… 23… 51… 92… 85... 6…” Aargh, make it stoooop! I crawled to the edge of the hill again, the constant headache migrating to my stomach. Oh geez, not now. Queasiness overtaking, I deposited my lunch on the other side of the hill. Were... were those numbers in my vomit? I shook my head as the static died back down, Twintails helping me to my hooves. “What’s going on with you? Maybe heading back today isn’t the best idea.” He said.

I groaned, putting a hoof to my head again. “I-I don’t know… I think something’s interfering with my horn. Radio waves from the atmosphere, maybe...” I started to walk down the hill. “No, we need to get going. Whatever’s doing it’s gone and reception should be worse if we’re not on top of a mountain.” I said. Twintails matched my pace as we made our way down. He looked a little concerned as he pulled up his Pip-Buck. Flicking through the screens, he blinked a few times, slowing down behind myself as he fiddled with it.

“Hey, there’s another signal here.” He said. He flipped to it. The static started to build again with my headache and the need to puke. For the love of Celestia, turn it off! Twintails noticed my discomfort and quickly flipped it back off. “G-gah! Sorry...” He apologized. “The station just says ‘SCH-184’. That mean anything to you?” I shook my head, still waiting for it to clear completely. Twintails looked back to his Pip-Buck, flipping on Hi-Fi. Tom’s voice came in clearly, accompanied by a piano, as we trotted back to Trotisk.

Be prepared! That’s the Colt Scouts’ solemn creed.
Be prepared! Wash your hooves before you feed.
Don’t sell away your sister, that’s not nice,
Unless we get a good percentage of her price.

Be prepared! And be careful not to do, your good deeds,
When there’s nopony watching you
If you’re looking for adventure of a new and different kind,
And you come across a Filly who is similarly inclined,
Don’t be nervous
Don’t be flustered
Don’t be scared!

Be prepared!

I entered the Plasma Spaz alone, Twintails having gone off for more ammo. Sugar Rush trotted out of the back room, smiling as she noticed me. “Hey, perfect timing! Greasy’s been wanting to see you, she’s still in back.” I followed her through the door and up some rickety stairs. We entered a small flat on top of the store, Greasy sitting on a stained couch, leaning over a table, fiddling with the wings. She looked over as we stepped in, she smiled as I trotted up to her.

“Hey, it’s good to see you again. Where’s Twintails?” She asked. I explained he’d headed over to the Gun Runners. She nodded before sitting back in the couch a bit. “So... s-sorry for getting freaked out earlier and trying to shoot you guys.” I smiled, Greasy chuckling a little as she thought back to the events. “Sugar Rush helped me fix some of my stuff up. It may not be the factory... or Rusty... but I wouldn’t mind staying here, at least for a bit, so I suppose I ought to fill my end of the bargain.” She leaned down, opening the safe next to the couch, pulling out a ring of keys. She pulled one and tossed it to me. “If you guys dig around near my bunker, there’s another hidden door. There should be plenty of stuff in there; you’ll probably find some motors.” I nodded and thanked her, stowing the key in my saddlebags.

“And… well…” She stopped me as I turned to head out. “Sugar and I fixed up Rusty’s wings.” She lifted them up, the polished brass shining brightly. “I think she’d have liked it to get at least a couple uses out of it, and it does need to be tested anyway.” My grin widened. Was she serious? “I’d... I'd like you to try them out, just to make sure they work. Do not break them.” She said, a little uncharacteristically serious. Sugar lifted the wings up in her aura, levitating them over to me. She shifted my saddlebags a bit, resting the wings gingerly upon my spine and affixing the underbelly strap. The large Microfusion pack rested on my back, the metal bars and joints folded up into a resting position.The blades rested against my sides. Sugar flipped a switch on the pack, the levitation talismans whirring into life as a thick wire was rolled up to my neck and a receptor clicking onto the skin above my spine.

I felt just a bit lighter, shifting my weight as one of the wings unfolded itself. My grin grew even wider as I rotated the wing, giving it a few slow flaps before folding it back. “I... wow... t-thanks!” I said. Greasy smiled, insisting I test it out. “I’ll keep them safe!” I said before Sugar led me back downstairs.

“If you need any more ammo, just grab it on the way out, you wouldn’t believe how excited I am to rebuild all this stuff. I'm pretty sure my superiors wouldn't mind a few missing things.” She said, grinning just as widely as I was. She headed back upstairs as I grabbed a few microfusion cells before walking outside. Twintails was waiting outside the Gun Runners, his jaw dropping as he saw me trotting up, eyes wide. What, never saw an alicorn before, Twinnie?~

“You like them?” I asked, showing off the wings. He was speechless, just staring at the shimmering brass and gold. I chuckled. “Greasy wanted me to test them out. Oh, she also gave me the key to find the motors.” I began to almost skip to the R&G factory, Twintails running to catch up after he snapped back to reality.

“I just... wow... those things are awesome! I joked that you were a princess earlier, but I didn’t think it’d come true.” I glared a little at him as he snickered. “Well, I guess that’ll be a quick way back to NEAMO. Y'know, assuming you don’t crash on the way there~” I only rolled my eyes as we made our way to R&G. We trotted in, spotting a few giant roaches poking around the dead ones. Twintails pulled out his luger, shooting them both. “Whewe we goin’ ayway?”

I stepped over the roaches - egh, I’ll never get used to this stuff. “Greasy said there was another hidden door near her bunker, there should be some motors in there.” We walked down the hall, killing any other roaches we came across. Dust still seemed to be settling as we approached Greasy’s door, a securi-mare spouting random phrases in a garbled voice. Twintails started to run his hoof over the wall, looking for another chink in it. I dropped down, inspecting the floor for a trap door. After a few minutes of searching, Twintails spoke up.

“I think I found it.” He said. I stood up, brushing a cobweb off of my muzzle. I walked around the corner to him. He stood near a torn anti-zebra poster, running his hoof up and down a small seam in the wall. “There’s got to be a keyhole… here!” He pointed to the wall. I leaned in, levitating out the key, spotting the small hole he was pointing to and inserting it. It took a few moments of jiggling, but there was a little click and the door swung inwards. Twintails’ eyes widened as an excited grin popped on his face. I looked up, my heart rate increasing a bit and eyes widening in disbelief as Twintails laughed animatedly.

The room was full of missiles.

Oh. My. Goddesses. Cruiser-class mark 4 guided cruise missiles, megaspell capable, and they still have the original Royal Equestrian Navy markings! Hydrogen-fueled thrust turbines, swept-wings constructed of rolled impact-resilient steel, those beautiful, -beautiful- thrust vectoring nozzles and sleek, smooth skin... somepony smack me, I must be dreaming. The mass of rubber and metal impacting my cheek, accompanied by a series of metal blades hitting firmly against the back of my head, proved that assumption wrong rather quickly. Ow... oh, screw the pain, I have missiles! A stupid grin stayed firmly across my face as I looked up to the unicorn beside me, a distinct stern look on his face.

"Don't even think about it. We're here for the lift motors, not to satisfy your... whatever. I think the wasteland's been nuked enough." Chuckling weakly, I trotted up to look over the missiles more closely, lost in their effervescent beauty as they sat preserved, resting on their launch tracks, waiting for their call to action. Oh, these things would've been fantastic to see, the whine of the turbines as they went up to speed, bluish flames jutting from the nozzle before the force of rapidly expanding steam propelled it off of the missile cruiser deck and out into the dark night, the megaspell warhead armed and ready to detonate above the target designated. I think I may have squeed a bit as I made way around to the front, the long aerodynamic prong jutting from the nose's front out a foot or so being just high enough to comfortably trot underneath. The panel at the front, that was where the flight control talismans were kept, plenty of space for... wait... plexiglass? What the...

I peered further into the canopy, half-expecting to see the megaspell warhead through the clear panel, instead finding a seat... slots for wings... hoof controls... where's the flight control maneframe? Why are there so many dials and buttons? Where's the warhead!? What the hell kind of cruise missiles were these supposed to be, no megaspell payload, pegasus-controlled, pah. Damn things could only explode as big as the hydrogen talismans could cause, unless they were loaded with balefire eggs, or C4, or something... actually, that sounded like it could work pretty well. Hey, maybe these things weren't so useless after all...

A grin still on my face, I turned in time to duck as a wooden board flew over my head and out of Minty's magic, the unicorn groaning and resting a hoof against his face. "Well, I found the lift motors, seven of them. In other words, seven trips all the way to NEAMO." Trotting up alongside him, I peered into the wooden crate. Sure enough, there were seven arguably massive electric motors resting inside it, each one easily the size of the bomb Featherweight had carried in. Considering how much trouble Minty had lifting that thing, and the fact that we probably shouldn't tell everypony we meet that there's a group of ghouls refurbishing a gigantic megaspell-flinging cannon out here, that ruled out Featherweight helping and otherwise just translated to seven very long and painful trips. I looked up to Minty as he rested against the crate, shaking his head back and forth as he started to levitate out the first motor.

"Maybe we should find a cart or something? I mean, there's gotta be some way we can deliver these things fast. Hell, I dunno, stick rockets onto them or..." I let myself trail off, looking to the series of three pegasus-flyable cruise missiles. Without the warhead taking up space... the motors weren't really that big, too... It was just the right level of crazy to work. "Minty... I think I know why there are cruise missiles down here." A grin grew across my muzzle, looking to the large swept-wing cruisers, Minty following my gaze. His expression changed from confusion to disbelief, and then to a look that I could best describe as him thinking that I'm absolutely bonkers. I really couldn't blame him.

"You... you can't be serious. We're going to use a missile?! Don't those things, you know, kind of explode with the force of a megaspell?!" He set the motor down on the floor, taking a few steps back as I moved forwards towards the missiles, chuckling gleefully. I looked along the first one, pressing on a red button along the side of the canopy, both it and a metal panel further down the body opening up to allow entrance into the body. I peered into the second compartment - the motors ought to all fit inside here, which means Minty can ride behind the pilot seat. It'll be snug, but hell, it's quicker than walking there! I'm sure I can fly this thing. Maybe. Minty was still rather skeptical. "You're serious. Oh great, he's serious. Why do I travel with you again?"

"Because I'm great in bed and you know it." Minty stalled for a moment, stuttering, seeming to say something as a blush came over his face. He looked down to the motor on the floor, letting off a defeated sigh - told you~ I chuckled a bit, one that died off as I saw him hoofing at the ground, head lowered. Oh, right, line crossing... letting off a sigh, I trotted up to him, resting a hoof upon his shoulder. "Look, how about this, we get this done and no matter what the Doc sends us off to do next, we're going to focus on getting your Stable open, by -any- means neccessary." He lifted his head, his horn glowing and loading the first motor in, sighing. Nodding, he trotted up to the side of the missile, looking into the cockpit idly and ruffling his, ah, 'wings'. They sounded like knives in a cupboard.

"So, you're going to be flying this thing? Don't these usually have a pre-set course, or something?" I trotted about to the other side of the missile, leaning up into the cockpit and peering in at the control panel a second time. Reaching in and pushing at the metal rod that protruded up from in front of the seat, a whirring of electric motors could be heard, sections on the wings moving in accordance with the motion. The smile I wore grew larger, chuckles escaping myself.

"I read an article in the Mooscow museum about a pre-war company developing pony-controlled aircraft from old cruise missiles, they were thinking of sticking machine guns on them so they could attack dragon fleets and shoot up Zebra munitions encampments. Dunno if this thing still has the automatic targeting maneframe, but if not, then at the very least I think I understand how this thing's supposed to work..." My augmented friend looked at me rather skeptically, taking a step back from the missile as I leaned more into the cockpit. A weak chuckle escaped me, looking down into the area for the rear legs and the pedals at the bottom. Not especially roomy, these things. Minty's magic flared up, the sound of wood boards being broken out of the way of the second motor filling the room ahead.

"I hope you know what you're talking about. I promised Greasy I wouldn't break these things, and I intend to keep that promise, y'know." The sound of the second heavy motor being lowered into the cargo compartment of the missile sounded fuller from inside the cockpit, a gentle but distinct thud as the cylinder settled. The mess of dials and indicators was still boggling, but at least some were marked - gyroscopic horizon, altimeter, indicated airspeed, climb rate, cupholder adjustment... this thing had cupholders? Sweet~ Leaning further in to better see some of the smaller guages, Minty dropped the third motor in as well, a sound that needless to say surprised me rather quickly. Oooh, hm, yeah, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have your head on this part of the chair...

After a few moments of struggling and flapping, I finally got myself unwedged from the cockpit of the missile, my rear end and tails slamming into the roof. Ow. Setting myself back down upon the ground as Minty watched and snickered, a klaxon sounded from up above, red warning lights spinning and illuminating the roof as two metal sections upon it split open and dropped a fine caking of dust upon the top of the missiles, and making the whole room reek more of age and disuse. Long rails lit up along the sides of the room the doors opened up to, revealing them to lead straight up and to the open air above - well, there's our exit strategy, then! In retrospect, actually, I don't think we could fit this thing out the front doors in the first place...

"I -really- hope you know what you're doing..." Minty clutched his Cross Stitch plush tightly against himself, squeezed into the space behind the pilot's seat. With a few idle moments of button pushing, the talismans that provided the fuel for the turbine started, a low whine able to be heard as the intake near the front began drawing in the air of the workspace, the acrid smell of burning old dust being kept from us thanks to the cockpit glass. I grinned widely, looking over the side and peering down to the ground a few feet below, another push of a button causing a jolt as the old hydraulic systems lifted the track the missile was resting upon upwards, a section moving out and mating with the track that ran up the exit tunnel. Keep your eyes on the control panel Twintails, don't stare into the endless abyss of sky above... pushing a lever forwards, the whine of the engine increased, several of the needles on the guages spinning upwards. We didn't seem to be moving all that much, though.

"Huh... I really thought that these things just launched after a while of the engine running at full." I rubbed at my head with a hoof, Minty leaning forwards and peering at the controls as well. Red, green, and amber lights all flickered across it, guages hovering above full. A clock in one panel read out that it was already well into the afternoon. I tapped at some of the readouts, lower hooves resting against the pedals below, before leaning - well, laying - back against the seat. My forehooves rested at the sides of the chair, a red button blinking on the control shaft. I watched it for a moment, reaching a hoof out and grabbing it once more, Minty shuffling and bracing himself behind me. "Maybe... thWOAH!"

The button clicked, and suddenly the gaping sky started becoming much, much closer at a quite astonishing rate. Welp, there's another pair of pants ruined. The controls were stiff, a new green light filling the group, labeled with the word, I think, 'ATOL'. The altimeter needle spun rapidly, the cloud layer getting so, so, -so- goddess-damned close, both of us forced backwards by the acceleration of the missile. Streaks of water flowed over the glass as we punched clean through the thin clouds, myself wrenching my eyes shut. Nope, nopenopenope, the sky is too scary for me! Take me down, please! The craft seemed to slow down and level out, myself burying my hooves into my eyes and cowering underneath the control panel. Minty gave off a gasp of astonishment, his hoof pushing at my wings gently.

"Twintails... you, you've got to see this... goddesses above, you have got to see this..." Slowly I let my hooves stop trying to pop my eyeballs - eck, forgot that that happened when you pushed on your eyes - blinking them to clear away the weird ghost things left behind. Lifting my head up past the controls, the sight through the cockpit glass as we screamed along high above the wasteland, slowly dropping down back into the clouds, was... well... it was beautiful. Far off to the distance, out near the mountains that bordered Mooscow and held our Stables, the sky above melded from hues of orange to a deep, dark blue, a massive white disc stuck upon it. It took a moment to remember what that was - I know I've seen it before. It, it had something to do with one of the princesses... it was the moon.

The whine of the engine behind us filled the air as we both sat and watched the night sky slowly rolling over above in a stunned silence, the onboard heaters keeping us both comfortable at this height. Though, looking out at the sight of unclouded sky, the vast, wide expanse that stretched out in all directions for forever, illuminated both by Celestia's setting sun and Luna's rising moon, you really couldn't think about something like that. Such raw, unending beauty high above, hidden by that damned irradiated cover... it just wasn't fair to anypony on the surface. The cloud cover drew closer to the bottom of the craft, the sleek nose eventually passing through and clouds flying over the windscreen again, covering up the night sky. I blinked a few times, looking backwards to Minty - his jaw was still agape, eyes widened, the small plush of his coltfriend held loosely in his hoof as a filly would cradle her own doll, the sensation of amazement still staying as we rested in the soft glow from the control panel.

"Holy... what the hell is that?" The missile continued on it's slight downward slope, the fog around Pripytrot being cut to the east by a massive black scorch mark in the snow, a sick greenish tint lingering about it. Minty placed a hoof against the glass of the canopy, silent for a few moments. A faint ticking sound came from our pip-bucks as we passed by the mark, the panel lighting with warnings of possible radiation leak, or...

"...that was caused by the bomb. I saw it in old test films, a big scar on the lakebeds where all that was left was a crater and black mark. Bombs were designed for air bursts, ground bursts just didn't do enough immediate damage..." We both watched as the mark passed out of our field of view, the missile still slowly arcing downwards. "Lasting damage in the form of fallout, though..." Our geiger counters continued to click, the background noise dying off slowly as the day, and our flight, continued on.

It only felt like a few fine minutes before the side of the mountains to our right shot by the outer edge of the cruise missile's wing, a contrail of snow forming as I struggled to get the damned thing away from what was likely a very thin layer of snow covering a very thick layer of solid frozen rock. Minty had taken to holding onto his plushie again, no doubt squeezing it tighter as the whine of the turbine behind us finally gave out - well, that's just dandy. At least we won't be going any faster, now. I pulled back hard on the stick, which really seemed adamant about not budging in the slightest, pressing at the assortment of buttons on the control panel. Fuel jettison? No. Flaps? I think the wings are rigid, so not happening. Air brake? Well, worth a shot...

There was a distinct feeling of decelration which sent Minty jolting forwards into the rear of the metal seat, the clang of his metal horn and a rather distinct sound of glass shattering filling the cockpit for a few moments. I glanced behind, catching my augmented friend covering his eyes and rubbing at them, holding them closed tightly, his glasses nowhere to be found... at least in one piece, anyways. How the hell did they survive this long in the first place? "Fuck... ah, fuck, my glasses..."

"Minty! Are you alright?" He seemed to rub at his eyes, waving his augmented hoof in reassurance and looking up. He blinked a few times, his eyes going wide as he looked past myself, jaw wide and hoves rushing to clutch the plushie of Cross Stitch. I turned myself forwards, looking over the control panel and seeing... oh, hello ground! Fancy meeting you at a couple hundred kilometers per hour. Oh, this is gonna be fun...

The entire craft shook as it belly-flopped against the snow, white spray overtaking the cockpit glass and covering the forward vision, making the lights from the controls illuminate the interior more. We glided for a few moments before the craft smashed against the ground again, this time with a groaning and tearing of metal that successfully ruined another pair of pants and made me really wish I had some kind of little plush friend to cuddle in the moments before we died in a firey flaming wreck. I felt pushed back into my seat by the overwhelming forces, thrown like a ragdoll in a basket as glimpses of the ground and sky melded together from the covered canopy, another jolt giving a momentary sense of weightlessness before the groan of metal and impact of cold snow brought everything back to earth, cracks forming in the windshield cover as everything was spun upside-down and thrown against me. Ooh, pretty stars...

The cool air blew about myself as I rested on the large expanse of metal plating, idly watching the sky above with wings spread out and head resting on my hooves. A series of six contrails appeared high in the sky, dual lines split between three jet-powered air craft, soaring like the massive silver birds they were. The sound of a metal latch swinging open filled the air behind myself, leaning my head back to look upside-down at the thick metal plating at the back of the turret, and the stallion who poked his head out of it, a soft green camoflauge hat covering his mane and cigar held in his mouth. I rolled myself over, stretching my wings and smiling, rising to my hooves.

"C'mon Twintails, we're headed out. Spotters report a bunch of Zebra armor up on the ridge, we're gonna take care of it." With an idle nod, I let off a yawn, trotting along the long, flat back of the heavy tank, and hovering up onto the turret position. The stallion ducked his head back down into the dark depths, the engine below whirring to full power and propelling the massive beast along, a gentle breeze felt from the upwards position. I dropped my lower half into the body, resting my rear hooves on the seat and merely relaxing for the moment, watching the landscape slowly moving past. I couldn't help but smile, trundling along at a nice slow pace, relaxing for the moment.

A slow roar screamed overhead, myself peering skywards, catching another pair of contrails - oh, right, we were making bigger versions of those things, weren't we? Something about having them carry megaspell warheads, I think. The breeze generated from the motion of the heavy metal beast filled my ears once more, watching as the larger silvery bird continued along. A trail of smoke seemed to arc towards it, following behind a bright light - what could that be? Flare, maybe? Or...

My vision lit up with a brilliant flash, prompting me to drop back into the darkness of the tank, my hoof covering my eyes. The light... the heat... it was getting hotter. My face was burning. My foreleg muscles tried in vain to remove it from my face, my vision filled with a sickly black and red. I pulled harder, feeling a straining, tearing sensation, a wail of pain escaping myself as eventually my foreleg pulled itself free from my face. I tried to close my eyes, blink away the pain, cry. My vision fell to the reddened, scarred golden coat on my hooves, an especially horrifying sight greeting me - those... those were my eyelids! Salty sweat fell from my forehead and stung in the fresh wounds, eyes kept open wide, forcing me to watch, and feel, and smell. The room was filling with the scent of burining, cooking, sizzling, and screaming pony flesh. I joined in in the screaming, adding to the endless, torturous noise, the room turning a hot red as flames burst through every possible crack.

Oh, goddesses, make it stop, make it all stop! Th-the voice, oh, no, not the voice...

'Bite the bit. Pull the trigger. Stop the pain...'

I gasped, my vision clouded and blurry. Phantom pains stung the area around my eyes, myself raising a hoof to hold against my temple, groaning groggily. A faint tinkling of magic aura filled my ears as I lifted myself up, gaining my bearings, taking stock. Right... naked... well, that's wonderful. Minty's laying in a bed beside me, also naked, alright, at least we're not seperated. And there's a green earth pony in an orange jumpsuit with a pair of antenna sticking out of his brown mane looking over at me with eyes filled with curiosity. Antennas, right. I blinked a few times - oh goddesses, that was such a wonderful luxury - leaning back against the headrest of the... bed, I guess.

You know, I think I'm starting to get used to weirdness. At least, when it's not straight-out trying to kill me, anyways...

"Morning! Or, well, good night, as the time is! That was a nasty crash your craft had, how did you manage to deactivate your thrust compartment mid-flight?" The, ah, I really don't think 'earth' pony would be appropriate - space pony, I guess, trotted up to myself, his deedly-bopper antennas bouncing and moving over my body. If he impregnates me... "No matter, you both seem to be fine enough! Good thing you landed here, there isn't anyone out here for miles, at least anyone who isn't buried underground right now. Weird place for your kind to stick a radio station, behind a huge steel door like that!" He looked up and smiled, Minty groaning beside us. Underground radio station... CONELRAD? Oh, this motormouth is making my head hurt. Or, maybe it was just the concussion.

"Right... ah, th-thanks, I guess? Who are you, and where are we, anyways?" I watched the weird - I really don't want to use the 'a' word, but - alien pony move over to Minty, still smiling and reaching to roll my friend over onto his back. This was definitely some interesting architecture, not even the Stables were this, ah, round-ish? Braced? Damnit, I'm a warhead expert, not a construction consultant! My augmented friend snorted awake, momentary panic overtaking his eyes as he shot up in the bed.

"Gah! Numbers! Zebras! Cross Stitch! Sparkle Cola!!" Boy, that must have been one right hell of a nightmare. The alien pony blinked a few times, smiling, his antennas bouncing about a bit as he walked around the side of the bed. Minty rubbed at his eyes, blinking a few times as well, following the pony with his head before feeling about on the small table next to him. With his normal hoof, he picked up his glasses, sliding them on and readjusting his eyes. They went wide as he focused on the alien, himself grabbing the blankets he was under and pulling them up against his bare body, looking back over to me. "Twintails... what's going on here? And, ah, am I... hey... who fixed my glasses?" He paused, dropping the blanket and tapping at the lenses, blinking. He was right, weren't they shattered when we landed? The alien pony stepped up, smiling, a small tube of gel-like substance held in a free hoof.

"I hope you don't mind, I tried to help fix up all that I could with your things. Your craft was pretty badly beat up from the impact, but it should be fixed in a half-hour or so. Why didn't you just use those six pulse motors you had onboard when the primary engine failed? Or, conversely, why didn't you just bail out? You both seemed to have working wings at the time!" He tilted his head, smiling at the both of us, chuckling lightly. We looked between ourselves, myself shrugging and sitting up, leaning forwards and ruffling my wings idly. Minty was silent for a moment, before gasping heavily and jumping out of the bed, looking behind himself at his back. His pupils shrunk, legs wobbling for a moment, looking over at the alien pony who still wore a smile of oblivious curiosity. He straightened up, a look I found synonymous with the smell of ozone and vaporizing zebra skull upon his face as he started walking up to the alien. Well, great, going to cause an interplanetary incident now, Minty? Welcome to Equestria - we swear we're not racist!

"Where. Are. My. Wings." The neverending smile the alien pony wore faltered more and more at each word, turning to an expression of fear as Minty trotted forwards, towards him, eventually ending up staring quite furiously into his eyes. The alien pony took a step back, pointing to a pair of what I think are crates at the other end of the room, shaking on his hooves. As Minty turned to approach the crates, he dove for the opposite side of my bed, seeming to hide behind it, watching my unicorn friend and shaking as he cowered. Okay, my turn to be the confused pony.

"Uh, what's up with you?" I slid off of the bed, trotting around to the side the alien was hiding upon, squeezing... what I -think- was a plushie of a yellowish snake. He looked up to myself, his deedly-boppers drooped down like his ears, leaning against the side of the bed and peering over it at Minty. The unicorn had slid into his barding and reattached the mechanical wings, and now was just working on removing all the other personal effects from inside the crate.

"Th-that pony scares me... what's -his- problem?" He motioned to Minty, moving back up onto his hooves, the plush snake laying about his neck as his orange jumpsuit squeaked with his movements. My own barding - quite neatly folded, and appearing pretty clean, actually - levitated over to myself, Minty watching the both of us with a soft smile and small wave of his augmented hoof. I waved back, the alien pony cowering back down beside the bed. I bit gently at my lower lip, thinking for a moment, letting off a soft sigh.

"A lot's just been happening. You don't have to try to understand." I reached out a hoof, the alien pony taking it and righting himself, a soft smile coming back to his face. I returned it, turning and trotting to the end of the bed, and then turning to meet up with Minty. The alien pony trotted beside me, slowing down as we started getting closer to my augmented friend. "I'm Twintails, by the way. This is Minty Candy." The alien pony smiled, albeit softly, anxiously hoofing against the metal floor as Minty trotted up to him. He chuckled weakly, rubbing at the back of his head with a hoof, blushing and looking to the side. I trotted between them, looking at them both, rolling my eyes and letting off a sigh. Don't make me have to do this, Minty... "Minty, I think there's something you wanted to say to... um..."

"K-KB. My name's KB." There was a momentary pause, before Minty moved forwards, squeezing the alien in a gentle hug. His green cheeks went a rather distinct shade of red, stuttering and frozen in place, the unicorn chuckling and taking a small step backwards.

"Ah, no hard feelings? S-sorry, I just really can't afford to lose these things. Promised a friend." KB flashed a small smile between his dumbfounded looks, turning himself about and nodding towards us. He glanced back at Minty, a blush still on his cheek, us both following behind him. Minty dropped my saddlebags and rifles on my back the familiar clinking returning and filling in behind the sounds of hooves against metal and the ambience from the rest of the ship. The chill of the wasteland greeted us as we soon reached an exit, the alien pony smiling and still blushing, hiding his face from Minty.

"Y-your ship is still repairing, but i-it should be done in a few more m-minutes. G-g-good luck, whatever you're doing. Eheh..." He giggled somewhat weakly, moving back into the ship as we stepped out into the cool air of the wasteland. Minty peered around, myself grimacing at the long scar in the snow - gee, wonder what caused that. I'm a pegasus, doesn't mean I'm a good pilot. He glanced at his pip-buck, his mechanical wings sproinging outwards with a sound comparable to a sword being unseathed. Huh, mechanical wingboners, how about that. He shot up from the ground, flying high up and over to the eastern sky, sihlouetted against the black clouds by his white coat. Uhm, well, flying lesson at night, I guess that makes sense...

"Minty? What's up?" Following behind him, I brought up my pip-buck myself, moving over to the map screen - we were THAT far south!? Goddesses, I am not a good pilot... though, that did explain why he went off in such a rush like that. Huh, an alien crash site so close to Stable 76, who knew?

We landed up on a ridge overlooking the mountain Minty's Stable was built into, the clouds above seeming even darker than usual. Minty panted heavily, his wings slowly returning to their original positions against his body, himself sowly trotting forwards down the slope. I hovered alongside him, peering down to the road that ran along the mountainside, idly scratching a hoof against my head. Man, the bloatsprites must be getting bigger, those were at least seven or eight big black dots hovering out of the Stable entrance. Minty stopped for a moment, grumbling and hefting his large cannon onto his shoulder, myself sliding a round into the grenade rifle and peering downrange. Long-range target practice it is! Oh, look, they're even stopping in one place for us, how nice~ I chuckled, watching them all crowding together in a small ditch, their black bodies glinting against the light of their plasma weapons and hooves resting beneath their metallic wings... wait a minute.

Minty was getting ready to fire, myself landing in front of him and rapidly trying to disarm his big cannon, a confused and surprised look rolling across his face. He lowered his gun, peering down to the entrance of his Stable, myself pressing him against the side of the hill. We shivered in the snow, myself keeping a hoof pushed against his chest, rolling off of him and looking down to the road again, and the ditch beside it. "Twintails! What are you-"

A bright red laser came down from high above, cutting through the clouds. We both watched for a few moments before the laser flashed, lining up directly on... Stable 76. There was a few tense moments of silence, the black dots in the ditch moving only slightly as the sky was illuminated brilliantly through the clouds. Ah, a missile? Balefire warhead!? Megaspell, they have a mgeaspell!?! A bright light burst through the clouds, splitting them apart as the beam rocketed down from the sky. Everything slowed down, moving in perfect clarity - the white-hot rod smashed down through the side of the mountain, hurling dirt, ice, and rock far away from the impact, causing an unwelcoming cloud. The ground underneath us shook, the snow being thrown about as the earth itself rocked and churned. What kind of megaspell was THAT!? Was it even a megaspell?! What... what the hell!?!

"Welcome to CONELRAD, 640-1240 on your AM radio dial. This is a bulletin to the residents of the North Equestrian mountains, from the cities of Trotisk, Quebuck, Pripytrot, Mooscow, Emerald Ridge and Steel Creek; this is not a drill. Equestria is currently under attack with knetic and explosive weapons of massive yield. Remain calm and proceed to your nearest bomb shelter, fallout shelter, or Stable, if you have a reserved spot. This is NOT a drill. We will continue broadcasting for an indefinite period. We repeat, Equestria is currently under attack with kinetic and explosive weapons of massive yield. Remain calm and proceed to your nearest bomb shelter, fallout shelter, or Stable, if you have a reserved spot. This is NOT a drill. We will continue broadcasting for an indefinite period. We repeat, Equestria is currently under attack with kinetic and explosive weapons of massive yield..."

I stood up quickly, my head still ringing from the blast. W-what happened!? There was the laser, the blast... I froze. My Stable. My breaths became more shallow. Shit. Shit shit shit shit. This can't be happening. I looked around quickly, spotting Twintails and forcing him to his hooves. He wobbled a bit, obviously disoriented from the blast, and gathered his bearings as I hitched Ivan to my back. "Wha-what’s going on!? We’re under attack?!" He said, his Pip-Buck picking up an emergency broadcast signal. I flared Greasy’s wings out, the metal blades sliding smoothly against each other as they spread. Twintails looked over to me as I bent my legs, preparing to take off. "Woah, hold it, Minty!" He lept for my tail, forcing me to stumble. "You saw what just happened! We can’t go barreling in there!"

"Well, I’m not staying here!" I said, ripping my tail from his hooves. If those striped-skin bastards want a fight, they’re going to bloody well get one! I spread my wings again, the fan on the back starting to whir louder as the flight talismans sparked to life. I started to run towards the edge of the hill, facing the mountainside where the figures were starting to walk towards the center of the blast zone. Leaping off the cliff, the talismans kicked in as I started to glide towards the small group. Twintails followed me closely, pulling out his grenade rifle and shooting myself a wary look. As we approached the group, a couple had already entered the rubble that used to be the Stable tunnel, the other two standing outside as guards. I prayed the door would delay them long enough for us to get to Cross Stitch... assuming there was still a door there.

We flew in closer, one of the figures jabbing his hoof into the other, before pointing to us. So much for a stealthy approach. They lifted their weapons up, taking aim and firing. A laser shot through the sky, singing my tail - fuck, when did Zebras get energy weaponry?! Twintails fired a shot, his grenade arcing through the air and landing above the figures, forcing them to jump away as some snow fell off the mountainside. I pulled the trigger on Ivan, the charged lightning releasing in a large bolt towards them. The bolt struck one of the Zebras as Twintails shot another grenade, it exploding near their feet, knocking them to their sides. One attempted to fire a few shots off, managing to sear one of Twintails’ hooves, the smell of burning rubber in the air. The blast had freed more snow though, and soon the zebras lost their footing as the snow beneath them fell down the side of the mountain, building into a small avalanche. It carried both figures off over the edge, the bastards becoming buried quite satisfyingly deeply in snow. We landed in the snow next to the broken pieces of wood that used to be the door to the Stable’s tunnel.

"Bastards... winged bastards..." Twintails looked over the edge of the mountain, spitting down into the crevass before appearing beside myself again. I ignored him for the moment, instead ducking under one of the rocks blocking the tunnel. He followed me, some light filtering into the partially collapsed tunnel through holes in the ceiling. "Minty?..." I paused for a moment. What if they were planning to attack again? I... I can’t bring Twintails into this. But, Cross Stitch, he’s still in there! As we started to dig, though, a small doubt crept in the back of my mind.

He’s not there. That blast surely destroyed everything.

No, no he’s still ok! I rushed forward again, Twintails running after me. We wove our way through the broken tunnel, quickly coming to the door. Faded sunlight shone through a large hole in the tunnel’s celing. The giant door was fallen on its side, still intact. A figure in power armor was standing in the doorway, levitating a plasma rifle in his green aura. There was a pony laying on his side, his purple mane and blue coat visible in the dusty air... a pit formed in my stomach. Levitating up Ivan, my horn sparked wildly as I overcharged the battery pack that powered it. "Don’t you FUCKING DARE!"

The power armored pony looked up only to be met with a face full of electrical discharge. He was knocked to the side by the blast, letting loose a scream of pure agony as his faceplate sheared away, exposing the scarred skin and bloodied eye beneath, Twintails pulling out his Luger. The bullets ricocheted off the armor, the pony standing up and looking down the sights of his plasma rifle. I let the Emerald Charge Pack clatter to the ground as I plugged in a new one, the aura around Ivan weakening a bit. Severely regretting not charging up before we left R&G, I fired off another bolt of energy towards the pony, which he managed to jump out of the way from, firing plasma towards us. One shot flew over our heads, the other searing my right cheek. Twintails shot off a few more bullets, one managing to break through the rubber knee joint of the armor. The pony stumbled, giving a soft grunt of pain - oh, you're kidding me, don't tell me that armor has painkillers in it! I fired Ivan again, hitting another one of the pony’s legs. The discharge caused him to fall to his side, dropping his rifle. Twintails grabbed the rifle from out of the dirt, pointing it at the pony.

I paused for a moment, breathing heavily, and looking down at the pony as he twitched in pain. I bent over him, looking for a catch on his helmet. Pushing a small button, a hiss resounded throughout the destroyed entrance chamber as air rushed out of the tubes. The damaged helmet grew loose, allowing me to pull it off of his head. Instead of a dirty striped skin though, I was met by a deep orange stallion... Twintails looked over to me, myself more than a little confused. I thought ponies were the good guys! Sitting the pony against the wall of the cavern, he grunted in pain from his damaged limbs. "Who are you?" I asked - demanded, more like it. The command echoed throughout the cavern, the stallion saying nothing in return, only glaring at me. I glared right back at him, pulling out my pistol and placing the pronged end firmly against his temple. "Twintails, go check on Cross." He was hesitant to leave me alone with the stallion, but he still walked back to Cross to check on him. I looked back to the pony. "Who are you?!" I asked again. He only glared at me more. I could feel my patience running out, quickly pulling the pistol from his head and jamming it into the knee joint Twintails had shot, firing a shot of pure plasma into his wounded leg. There was a certain satisfaction that fell over me as his wails of agony filled the enterance hall, hooves grasping at his leg before I slammed him against the hard rock again.

"Private Rays, platoon 37. We were sent to observe the attack." I put the pistol to his head once more, the pointy tip causing a stream of blood to start staining his orange coat. He had something to do with this, I just knew it. Rays looked up at the pistol, starting to draw in more shallow breaths, gritting his teeth tightly. "We heard about the attack and were sent here to investigate." He repeated. I felt hatred seething up. My Stable just got blown up and you did nothing to stop it!

"I saw you standing next to it when it happened. You knew it was coming." I slamed the butt of the pistol into his forehead, a rather satisfying crunch and scrape heard as his metal armor slid along the rocks, the bastard falling to his side. Everything was building up inside myself. My Stable, my home, my friends, everything. All because of a... a fucking weapons test. I found myself breathing slowly, trying to calm myself. Everypony was dead. I can’t go back. Pure fury building within, I stared at the stallion, his blood falling and staining my Stable's hallway. He only looked up at me, a blank expression on his beaten and scarred face. Two hundred ponies, and he just stood there, and fucking watched...

"You knew about this. You knew what was going to happen and you did NOTHING. You just destroyed my HOME!" I raised my augmented hoof up high above his head, the pony’s eyes growing wide before it connected with his jaw. He yelled out through his broken mouth as I felt the bone snap under my weight. Good. A swift, hard kick in the gut had the asshole coughing up blood. "You. Killed. Everypony." I felt his warm blood on my hoof as I stamped on his jaw again, the bone shattering even more. My mechanical leg whirred as it landed on his trachea, his already satisfyingly squelchy shouts of pain garbled by blood. He was crying underneath me. I wasn't finished. I leaned down, one of the blades of Greasy’s wings moving to just below his neck, the razor-sharp metal mere millimeters from still-pumping blood and other essential organs needed for life. He didn't deserve his. The stallion panted for a moment, spitting out a tooth, looking at me with his dampened, literally blood-stained eyes. There was a flash of bronze as the wing swiftly sliced through his exposed neck, allowing him to give another garbled whimper before finally collapsing on the ground. I stood up and turned around, flicking the blood from the wingblade and onto the cavern wall, Twintails running back to me.

"Cross Stitch is in bad shape, I don’t-" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell upon the dead body. "W-what the hell, Minty?!" He asked, looking horrified. I didn’t answer, instead walking back to Cross. He was cut up, his stomach beaten severely, barely moving. I leaned towards his head, listening intently. He was breathing, but it was ragged and shallow - not good. Lifting him onto my back with my magic, Twintails helped to adjust him around to rest better. "M-Minty, what’s going on?" I started to trot back through the tunnel, Cross’s hooves jostling around.

‎ "We need to get Cross to a hospital. Now." I said simply, stepping out into the dull sunlight. I walked down the hill, Twintails looking concerned. Before he could speak again, I spoke up. "Those ponies weren’t here to investigate, they’re working with Zebras." His eyes went wide as we passed the pile of snow the other power-clad ponies were under.

He paused for a moment as we followed the road, starting to pick up the pace. The stallion draped across my back wheezed - come on, you're going to be fine, Cross. "How do you know?" He asked, looking a little confused. I looked over at him, a little aghast. "W-well, it may have been somepony else! Zebras usually don’t use energy weapons... do they?" I only kept walking, the cold air burning my nose a bit as I breathed more heavily.

I pulled out a health potion and a couple energy cells, flipping my hair back and plugging one of the cells into my temple. Feeling my magic recharge slightly, I lifted the other cell and potion up to Cross Stitch. I plugged the cell into his own temple port and slipped the tip of the bottle into his mouth, keeping him levitated up on my back so as it didn't outright choke him to death. Come on, drink dammit! A few drops managed to slip down his throat, but most of it dribbled out the sides of his mouth. I corked the bottle and unplugged the cell, dropping them all back into my saddlebags. "They easily could’ve been spies."

Twintails still didn’t look convinced. "Well, how did they, uh, did they... oh, nevermind. M-maybe there’s something on the radio about it." He stopped halfway through, starting to twiddle the dials on his Pip-Buck. He turned to Hi-Fi’s channel, her voice crackling in. She sounded visibly distressed, the sound of hooves running back and forth echoing behind her.

"-urtle here, this is an emergency! Equestria is under attack, repeat, Equestria is under attack! The mountain outside of Emerald Ridge has been hit by some form of kinetic bombardment weapon, near Stable 76’s area. We advise ponies to seek out any form of bunker available to them." She paused for a moment and muffled conversation was heard, Tom’s voice cutting through here and there. "Y-yes, thanks, Tom." She breathed in and out, trying to relax. "A reminder, Stable 34 is uninhabitable due to radiation and, while we haven’t heard anything from the area, we don’t recommend Stable 76. Again, Equestria is under attack, find shelter immediately! We’ll come back on when the situation is considered safe again. Stay safe, and keep listening." There was a few seconds of silence before the robotic voice of the automated message returned.

Twintails flipped the radio off while we crunched through the snow, trotting into the outskirts of Emerald Ridge. "Kinetic bombardment... who in the name of the goddesses above could have access to that kind of weaponry?" I looked back at Cross again. Good, he’s still breathing. We just need to keep going. There was a loud buzzing of wings from around the corner of a nearby building, prompting myself to lift out my pistol, Twintails likewise drawing his Luger. A couple bloatflies flew around, one melting into plasma, the other exploding into a mess of flesh as Twintails and I fired. Cross Stitch groaned at the sound of the weapons discharging. We continued on, Twintails checking over his shoulder that we weren’t being followed.

I looked up at the sky nervously. The clouds above had never been a pleasing image, but now... knowing something could strike down from them anytime, that was downright mortifying. I looked back at Cross again, feeling the shallow rising and falling of his chest against my neck. We’re almost there Cross... we’re almost there.

The doors in the Mooscow outer walls soon appeared, dirty snow blowing in the wind. Thank Celestia! I sped up, panting in the frozen air, and trying the door - it was locked. No. No, no not now! I banged on the door. "Hey! Bloodbeak! Let us in, now!" I was about to kick down the door when there was a click. The door burst open, Bloodbeak holding up a submachine gun with a drum clip in her claws. "Calm down! It’s us!" I said. Bloodbeak lowered her gun, looking relieved.

"Don’t you two do that to me! The whole town’s going crazy because of that attack, I don’t need fuckin' raiders bursting in here too." She let us in, locking the doors back up. She noticed Cross lain across my back. "Who’s that?" She asked, slinging her weapon across her back on a strap.

I stopped, trying to build up the courage to say something. “The attack... S-stable s-seventy six.” I gulped, starting to feel tears welling up. Twintails put a hoof on my shoulder. I looked up at him, seeing he was very uneasy. No one said anything for a moment, our breath clouding in the air. "Go get Cross to the hospital. I’ll fill in Bloodbeak and see if I can contact Hi-Fi. Maybe she and Tom would be willing to house some ponies in her Stable." I nodded and turned down the street. Nopony was wandering the streets, all probably hiding in their basements. Come on, where’s the hospital? I looked back at Cross yet again. Still breathing. Where’s the hospital? I turned a corner, spotting a building with a large red cross hanging from a sign post, cryllic writing hanging from a sign beneath it. I rushed towards it, bursting in.

The hospital waiting room was full of ponies, all looking worried, some barely able to keep in their seats. I ran up to the receptioinist. "I need to see a doctor, now!" The receptionist looked exasperated, scribbling on a clipboard. She spat the pen out of her mouth and looked up at me. Her expression seemed to brighten in a bit of shock as she saw Cross across my back, spotting the dried blood running down his face. She stood up and motioned for me to follow as she walked through the hallway behind her.

"You’re both lucky a lot of these townsfolk are just here to see their families. Everyone’s downright convinced another strike’s going to come down any second." She said quickly. "Here, this room’s empty." She pushed open a decrepit door, revealing a room with nothing but a bed and small table resting next to it. "Lay him on the bed, I’ll get a doctor." She rushed down the hall as I rolled Cross off my back, taking care not to cut him on my wings. Carefully resting him flat on the bed, I pulled the thin blanket up over his almost-still body.

I looked down at him, watching his chest barely move. "You’re going to be okay, Cross Stitch..." I sniffed as I said it, trying to convince myself, leaning forwards and gently kissing his bloodstained forehead. "P-please..." Tears were starting to fall down my cheek as I sat on the floor, never taking my eyes off of his face. He didn’t move. "You’re going to be okay..."

Author's Note

It's always a pleasure to have you reading along with us! As unfortunate it is to say, we're getting fairly near the halfway point with the story as a whole - don't worry though, there's still plenty of action yet to come! As always, this story couldn't have happened without my friend Minty Candy co-authoring and putting up with me week after week.

Woohoo, 100,000 words, too!

Who Dares Wins

The day was lovely; the sun was shining bright in the sky, birds were singing, Featherweight and Buzzy were out playing catch and I was relaxing on the blanket underneath the large willow tree, smiling widely. Green magic lifted up a pair of Sparkle-Cola bottles, clinking them together and catching my attention, one of the bottles levitating into my hoof and becoming uncapped as the young, light-blue mare sat her vibrant self down beside me, returning the smile and stretching her back. The leaves and branches of the tree shook overhead, the smell of recently cooked burgers and fresh fries eminating from a woven basket that rested between us both. A pair of unicorns, one white-coated with a teal mane, and the other sporting a royal-blue coat and purplish mane, trotted up over the hillside, the white unicorn waving happily and moving up towards us. I smiled and waved back, Gamma Ray levitating out an old book from the basket and opening it up to read, the breeze rustling the leaves again.

"Minty! Cross Stitch! How've you two been? Haven't seen you in days." I chuckled and rose to my hooves, giving my wings a gentle flap and moving over to them both, smiling widely. Cross Stitch wrapped a hoof around Minty's neck, chuckling and nodding, tapping his horn to Minty's and illiciting a vibrant blush from the bespectacled pony. Minty let off a light giggle and gave Cross a playful push aside.

"Not in public, silly~ We've been, ah, keeping busy, getting reacquainted... funny how much you can miss somepony after a few days of them being away." My unicorn friend nuzzled his coltfriend, taking the moment to gently place a kiss on his cheek. The deep-blue stallion held him closer, chuckling softly and turning back towards myself, the three of us starting to head back up the hill. The two pegasi seemed to dance about in the skies above, weaving between themselves, one an agile green and red blur, the other a quick but rather slow-moving grey and blue mess of beautiful eyes and strong muscle.

"I was really missing having my peppermint in my mouth~" I could have sworn Minty's cheeks went so red they could match his eyes at that statement. It didn't take a genius to guess exactly what the other unicorn was implying, if my blushing friend's cutie mark was any clue. Cross Stitch passed on a wink, chuckling lightly as we neared Gamma Ray at the top of the hill. A somewhat low droning sound started to grow in the background, myself thinking little of it for the moment, moving underneath the willow tree and settling down upon the large blanket once more. Featherweight and Buzzy landed and walked up to us, Gamma Ray opening up the basket and pulling out the picnic lunch.

"Hope everypony's hungry, this was my grandma's recipie, Alpha Ray's famous hayburgers." The unicorn mare smiled widely, holding one of the sandwiches in her magic and passing out the rest. That low droning sound was getting louder, and higher - it sounded like a, ah, a really really big slide whistle, something like that. I seemed to be the only one there noticing the damn thing - it really was starting to grate at the nerves something feirce. No matter how much I rubbed my hooves at my ears, it just wouldn't stop...

The tone had begun to rose - it was definitely getting louder, turning into a slow whine, then a wail, drowning out all the other noises around. The sounds of laughter, of Gamma chatting between bites, of the large willow tree overhead shaking in the breeze, all mimed and masked behind that damn wailing sound. I threw myself against the trunk, screaming silently, trying to find some quiet place to just be able to think. The screaming tone started to fall, only to rise back to its previous height, still clear in my head as the sky above. Feeling the exclamations of pain more than actually hearing them, my forehead took to smashing against the wooden tree trunk, each impact leaving a slightly larger red mark than the last - the scream just wouldn't stop. Red started rolling into my vision, myself reeling back for one more whack at it. The scream caught in my throat as the exposed bone and flesh impacted the dirty trunk, an insufferable crack and squelch being felt - and heard - as the weakened and damaged bone gave way to the force, splitting my head apart in the same manner as a large stone falling upon a helpless pet. In the last few fleeting moments before darkness overtook me, I could still hear the siren wailing along in my ears, dead eyes staring up at the branches of the willow tree as they swayed in the breeze, the smell of freshly-cooked hayburgers and sweet Sparkle-cola lingering about my broken nose. Everything faded away... except for that siren.

I found myself waking with a start, chest heaving heavily as my bare hoof rubbing against my head - good, good, not cracked. The room in Mooscow; I was the only one in the bed. Minty was probably in the hospital still, Cross Stitch at his side. Four days ago we pulled him out, two days after that he finally was awake and talking. I actually had to remind Minty to eat some days, crazy as it seems - those two really did love each other to the ends of the planet. Always brought a smile seeing them together, happy, cuddling and laughing... just like myself and Gamma Ray used to be. Oh, stop that, at least you saved most of your Stable! Besides, you ought to be happy that you allowed Minty to be happy. Nopony likes somepony who's jealous. Shaking my head to shut my brain up, I peered out the window, hearing that rising and falling tone still wailing out in the Mooscow streets. Families were all making way towards the larger buildings, or out towards Hi-fi's Stable, like an old air raid drill we learned about way back in Stable 34. They'd do those every so often so everypony knew to get to safety when the siren sounded. Huh, so this is what the paranoia of the war must have felt like.

Sliding into my barding and donning the pair of saddlebags, the bite of the cold air was subdued, but the sound of the siren stayed, a constant whine that certainly did it's job as far as getting attention. Leaving the larger weapons behind, I passed through the reception area and out into the streets, flicking on the radio meanwhile. Hi-fi's voice was replaced by the automated broadast of the CONELRAD system, the siren finally winding down as the inner walls passed by. There hadn't been a second attack yet - yet - but it was good to be ready on the offchance they were just preparing. CONELRAD broadcasted as far as Trotisk, and I'm pretty sure the sirens in Trotisk could be heard in Turnpike, anyways. As the sirens died off, there was a crackle of static through the speakers before Hi-fi's voice came on again - I guess she got the switchboard mixed up or something. This was definitely meant more for her Stable.

"A-alright, welcome to Stable 92, er, residents of Mooscow. I... I'm your, uh, Overmare, I guess, Hi-fi. Thank you for coming down and taking refuge as the sirens indicated, this is the first air raid drill we've conducted based on this new threat. Please remain calm, if you need any directions just ask one of the Stable 34 residents, they ought to be able to help. Ahm... I'll come over the broadcast again when they sound the all-clear topside. Hi-fi out." Static fizzled again, and the emergency evacuation messages resumed, the now-quiet streets giving an eerie sensation as I made way towards the hospital. The large cathedral that held the Mooscow Museum was before then, Minuette staring uneasily up into the sky, her degraded lips parting and mouthing silent words. She had sat down upon her haunches, starting to slowly move her hooves about uneasily, as if in a trance. I stepped up to her, wondering if I should say something or not - she was a ghoul after all, maybe the sirens are making her remember...

"Ah... Minuette? Is everything alright?" The young ghoul blinked a few times, having lifted up a forehoof as if she was reaching for something, or holding onto somepony. She let off a shuddering breath, a frown forming across her muzzle as her eyes started to become damp, her flaking body heaving as she began to cry in the cold street. "N-no, don't cry! Everything's going to be alright, it's just a test..." I found myself holding Minuette, gently rubbing at the back of what was left of her mane and letting her rest her chin on my shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks. The faint stench of degredation surrounded her, almost covered by the smell of mothballs and dust - she didn't get out of that museum much at all, did she?

"Sc-scared, mommy... don't want the bombs, mommy, make th' bad noise stop..." Mommy? What was she calling me mommy for... she was just a filly when it happened, wasn't she? Oh, goddesses, how did that come to happen. They really didn't all go together when they went, not at all. Squeezing the mare in a gentle hug, her degraded flesh squelched against my frontal barding, her shuddering cries slowly turning into soft whimpers as the wind filled the air about us. Standing myself up, I looked to her eyes, seeing her wiping at them with her flaky foreleg and sniffling in some mucus. Couldn't just leave her here like this...

"C'mon, why don't you, ah, tag along with me? I'm heading to visit some friends, and you look like you could use the fresh air." Myself passing on a smile, the mare looked up and nodded, easing up from the snow and idly digging at it, still seeming unnerved. I wanted to ask her how it happened, what it looked like, but... maybe some things are better left undiscovered. Pausing for a moment and digging around in my saddlebags, a light smile returned to Minuette's face as I produced two bottles of Sparkle-Cola. She picked one of them up, uncapping it tmidly and starting to slowly sip from it as we headed for the hospital.

"Oh, hey Twintails, Minty went to the bathrooWHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" Myself and Minuette both stepped inside Cross Stitch's room, the royal-blue unicorn sliding up the length of the old mattress and hiding behind his blanket. Sheesh, it's like he's never seen... oh, right. Minuette hid behind my own body, starting to whimper and cry as the unicorn started flailing for his nightstand. "AAAAH! ZOMBIE PONY! TWINTAILS, SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT DEAD ALREADY!!" Okay, yeah, even I think that it's a bit of an overreaction he's having here. If only I had a snowball...

"Cross Stitch?! What's going on, what- oh, hi Twintails, Minuette." Minty soon appeared in the hallway, trotting into the room and looking about it, adjusting his rear barding some. A look of worry crossed his face as he rushed to the side of Cross Stitch, gently resting his hooves against him and looking into his eyes, his non-augmented leg moving to gently rub through his purple mane. Minuette stepped up alongside myself as I moved to one of the chairs, sitting down and watching for the moment. The ghoul mare gently rubbed her head up against me, resting on the floor of the waiting room, watching as the two augmented unicorns whispered between themselves. Idly scratching at my head, Cross Stitch seemed to relax a little the more Minty talked with him, every now and again glancing past the unicorn at myself and Minuette. The ghoul leaned in closer to myself, watching Cross Stitch for a few moments before turning to face me.

"W-what's his prob'lm? Didn't even see I wann't a zombie?" She blinked a few times, rubbing at her eyes. Eck, the sound of degrading flesh rubbing degrading flesh is definitely one needing to get used to. Minty held Cross Stitch in a hug, their horns rubbing against each other for a minute and causing them both to blush rather quickly. Huh, who would've figured?

"Cross Stitch was the only survivor of Stable 76. He's been in here ever since he was pulled out, he's really never seen a ghoul before. Don't be too afraid, he's just still adjusting." I shrugged lightly, Minuette looking back at the pair. Minty had stood himself back up, looking at the both of us and motioning us to come over. Minuette had a small moment of pause before she lifted herself up, slowly trotting towards the bedside while watching Cross Stitch. I'd stood myself on the opposite side of the bed, a certain tenseness filling the room as the blue augmented unicorn looked at the ghoul mare, putting on a weak grin and waving his hoof at her halfheartedly. Minuette bit at her lower lip - well, what was left of it, anyways - hoofing at the floor. I swear you could cut the awkward with a knife and serve it on a plate...

"Stitchy, this is Minuette. She's a ghoul. She doesn't want to eat your brains." Minty chuckled weakly for a moment, gently - that is to say, nearly - resting his foreleg about Minuette's neck. The mare squeaked lightly, looking up through what remained of her mane at Cross Stitch for a moment before looking back to the floor. The purple-maned unicorn rubbed at the back of his head, looking about the room and shuffling underneath the covers. Minuette looked between us, trotting out of the room after a few more moments of awkward silence, much to the visible relief of Cross Stitch. A short way down the hallway, a radio was switched on, the regular radio broadcast resuming as the sirens outside sounded a long, loud note. Minty looked towards myself for a moment, then back at Cross as he sat himself up.

"I don't care if they're older than the goddesses, those... ghoul... things, they're really fucking terrifying." Minty shot him a look, then let off a sigh, adjusting his glasses. The royal-blue unicorn blinked a few times, looking to myself and shrugging. "What? It's true. Please tell me that they're the worst things up here in this wasteland-whatever. I mean, besides zebras." Minty in stereo, just wonderful. Rolling my eyes and turning to face the hallway, I glanced down at my own pip-buck, fiddling with the radio settings. Music, news, that sounded good right now. The last few notes of a song faded, and Bert the Turtle came on, the signal fading and mixing a bit - something with the sirens, maybe?

"Good evening wasteland, and welcome back from that little test of those two-century-old noisemakers. For those of you who still aren't in the know, a new threat dropped out of the sky four days ago and entirely destroyed Stable 76. There's not much of a happy ending to this one folks, because the only stallion who made it out of there alive was barely living when he was helped into the Mooscow hospital. From what Tom tells me from the descriptions of the attack, it was some kind of kinetic bombardment weapon - in simpler terms, a big old rod of metal that slams into the ground so fast it causes an earthquake. Ain't that just a kick in the dead crotch of whoever owned Stable-Tec, built the damn things so they could survive balefire bombs at their front doors, but a little rod no bigger than a telephone pole can entirely destroy one, eheh..." The radio whined, both Cross Stitch and Minty moving their hooves to their heads, rubbing at their temples. Minty swayed as it passed, blinking in surprise, leaning up against the bed and looking down at his coltfriend.

"Anyhow, there's no telling where it might hit next, but better to be safe than sorry. Whoever's controlling it must really hate us to want to do stuff like that. We'll keep you updated as we watch the skies..." The radios whined again, the two augmented unicorns grimacing in visible pain, Minty falling against the floor as he held his temples tightly, grunting and starting to repeat numbers. What the... was... oh no, no, it couldn't be! What was that station doing!? I mashed at my pip-buck, turning the radio off and watching them both. Cross Stitch was dry-heaving - nope, wait, make that vomiting - over the side of the bed, a similar mess forming where Minty was as they both writhed about in agony. I turned the radio off, why were they still doing that!? Unless... down the hall.

Pulling Gamma's luger from the holster on my hoof, I looked down to the other rooms, a nurse rushing past me as the whining sound kept up. Radio, radio, where was that radio!? Throwing myself into an open doorway, and giving the attending doctor and patient heart attacks, I glanced madly about the room. It had to be in here, I had to shut it off! A plasticine form caught the corner of my eye on a nightstand, taking fast aim and squeezing at the trigger of the pistol. The .45 caliber round flew through the air and caused the radio to erupt in an electric explosion, fizzling out in the cold air. Dropping the pistol from my mouth, I fell against the side wall of the room, drawing in heavy breaths and relaxing for the moment. The patient in the bed was sitting upright for a few moments before he fell back against the old pillows, the doctor looking confusedly between myself, his patient, and the exploded radio. I put on a weak smile, shrugging and chuckling between breaths.

"Never liked that song."

After being kindly escorted out of the hospital for the day... and clearing more snow out of my nose... the once-empty streets of Mooscow were filling again, shops reopening as the residents returned from their underground shelters. Looking about, all the faces were uneasy, every now and again somepony glancing up towards the sky and scurrying along to their destinations afterwards. While keeping doors open before was probably unwise based on the climate, they all seemed to be shut up tighter than normally, and everypony seemed to have taken to carrying about their perferred weapons a little more readily. The air just seemed a little bit colder as I trogted along, the cold snow crunching underhoof, lights in windowed shops turning on and revealing their wares - wasteland sweet shops, rebuilt from scrap furniture, Razorwing's goods store. Leaving the radio off, the murmurs of uncertainty and fear filled the background noise of the city, a gentle snow beginning to fall once more.

I found myself slowing down as I neared the courier office, pausing for a short while and moving a bit more leisurely. A jet-black-maned earth pony was moving some boxes down from the bay window, setting them aside with a bit of effort. Maybe I could get a courier job, if Megaspell mary turns out to be a lost cause. I mean, it wasn't like it was especially difficult work, considering most of the deadlier things in the wasteland generally were either bad shots or landlocked. Could probably see about finding somepony to make a bomber saddle, too - that, or, well, something to let me reload my grenade rifle midair. I found myself lost in thought for the moment, staring at my reflection in the window of the office, my own reflection staring back from behind the crates. wait, what?

I blinked a few times in disbelief - my reflection blinked too, longer lashes batting against its cheeks. Tapping a rubber-clad hoof on the glass, the reflection tapped back, reaching over the wooden courier crates marked with faded company logos to meet my own outstretched hoof. I turned my head to the left, the reflection turned accordingly. Spread my wings, so did it. Stuck my tongue out... yeah, that had to be my reflection. I wasn't going crazy, the wasteland wasn't pulling another trick, it's just an optical illusion.

That optical illusion just sneezed.

Blinking in surprise, mouth agape, I only stared in a bit of wonderment as my reflection... no, wait, that mare, that pegasus mare, that pegasus mare wearing a green duster, and a battle saddle with two auto-rifles, and, and -two tails- trotted over to the desk, pulling out an old box of tissues. The bell above the door rang as I stepped inside, in a daze, smelling the dusty air of old packaging and rusting bottlecaps. At a loss for words, I found myself shuffling on my hooves, feeling rather dizzy - okay, when I said I was getting used to weird, this... this is just a whole new level of weird. Is this what Minty felt when we first stepped inside the Plasma Spaz? My reflection- no, no mirror or glass, what would be the word... mare-me? Me-mare? Sister from another mother? Guh. Whatever-she-is, she turned around and faced myself, tossing the tissues aside. "U-uh..."

"Well... yeah, I'm not gonna lie, this is pretty damn freaky, isn't it? I thought Sugar Rush was just hallucinating when she said she saw a stallion that looked just like me, but... goddesses. Name's Flash-Bang." She rubbed at her head, the two auto-rifles jingling at her sides as she moved, just the same way mine did. We both looked over each other in relative silence, before her eyes went wide and she swiftly held me by my cheeks, staring into my eyes. Was -I- this awkward? Sheesh. Letting go of me, she looked out the front window, and then behind herself, beckoning me to move in close. O...kay then, if she kissed me now I think the wasteland weirdness threshold would burst. "Listen to me closely. Have you met a Steel Ranger going by the name Moral Fringe?" We stared at each other for a moment, myself blinking a few times. Steel Ranger? Moral Fringe?

"A-ah... uh... I don't think... Fringe? The name, I kind of remember it. I don't know any Steel Rangers by name other than Nova." I thought for a few moments, rubbing at the back of my head. Fringe... wasn't that one of the names Minty pulled out of that corrupted file? Or, was it one of the gate guards... was that the guy I bucked in the crotch? The orange mare inside my head winced - okay, so maybe it wasn't entirely called for, it got the job done and I didn't kill him. Don't look at me like that. Flash-Bang glanced around nervously again, her hooves pulling myself down to the floor of the shop, her voice in a whisper.

"His armor is detailed with the insignia of his old unit on the breastplate, and he carries an anti-machine rifle with a distinct muzzlebrake. If you... when, when you meet him, ask him about a pony named Wildfire. -Do NOT- tell him you heard it from me." She poked her head up again, eeping a little and hefting myself over the counter of the shop, dropping me in a mail cart filled with old letters. Yeesh, was -I- this goddess-damned crazy? She looked over and shushed me as I heard the door open, a familiar voice barely heard approaching along with the sound of hooves against the wooden floor. But, wasn't she supposed to still be in Trotisk?

"Flash-Bang, thank Celestia. I think that Mossie and Titchbreeze finally found us..." There was a pause, the nervous sound of hooves tapping against the floor heard alongside the shuffle of a canvas bag. Oooh, how I so wanted to peek... "Just listen. I picked this up over the radio a few hours ago." There was a small click, as well as the whine of magic and shuffle of wooden boxes being re-stacked. A staticy recording started on low volume, but you could just barely pick out a mare's voice. By the goddesses, she sounded positively psychotic.

"*bzzhrt*...an make a simulation of a megaspell and use one too, and kill a Stable freely with just the sky above, that's tr*fsszzht*...om plasma to broadside cannons, I command quite the arse...*bshzzzt*" The recording ended, and the sound of one of the two leaning up against some of the boxes soon filled in the noise gap. Flash-Bang groaned, one of her hooves smashing against the wooden boxes with a grunt from her, Sugar Rush gasping in a bit of surprise.

"Just fucking great, isn't it? That strike had them written ALL over it! We were supposed to have a happy ending here, but... they..." Flash-Bang had begun to whimper, and cry, the sound of the backs of the holders for her battle saddle clinking against the hardwood floors telling she'd sat down. Sugar Rush trotted over to her, myself starting to form quite a few pressing questions... like who thought it was a good idea to mail muffins!? Nope, wait, be serious now Twintails. Use those brains of yours. Flash-Bang's cries had become whimpers and sniffles, the sound of a robotic leg gently stroking against mane and... rather passionate kissing filling the air, before she spoke again. "S-Sugar... what are we going to d-do?"

The unicorn mare kissed Flash-Bang again, pausing for a moment of thought. "We'll... we'll find somewhere to go. We'll head east, or, or go west, or north. We'll fly to Zebra lands if we have to." There was a sigh, and they both rose up to their hooves. "No mare left behind. I need to get going, pack my things up. See you in Trotisk?" There was a soft pause, before a light peck at the cheek could be heard, along with the door opening and closing shut. The shop was silent for a few minutes again, Flash-Bang trotting around the counter and looking at myself, reaching a hoof in and helping me out of the old pile of mail... and squished muffins.

"I... I think you ought to go now. Don't tell anypony about... this. As far as you're concerned-" I held a hoof up to her muzzle, a light smile on mine as I nodded and looked to her bright-green eyes. She moved to grab my forehoof, but stopped, taking a small step back and letting off a sigh. "Nopony else knows who we're exactly going up against like we do. Don't... don't try to be a hero."

I paused, chuckling a little, hoof rested against the door. Flash-Bang looked at me quizzically, taking a small step back and moving over to the boxes against the window again. A grin formed across my face as I pulled open the door, the cold wind of the wasteland blowing in and ruffling our manes, my wings spreading out to meet it. "If you're as much me as Sugar Rush is Minty Candy, you know I'm too crazy to not." The mare stuttered a few times, raising a forehoof, but setting it back down, a small smile appearing on her face. "Twintails, by the way. I'll be seeing you."

Stepping out into the cold, wintry street, the bells in the cathedral all rang out noon. Ponies in their own barding trotted about, the stormclouds above dropping a gentle dust upon the streets and faded buildings. A smile stuck on my muzzle, looking up and watching the small flakes falling about, takng a cool, deep breath of the crisp wasteland air, looking out towards the north. For a big problem, you need a big weapon...

And a megaspell is as big as they come.

I snorted myself awake, my glasses hanging precariously on the end of my muzzle. Pushing them up, both the room and Cross Stitch came into focus. “Finally up?” The royal-blue stallion adjusted a bit, chuckling, being careful not to spill the bowl of grits in his lap. I rubbed the back of my neck and twisted my back, a few cracks emanating from them - ugh, I need to sleep in a real bed one of these days. Cross started to eat, levitating a spoon in his deep blue aura. “The nurse was just in; said they’ll check on me later, but I should be well enough to leave here now.”

I smiled a little. “That’s good to hear. Though, eheh, I suppose now we’ll have to find you somewhere else to sleep.” He swallowed the mush, nodding. “Maybe the hotel will sell a room to us. I mean, it's worth a shot, at least..." We sat in silence for a bit as Cross finished up his breakfast. I blushed as my own stomach growled. How long has it been since I ate? Wearing a sheepish smile, Cross Stitch pushed his bowl towards me.

Chuckling, I pushed the bowl back towards him, shaking my head. “You sure?” I nodded, himself shrugging and resuming eating. I stood up, rolling my legs a bit so they popped. “So, what exactly have you been doing all this time?” A pit appeared in my stomach as I gently gnawed at my lower lip. Cross Stitch always tried to avoid violence whenever he could, and... after our Stable... I don’t think he’d be too happy finding out about Megaspell Mary.

“W-well...” I said, trying to seem as natural as possible. “I’ve been... running things between cities. You know, courier stuff.” Cross Stitch nodded and finished up his food. “We were actually running a package, when... you know.” My voice trailed off. Our ears lowered as the clack of hoofsteps passed us. “How did you even manage to survive that?”

Cross Stitch looked at the floor. “I, ah, I don’t know. The Stable shook and groaned, there was a flash, and I guess I was just far enough away from the blast at the time... I really don't know how I wound up at the entrance.” He stared into his bowl for a moment, idly swirling the spoon about, wearing a frown. “It’s just... all those ponies...” Trotting over to him, I leaned in and rubbed my muzzle against the side of his head gently, lifting a hoof to hold around his body. He did the same, resting his head on the back of my neck, both of our eyes watering as we held there for a few moments. He pulled his hooves around me, starting to sniffle, and whimper. There was a knock at the door. We looked up from each other, myself wiping my eyes.

The nurse was standing in the doorway, holding a clipboard. “Ah, I’m not interrupting, am I?” Cross shook his head, wiping his own eyes dry. The earth pony mare in tattered surgical dressing trotted forwards, flipping through the papers with a hoof. “Well, it looks like you’ve been doing very well the past few days. Step out of bed and I’ll check you over. Have you been feeling well?” Cross nodded as he swung his hooves over the side of the bed, standing up. His spool and thread cutie mark still kept on his flank - goddesses, has it really been this long since I've last seen him naked? I... I may need to ask him to see about giving this armor some extra size, it's kind of tight around the waist... The nurse inspected him, making a few marks here and there on her clipboard, smiling as she slid the pencil back in the clip. “Well, a few minor cuts are still healing, but nothing I’d be worried about. If you think you’re up to it, you’re free to go.” She smiled, nodding once and turning to trot out of the room.

“Thanks.” He replied simply. I hitched up my saddle bags, Cross following me out of the hospital. A pair of ponies were mulling over an old radio with a bit-sized hole in the side - so that's why Twintails was kicked out. The wind blew hard against our exposed flesh, Cross shivering in the makeshift denim jumpsuit. The pants he’d sewn up from my old stable barding weren’t exactly of the warmest material - hell, anything without an interior lining probably counts as 'something you don't want to be caught out in the cold in'. Maybe even a, I dunno, giant hat might help keep some heat. We trotted through the streets, the occasional icicle shattering as it hit the ground ringing through the air and meeting along with the other bustle of Mooscow. I picked up a bag of oats as we passed by a food stand, thanking the goddesses I had enough caps. Could my stomach eat throuugh armored barding?

“Hey, Minty, Cross!” Twintails called from down the street, spreading his wings and landing alongside us, a semi-nervous look on his face. He brought his voice down, trying to not let Cross hear. “I just overheard something you’d want to hear. That attack might-” I cut him off, mouthing ‘tell me later.’ He nodded, noticing Cross’s inquisitive look. We walked down the street, a gentle snow falling from the sky.

“We’re heading out to the hotel. They might be willing to sell a room to me.” Cross said, breaking the silence with a smile. Twintails nodded and passed on a light smile as I started to eat more oats. Ooh, it’s been way to long since I’ve had a real meal. We passed by Old Colt Johnson, who grinned widely and waved at us. Turning down the street past the cathedral, the hotel appeared on the corner, Twintails looking to the large structure with onion-shaped domes. A bluish blur hid itself in the window as we passed, soon stepping through the inner fortress gateway, and subsequently, the hotel. The receptionist smiled as we entered, myself trotting up to the desk as Cross Stitch and Twintails sat down on the couch, looking around idly.

“Ah, do you have any more rooms available?” The receptionist nodded and reached for a key, muself stuttering for a moment as she poked her head back up. "W-well, actually. I was wondering if you’d be willing to sell a room. M-my friend, he, uh, he just came out of our St-... Stable, and needs a place to stay.” The receptionist placed a key on the counter, pausing and thinking for a moment, turning and looking at the small board behind herself. I looked over to Cross and Twintails, who’d pulled the desk with the chessboard out, Twintails setting up a game of checkers. Of course he was using the Sparkle-Cola caps. I couldn't help but smirk as Cross Stitch passed a small look of disgust to him at seeing how many of those bottlecaps he had. The receptionist cleared her throat, prompting myself to turn back around, seeing her holding a clipboard and tapping it.

“Hm, I suppose I could for... 400 caps. Don't think I'm picking on him while he's down, I... I mean, I heard about what happened, but I still need to make some money.” She shrugged gently, setting the clipboard down on the counter. I grimaced a little, looking into my cap pouch. 241. Horse-apples. I bit my tongue a bit, trying to think of a way to convince her to lower her price, looking back at Twintails and Cross, who were starting their game. I noticed Cross’s new clothes.

“Hey, my friend is a seamster. If he’d be willing to help fix up some of the fabric here, would you be happy with, ah, this?” I placed my caps on the counter, a weak smile on my face. She counted them up, thinking for a minute before scooping them into the cash register, tossing the cap bag back to me. I stuffed it back into my saddlebags, the receptionist giving me the key.

Trotting back to Cross and Twintails, they both seemed to be stuck in a stalemate. “Cross, she said she’s willing to give us the room if you help with fixing up some of the place. Curtains, bedsheets, clothes, things like that.” Cross smiled as Twintails scooped the caps back into his saddlebags, grumbling idly. We started to trot up to the room, Cross inspecting the carpet and curtains more closely.

“Oh, goddesses, I’d be more than glad to. This place could really use some help...” We reached the room, unlocking it and stepping in. He looked about the musty old hotel room, chuckling a bit. “Maybe I can even set up shop here sometime, too. Nnf...” Twintails sat on the dusty bed, brushing the film off of the blankets. The blue stallion fidgeted, gnawing on his lower lip and crossing his rear legs - okay, maybe it was good I didn't partake in that breakfast. “Dwah, p-pardon me, I need to, ah, use the bathroom...” Cross stepped into the bathroom ratehr quickly, shutting the door behind himself. I know hospital food isn't great, but, yeesh...

“What was it you wanted to tell me?” I walked over to Twintails, bringing my voice down a little. Twintails looked over to the door, double checking Cross was occupied. From the sound of things, that hospital food -really- didn't agree with him... welcome to the wasteland, Cross Stitch. The pegasus motioned for me to step closer, to which I obliged - really didn't need the backing sounds, Stitchy.

“I was at the courier station, and Sugar Rush came in. I overheard a recording she took off her radio, and it sounds like they know something’s up.” My eyes widened a bit. She wasn’t a spy, was she? And, 'they'? Almost as if he read my mind, Twintails shook his head. “No, no, it didn’t sound like she was working with the ponies who did this. Just, like she knew the ponies who made the attack. And…” He paused for a bit. There was a toilet flush, the sink faucet turning on. “That ranger following us, the one we looked up in the Steel Ponies archives? I think his name’s Moral Fringe. That’s what Flash Bang said, anyway.”

I was about to ask who she was, but Cross stepped out of the bathroom, groaning a bit and holding his stomach. Oh, now that really... uck, that just smelled sick. Twintails stood back up, walking towards the door. “Um… Cross? I... I really hate to leave so soon. But… we have… stuff to deal with.” Cross’s ears lowered, his hoof moving to the floor as he trotted up to myself. I pulled him into a hug... making a point to not sniff in too hard. “I’ll be back soon as I can, Cross. Don’t worry.” He squeezed me tighter, nuzzing against my cheek softly. I petted the back of his mane, squeezing him back. “I’ll be alright, Cross. You keep yourself safe.” He gave me another squeeze before breaking the hug.

“Just… be careful.” I smiled and gave him a soft kiss on his nose, prompting him to blush as I turned to follow Twintails out of the room. Passing the front desk, the receptionist was idly reading through a magazine, halfheartedly looking up to watch us trot out. We were soon walking out of the hotel, the freshly fallen snow crunching beneath our hooves and cool wasteland air ruffling our manes. Twintails waved a hoof to Razorwing, who was re-boarding up a hole in the wall of his store as we passed by, the griffon waving back with a smile. I need to remember to ask for some caps on that delivery to NEAMO... Bloodbeak opened the door to allow us out of Mooscow, her drummed SMG as we passed.

“I know you’re not going to want to, Minty,” Twintails said as the door shut behind us. “But we need to go back to Stable 76. The ship crashed near there and we need to launch it again if we ever want those motors to make it to NEAMO.” I could feel the pit in my stomach drop. Go back?

“B-but, what if there are more of those armored ponies there?” My pupils shrank down in horror. “Oh, Celesita, what if my Stable’s become a pack of feral ghouls? I-I couldn’t kill them! I- I-...” Twintails placed a hoof over my shoulder as we trotted down the road. I looked over at him, beginning to think of everything he’d lost. His Stable… Gamma Ray… I didn’t want to think of what I’d have done if Cross hadn’t been ok. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you, either.” Twintails held myself in a hug, both of our eyes watering a bit. After a moment, my pegasus friend held myself out and smiled, looking at my back. I ruffled the metallic wings, spreading them out as he took a step back.

"How about a long-distance flying lesson?"

We were trekking up the mountainside, the tail end of the missile finally coming in view. Just don’t look to the left, Minty, it’s okay. Just don’t look. I did my best to keep my eyes fixated on the rocket, but the occasional rock tumbling snapped my eyes back to the mountain where my Stable entrance... my Stable as a whole, used to be. I tore my gaze away, looking back to the missile. Come on, Minty, you’ll be fine. We fluttered up the last leg, the mountain side being far too icy and steep to get a proper grip.

I landed next to the cockpit as Twintails went to inspect the engine. “Well, I guess we should be lucky the snow’s deep up here. I guess KB really was being honest about having the missile ready for us. Glad it kept with being out in the cold for so long.” He opened up a panel, looking inside the rear of the engine. It just looked like a bunch of fanblades and talismans - this thing is what actually was propelling us from Trotisk all the way here? I looked over the cockpit as he went to look at the wings - there weren't even any cracks in the glass, and all the bolts and hinges seemed like new. Buh, weird alien technology... “This thing looks even better than when we found it! And, huh, what...” I took a look in the cargo bay, Twintails pulling out a greenish tube of... green stuff from the cockpit.

“The motors are in good condition, just a little dinged. You really want to try to fly this again?” I turned to face him, taking a step back from the missile. “Unless you got landing lessons in Mooscow, I don’t think that’s too good of an idea.” I chuckled weakly, prompting an eyeroll from Twintails. “I guess that’s if we can even get this thing to launch.” I walked over to the engine with Twintails, looking it over for a moment before he shut the latches on the hatches. “You got any ideas?”

He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin a bit. “Well… without the launch track, you might have to, well, fling us along. Encompass the missile in your magic if you can, just keep us pointing out of the snow long enough for teh turbines to get up to speed. We... we could wire your horn right into the generators." He chuckled rather enthusiastically, opening up the canopy with a hiss of pressure. "Besides, I think I can figure out how to land it this time… probably.” I grimaced a little at his lack of concern for landing, but at least launching it shouldn’t be too hard. Twintails and I hopped into the cockpit. He fiddled around with some of the wires behind the control panel, pulling out a few and handing them to me. “Alright, let’s see if this works.”

I wrapped the wires around my horn, feeling a few sparks fly as the metal made contact with each other. I focused my energy, feeling the electricity flow through the wires in my head, and it beginning to pound as the engine sputtered behind us. The craft lifted up from the snowbank, only slightly, myself really feeling the strain - bwuh, the motors were bad, this felt like I was trying to lift a, a boxcar or something. Just a little more... The engine gave a large roar and steadily increasing whine as flames flew from it. Twintails wrapped a hoff about the control shaft, pushing the throttle fully forwards as a surge met my horn, us floating a little bit higher up above the snow. Ugh… I think I’m going to pass out. I pushed all the energy I could into levitating the missile, the craft giving a lurch upwards as Twintails pulled back on the shaft. There was a jolt of acceleration that sent us both back into our seating positions, myself pulling the wires off of my horn finally, tying them together, panting. Ooh, that was a bad idea... it worked, but it was still bad. Resting my head against the window, I looked down at the ground. Stable 76 was falling away beneath us, the mountain growing smaller as we climbed higher. The pit in my stomach grew a little more as I thought about leaving Cross. I closed my eyes tightly, listening to the whine of the engine and breathing in the warmed air. Maybe a little sleep will help...

I awoke to Twintails’ repeated swearing, a bright red light flashing on the array of switches and dials. “Shit, shit, shit the fucking bed!!..” Twintails was doing his best to keep the rocket steady as it careened towards the ground. I looked out the window, seeing that we were closing in on the familiar odd green lights of NEAMO. And fast. Twintails looked back at me. “Ooh, fuck me witha fuel rod, we're gonna have to ditch!” He smashed his hoof into the release button, the cockpit’s glass canopy flying off with an explosive latch release. Wind rushed through my mane and ears as Twintails and I shoved off, jumping out of the rocket. My wings flared open, catching the wind as the talismans whirred to life. I fell a few feet before gaining stability, Twintails hovering beside me. We watched and grimaced as the rocket smashed into the ground, plowing through the snow as a few ghoul guards leapt out of the way. The rocket came to a slow halt as Twintails and I dove down to it. “Unf, so much for the cruiser. Hopefully the motors aren’t too busted up from that... You alright?”

“Y-yeah. Mostly. You?” I said, terribly shaken. The hatch slid open with a loud screech, allowing Twintails and I to peer inside, some of the ghoul guards moving over towards us. “Well, the motors are a bit damaged, but I’m sure they can be fixed up rather easily. Electromagnets and grease.” White Thunder trotted past the group, his long-barrel revolver being reholstered and angry chuffs of steam coming from his mouth.

“What in Celestia’s name did you two think you were doing?! Need I remind you of all the delicate, expensive, and EXPLOSIVE materials we've got stored here? Not to mention we’re going to have a field day with ponies following that trail to see what just shot through the sky, especially with the paranoia of another Zebra attack abound!” He fumed, as other ghouls began to unload the cargo hold. After a moment of regaining himself, he checked the motors over before waving the ponies to begin carrying them into the facility. “We’re lucky the motors are fine, but you two better head inside to talk to the Doc.”

He shooed us away before lifting up one of the motors with another ghoul and beginning to haul it into the building. Twintails and I trotted between the barrels of radioactive sludge, our geiger counters clicking as a few more ponies passed us by. We stepped through the doorway, the howling wind muffled by the thick walls and long staircase. I followed Twintails through, keeping my eyes averted from most ghouls. Ech, they still grossed me out a bit.

The large doors slid apart to reveal Megaspell Mary, the giant barrel pointing up at the cloudy sky hidden by the egg-shaped dome, the maneframe beside it whirring and clicking every so often as red, amber and green lights continued to flash upon it. The Doc stuck his head out of the barrel, smiling as he saw us. “Well, well, I was sure you two were dead.” He dropped down from the mouth of the barrel onto a maintenance rafter. “That was quite an entrance you made, let’s just hope raiders don’t take that as a sign to invade.” A sarcastic tone held in his voice, though faded quickly as he walked around the motor, moving the belt around the gears and played with the stator. He looked stunned. “Th-these are in amazing condition! I take back everything!”

Twintails chuckled a bit. “We’re just happy to see Mary rebuilt.” I nodded along, though something didn’t sit quite right with me when I thought of Megaspell Mary running again. The Doc motioned for us to follow as he hefted up the motor onto his back before walking down a flight of steps towards the base of Mary. I levitated off a panel he indicated before disconnecting the old motor. Goddesses, this thing really did need new ones, the motor I pulled out looked more like a rusty oil can than something that belonged in a factory. He slid the new one in place, connecting various wires and belts, grinning widely. Ugh, do not need the anatomy lesson...

“Well, Mary’s certainly not ready for prime time yet. We still need the firing material before we can rid Equestria of striped-skin scum. In retrospect, we probably should have had that shipped over here via Sunrise Castle well before the war had a chance to happen... buh, no matter.” He double checked the placement of the motor, giving a chuckle of elation and climbing out of the maintenance hatch. “If you two keep up this good work, I can devinitely promise you front row seats for the first firing. Might even see if I can't work in footage of the target via that old Equestrian Aerospace Defense place's servers, if that place is even still there.” He chuckled gleefully, getting to the top landing, both of us folloing behind. I could feel the pit in my stomach return. What if somepony else got ahold of Megaspell Mary? What if they managed to fire it off? I thought back to my Stable. The mountain being there, then the next moment…

“W-well, let’s hope it doesn’t take too long.” I tried to smile, but it wavered a bit. Twintails raised his eyebrow at me, starting to look a little concerned, slowing down. I looked between him and the Doc, trying to keep the smile plastered to my face.

“What’s wrong?” The Doc turned about, his expression becoming more serious as I lowered my head and ears. I kicked a little at the floor with my augmented hoof, a quiet hiss of pressurized air flowing out of the hose. A dawn of comprehension crossed Twintails’ face, quickly replaced by a depressed look. “Oh.” He said simply, biting at his lip for a moment. “Doc… maybe… maybe we might need to think this over.” He said.

The Doc spoke up before I could turn away. “What’s the matter? You two aren’t planning on quitting yet, are you?” He asked, a sensation of building fervor in his voice. I tried to say something, but my voice caught in my throat. “Didn’t that strike mean anything to you? We’re still under attack!” He said, his voice getting progressively louder and more hysterical. “The next strike could be any minute now!”

I felt my voice unclog as I furrowed my brow. “That’s it, the strike. In case you didn’t hear, but that wasn’t just a random mountain they hit. That was a Stable.” I leaned in, raising my voice. “-My- Stable. So forgive me if I’m not exactly excited about seeing this thing re-activated, if I’m not sure what you’re going to be pointing it at.” Twintails looked between me and The Doc, looking worried, and taking a step back. He had all rights to.

The Doc chuckled a bit. “You think I want to fire Mary off at Canterlot, or something? Believe me, there are a million easier ways I could be doing this. I could be sending a distress call, trying to smuggle back the megaspells, hell, just wiring this place's warheads to all detonate at once would be a more efficient plan than trying to recruit some ponies to rebuild Mary.” He stepped closer, our muzzles inches from each other. His expression dropped again, my own wavering for a moment as I could smell his hide. Death, sweat, and decaying flesh. “So forgive -me-, if I don’t take kindly to not being trusted.”

I could feel my face growing hot as I stepped closer again, our muzzles almost touching one anotehr. “Your current plan sure seems to be working so far, and this place does seem to have good strategic positioning. Who knows what you’re planning.” Twintails tried to interject, but I just kept speaking, feeling the same anger build up as when I saw the armored pony standing over Cross. “When you’ve seen your home destroyed, and everypony you’ve known-”

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK -I- WENT THROUGH?!” The Doc exploded, pressing in as close to me as he could. “I have had my ENTIRE home destroyed. I knew those shadows you see on the walls, by name, and saw families crawling, running, screaming, begging for help in their last moments. I want to try to stop that from happening again, and now you’re having second thoughts!? You lost two hundred? I lost two -million-.” The Doc stepped back from me, breathing heavily, before turning and walking up the steps. Before he reached the top, he spun himself around to face us again.

“You consider that the next time you try to tell me what suffering is."

Well, if this wasn't a rather unnerving turn of events. Minty really had some good points in it all, but the Doc... he should know what he's talking about. I mean, goddesses, I couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like for him to have actually seen stallions, mares, and foals all turning into blast shadows. I found myself leaning against the wall of the motor service tunnel, Minty having trotted ahead and out of it already, wearing a stern look as he turned down the hallway to the washing machines and sick bay. Stepping up from the hall, a pair of ghouls inside full work suits trotted past, carrying with them another one of the motors on their way to installing it. The Doc rested against the maneframe, his head hung and rested against his foreleg, the old ghoul regaining himself.

"You have a very interesting friend with you, you know. I've never met somepony with such an arrogant attitude, even before the war." The stallion's tattered brown mane fell across his eyes, prompting him to brush it back, his hoof moving to rub along the metallic container for the massive maneframe. He paused for a moment, looking upwards at the massive-bore barrel, myself shuffling a little bit upon my hooves as another pair of workers passed by. "Sunrise Castle Air Base is located directly to the far north of Trotisk, at least, it should be. If the firing material isn't there, then it'd still be in Pripytrot, at the Military Ordnance depot outside the city." The old ghoul turned and faced myself, a look that I just couldn't pin down across his muzzle. "Unless, you're following him, and letting be. The world's changed a lot since you two arrived, both here and out there..."

"...and, for some problems at least, I still think Mary would be the answer. Whoever called down that kinetic strike is still out there, and, well... fight fire with fire, right?" I smirked, watching the Doc blink in a bit of surprise. The faint hints of a smile returned to his face, his strained eyes growing soft as he trotted forwards a few steps, taking one of his degraded hooves and resting it upon my shoulder. The odors of heavy metals, aged grease, oxidation and decay hung about him, a faint chuckle escaping his mouth.

"A young stallion after my own heart. I'd a feeling I could count upon you..." Yeah, okay then... honestly, I don't even want to know what might be up with him. I mean, two centuries without outside contact, or... you know what, going to stop myself here. I have Featherweight to get back to, I'm going to sleep with him eventually, I just need to focus in on him foremost. The Doc patted my shoulder, trotting up to the gun again with a smile across his face. After a moment of pausing, and blushing... and readjusting my pants... oh, right, gotta get these things washed! And find Minty too, we're probably going to want to set off as soon as possible so we can get back just the same.

Stepping out of Mary's chamber and trotting along the hallway, the hum of washing facilities could be heard coming from the room beside the infirmary. I paused for a moment, poking my head in through the door and seeing the ghoul nurse laying down upon the cot, one of her forelegs over her eyes as she seemed to sleep. She rolled over in the cot, sniffling in and burying her cheek into the pillow, blinking for a few moments before lifting her head up, seeing me standing in the doorway. A blush seemed to come to her cheeks, myself returning it and stuttering, chuckling weakly and stepping back from the door, shutting it behind myself. Y-yeah, nice going Twintails, accidentally watching somepony sleeping in their bed, that's totally not creepy at all. Ooh, where's Minty?...

"Minty?" My augmented friend's hoof thudded against the floor as he paced about the room, every now and again glancing towards the running washer. Biting at my lip, I watched as he turned to face me, the peppermint on his bare flank plain to see once more. He wore a look that distinctly said 'not in the mood', but still paused and seemed to listen... for a few words, at least. "Look, about what happened... I think-"

"I don't want to do this anymore, Twintails. I don't want to keep on throwing myself at death's door, now that I'm with Cross Stitch again." Minty turned and faced the row of washers, trotting up to the running one and resting a hoof on the armor plating of his barding. Letting off a sigh, I trotted myself behind him, looking at the back of his mane. "You understand, right? I'm sorry, but... if the megaspells here are like that warhead, I really don't want that on my mind. I just want to go back to Mooscow and settle down, be happy, you know?" Facing myself, he let off a sigh, his eyes starting to glisten with moisture behind his glasses. His breathing was a little ragged, chest moving rythmically as we stared at each other in the washroom. Shifting my weight about, our eyes stuck again, myself drawing in a breath.

"What about that weapon, Minty? What else could stop it besides a megaspell?" The augmented unicorn turned back around, leaning over the washer again. "What about Nova, and the steel rangers? What about... what about Greasy, and Sugar Rush? What about Buzzy and Featherweight, and Bloodbeak and Razorwing? What about Cross Stitch?" He tensed up, the hum of the washers filling the room. Faint whimpers could be heard from my friend as he hunched over, pulling off his glasses and lifting a hoof to wipe at his eyes. "We're the only ones who can actually have a chance at destroying whatever that thing could be. We could save everypony... and I can't do it myself." Resting a hoof on Minty's shoulder, he shuddered, sniffling in and keeping his foreleg over his eyes. I'll be honest, I enjoy megaspells in a controlled testing environment, like a test range, or at the very least some big field where nopony would get hurt, but... sometimes, things just aren't as easily avoidable. Fight fire with fire. Minty stood himself up, looking back at myself as the washer dinged. His eyes were reddened, and he let off a sigh as he slid his glasses back on, nodding once.

"Alright. For them."

"Good afternoon North Equestria, and thank you for keeping your radios tuned to CON-EL-RAD, 640 and 1240 on your AM band reciever! Bert the Turtle chiming in with the daily afternoon news reports, so keep your ears open and hooves off that dial! First up, and foremost on all you observant listeners' minds over in Mooscow, it was reported by quite a few ponies today that there was a weird steel bird flying overhead, shooting fire out it's back end and screaming an ungodly whine. Chances are it crashed near that old bomb crater up in the far north, and since nobody reported seeing a mushroom cloud, I think it's safe to assume it's either a warheadless or old dud cruise missile. No need to be alarmed, probably was just something getting a wire crossed and taking on a mind of it's own out of Trotisk.

"'But Bertie, I thought Trotisk was just a simple salvage and weapons town, why would they have cruise missiles?' Good question, my faithful listeners! As it turns out, a mare familiar to anypony with a penchant for perusing particularly prolonged pieces of mechanical literature actually was holed up in her factory's basement for all those long years after the war! Greasy Gears to anypony who's more of the 'I shoot things' variety, all in all one pegasus ghoul who knows her way around a whole lotta electric stuff. From what Tom's told me, the R&G Manufacturing company was working on pony-piloted aircraft from rebuilt cruise missiles before everything went to hell - who knows, maybe somepony survived the hundreds of hellhounds long enough to have a joyride. My regards to the mad bastard pancaked in that crater, thanks for making the gene pool a little less retarded!

"Now, in other news, directly from our storm warning center's own weather stallion Tom Neighrer we have reports of one doosey of a blizzard system rolling in from the northeast of Quebuck. We don't advise travel unless absolutely necessary in the next few days, this puppy seems like it'll be long-lasting. Anyways, that's the evening news reports folks, we'll have some music playing for you right now! Up next, an oldie but a goodie, Vera Lynn reminding all of you saddened souls out there that no matter what, there's always the chance that We'll Meet Again. Enjoy~"

Oh goddesses, this was almost worse than that first night we trapsed out into the wasteland together. Minty had kept his horn glowing bright and feeding some power to that little heat lamp, the air about us just barely livable as the wind cut through like a blade. Note to self, buy a friggin' face mask sooner or later! Teeth gritted and mouths shut, we powered on, hardly able to see our hooves in front of our faces - thankfully, we remembered that our EFSs came with compasses this time. We keep heading to the north/northwest, we'll run into Sunrise Castle Air Base sooner or later... in retrospect, we probably should have brought a tent.

"When are we gonna get out of this goddess-damned storm!?" Minty was leaning against the wind, his augmented hoof leaving a distinct deep mark in the soft snow, just barely visible after a few minutes due to how much of the white stuff was flying about. I glanced down at my own Pip-buck - we were way far in uncharted territory. The little indicator for our rough location even called where we currently were the 'Big Empty'... lovely. My unicorn friend looked back, a hoof moving to rub at his temple as the light from his horn sputtered out. Moving in close to him, the wind bit at us both, howling around in our ears and drowning out most other sound, forcing us both to yell just to hear one another. "I can't find any more spark batteries! What're we going to do?!"

"I dunno! We gotta keep moving, I guess, this storm can't last for MUCH longer!" Wrapping a wing around Minty, I held him close to myself, feeling the pitifully small amount of heat coming from the lamp. Well, at least our soda will be kept cold! Along with everything else... another gust of wind cut at our exposed skin like a burst of tiny daggers, prompting us both to duck. Ooh, if only I had a balefire egg, I could blast us both a crater to shelter in. Forty millimeter grenades had a kick, but they wouldn't be enough to do it. The gust died down, and we both stood up on our frozen limbs and continued onwards. Minty seemed to be stumbling a little more, looking down at his augmented hoof with a grimace.

"Fuck! The fluids are f-freezing up! C-can't move the d-damn thing!" He beat his leg against the snow, it remaining stiff and otherwise just thudding with each impact. Sliding around to the other side, I lifted up his augmented leg onto my neck - damn, this thing was heavy! - and switched the wing around, holding him close again. We couldn't stop, we'd freeze ourselves to death if we did. Minty's breaths hung in clouds that were whisked away by the wind, his eyes barely open as we fought against the storm. I peered ahead, trying to see some sign of shelter - what I saw instead was a helmet lamp. Blinking a few times, I tugged Minty along through the snow, us both stumbling a bit before making way, the icy blast whipping around us. The light bobbed as the figure who wore it moved - oh, please be friendly, please be friendly, please be friendly...

"The right hell are you doing out here!? Are you both insane?!... don't answer that." A voice with a rather distinct and strangely familiar accent came from the figure, the form of a set of steel ranger powered armor moving towards us, along with the barrel of a very large rifle mounted upon it. The figure helped lift up Minty, a thick blanket moving out of a case on his armor in a light-bluish aura that gave off an ozone smell, wrapping around all three of us. "You're both mad to be all the way out here, you know. This storm isn't going to-" Minty let off a sound halfway between a scream and groan, the hoof that was being supported by the steel ranger rushing to rub against his temple. The steel ranger rushed to get his armored hoof underneath Minty's body, the visor of his helmet rushing to glance between Minty and myself. "The hell's wrong with him?!"

"SevenTEEN... FORTY-siX... nine... THIRTY TWO!" A small stream of blood dripped from Minty's nose as he rattled off a stream of random numbers through gritted teeth, inbetween screams of pain. Holding out a hoof around his neck, I watched as my augmented friend began to dry heave between numbers, the steel ranger leaning in then pulling back and holding Minty's head with a hoof. The contents of Minty's stomach sizzled in the snow, the augmented unicorn shuddering as his weight shifted, the both of us moving to try and catch him. The wind blew harder around us both, the blanket being whipped in the air before the horizon - at least, what I think was the horizon - lit up in a brilliant greenish white.

Twice.

"Fuck me with a fuel rod, GET DOWN!" Without thinking much about it, I threw Minty into the snow and wrapped a hoof around the neck of the steel ranger, pulling them both down and hefting the blanket over us all. One balefire bomb was awesome, two... okay, well, yeah, two was twice as awesome, but who knew how far away those two were!? The ranger grunted, getting his hooves underneath himself again and lifting his helmet from the cold snow, turning to face myself as I braced and hung onto the edges of the blanket. The wind roared above, mine and Minty's breaths condensing into clouds as we huddled in the impromptu blast shelter. The ranger semed to stare between us both in disbelief, lifting his head up with his forelegs.

"What the bloody hell is going on!?" He screamed at us both in the confined space, that strangely familiar accent I felt I'd heard somewhere before thick in his voice in the moments before it was drowned out by the roaring thunder of the first balefire warhead's shockwave blasting over us, snow covering the blanket outside as it rode along it. Oh goddesses, that ringing in my head, that was going to take a lot of getting used to... breathing heavily in the wake of the blast, I looked about to see Minty clutching his ears in rather intense pain, a bloody smear across the white coat on his muzzle, and the Steel Ranger similarly seeming to cringe inside his armor. That was one, the second must be further away. I braced and jammed my hooves into my ears, holding the edge of the blanked down with the joints in my forelegs and wrenching my eyes shut. This day was just getting better and better, wasn't it?

A second thunderous roar overtook us all, shaking the ground and throwing more snow onto the blanket over us, the permafrost trembling underneath our bodies and making me really want to get off the crazy funhouse called the world for a while. The steel ranger stood himself up, climbing out from underneath the blanket and casting it over, the clear, dark skies above being cut to the east by a pair of massive, rolling mushroom clouds. I rose to my hooves, tapping against the side of my head and hearing the sounds fade back in, blinking and watching the pair of clouds cutting through the sky. The air felt rather still now, the snow-covered steel ranger staring up at the pair of clouds in silence as well. A few weak chuckles escaped my mouth, Minty letting off a groan and sitting himself up, holding his head. "Buh... oh, not again..."

"Not -again-? What do you mean by not -again-?!" Boy, this guy liked to yell. The pair of clouds seemed to level themselves in the sky, the clear night shining brilliantly as the thin clouds hadn't a chance to regroup and cover it again yet. Oh, look, look, there's the moon! And, and the stars! Goddesses, I'd forgotten how beautiful it was... it wasn't moving as fast as I remember, the last time I saw it. The ranger seemed relatively unphased - besides the obvious, I mean - trotting over to Minty and helping him up onto his hooves. My friend stumbled a bit, regaining himself and trotting beside me, his gaze moving between the clouds. The ranger really didn't seem that amused. "Would somepony like to get me up to speed on things here?!"

"So, what, that's three balefire warheads that landed and didn't detonate now? How many more of these things d'you think there are around here?" The augmented unicorn tapped against the side of his head a few more times, grimacing as he looked down to his frozen leg. Pulling out the heat lamp, he set it against it, looking up across the nighttime sky. "What caused 'em to go off, though? I mean, I think I kinda blacked out for a bit... friggin' numbers were harrassing me..." Minty pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes idly, sitting down in the snow. Our geiger counters began to click lightly, the steel ranger trotting about and looking over the both of us, seemingly rather unamused and holding a hoof against his helmet. Minty blinked a few times, putting his glasses back on and looking up at him, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Ah, who're you?"

"You... I... bloody hell, you're both mad, aren't you?" The ranger shook his head, trotting away from us for a few steps before pausing. There was a hiss of air and motion of mechanical parts as he pressed a button on his helmet, the whole thing sliding off and revealing a shaggy brown mane against a dark green coat. That crackling magic aura resounded again, pulling a cigar from a pocket on his armor and lighting it, as well as pulling out a soft hat that he placed upon his head. He took a long draw off of the cigar, huffing out a thick grey cloud and turning about to face us both. Hey, I think I recognize that mustache... "Knight Fringe of the Steel Rangers group operating out of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense center. I'm just here to make sure you don't get your sorry flanks torn a new one." Oh, well, how nice of him! Not often you have somepony-... did he say Fringe?

"Fringe... Moral Fringe?" I stood up, Minty moving his augmented leg idly and looking at us both. The stallion tensed, his teeth biting the nub of his cigar as his eyes opened in surprise. Trotting forwards, he stood firm, huffing out another smoky cloud - eck, that smell was going to take some getting used to. More important things happening right now, Twintails, get your head right. Dropping my gaze down to the breastplate of his armor, snow clung to it in thick swaths, covering much of it. He seemed to flinch as I raised a hoof and wiped the metal clear, seeing the same symbol I'd caught that first time back in Trotisk; a pair of pegasus wings either side of a short sword, a banner wrapped around them with three words upon it. 'Who Dares Wins'. "You... you were the one back in Trotisk... and, and again in Quebuck..." Our eyes met again, and he took a step back, the barrel of his large rifle just barely brushing against myself. Moral Fringe... Flash-Bang. "Who's Wildfire?"

"Who told you that name, where did you learn it!?" O-kay, note to self, power armor is very heavy and ponies wearing power armor are also consequently very heavy, especially when angry! I felt my mane dragging in the snow as Fringe held his hooves on my chest, staring at me with quite a bit of unbridled fury in his eyes. Needless to say, I'm once again glad NEAMO has working wash facilities. He breathed his smoke-laden breath heavily, the tinkling of magic and whine of three energy weapons being brought to bear heard beside us in the few moments we layed there. Um, Minty, I think his metal armor is a very good conductor of electricity, and is currently very much on top of me!

"If you're thinking about blasting me away, you'd better not miss." Fringe's eyes seemed to soften a bit, the power-armored stallion climbing off of myself and helping me back up, both of us looking over at Minty. He'd managed to bring out practically everything he had listed as a weapon in his pip-buck inventory, aiming them all at Fringe for the time being. A rock, really? With a bright blush and small whimper, my augmented friend re-packed his saddlebags, the largest of his weapons vanishing in bright flashes of light that slid into his pip-leg. There was a bit of an awkward silence, myself adjusting my barding again and looking up at the sky. The clouds were re-forming, and the wind was picking back up - balefire blasts could only do so much.

"We ought to get moving, the storm'll be back fast. Are there any settlements nearby?" Looking over at Fringe, he seemed to pause in thought, taking another draw off of his cigar and releasing it out into the frigid wasteland air in a thick cloud. Minty rubbed at the back of his head, gnawing on his lower lip and moving his augmented leg about, the first few wisps of snow falling around us. The power armored stallion grunted, starting to trot forwards, farther north.

"One town, two klicks north and half a klick west from here. Records state the inhabitants as being mostly harmless... haven't been there myself yet. C'mon." He took another draw from his cigar, moving the nub about and letting off a light grunt. Minty and myself looked at each other, myself checking that the grenade launcher was still secure on my back and pulling the bit for my rifles up, Minty likewise slinging his bigger goop rifle onto his back and trotting along. The wind took up much of the silence as we caught up with Fringe, my augmented friend taking a moment to admire the large-bore rifle mounted upon the armor, and the suit of armor itself. He stopped in his trotting for a moment, tapping a hoof against his chin.

"What's a klick?"

"Welcome back to Roughcoat Radio, your all-stop station for news and talk out here in the big empty. For those tuning in, I'm your flaky radioactive master of the airwaves Dead Air, and my radio is always tuned in, to -you-. Now, we've got some news for you fine folk 'round in Topatow and the Scab, as some of my more striped listeners have pointed out. Pray your hearts don't stop again, because apparently there're more old missiles to the far southeast of Topatow, and they apparently do have live warheads - or, well, they did, anyways. One avid listener of mine, and a bit of a personal friend, Nikolai, he said he'd seen two flashes and two mushroom clouds just a few hours ago. Luna forbid someone stumbled across 'em and figured that getting blasted twice'd turm 'em into some kind of super-powerful goddess or somethin' - balefire bombs do NOT work that way, all my kiddies. If you need a boost, try and dismantle the warhead, not set it off.

"Anyways, you all know the usual drill, I'll be rambling over this thing all day, so anybody with a functioning shortwave can feel free to chime in and give me a buzz. Just don't be a complete cunt and override my signal, y'hear? I know I don't exactly have a powerful station, but the wasteland already has enough assholes to contend with that someone overriding a radio signal is just really fuckin' low. If you're out there and listening you spineless bastard, why don't you take that big antenna and shove it so far up your ass you'll b*Zzzzzzzrt...fssshhhhzt... Pshzzzzrzt...*

"...16...27...24...36...9...86..."

"You know... even I'm a little surprised to see this here." Fringe had put his helmet back on... after the third cigar... as we neared the settlement just visible on the horizon. From a distance it looked like a pile of sheet metal jutting from the earth, surrounding the tail end of one very mean-looking missile. Minty was understandably uneasy about moving forwards and in, judging by what he just couldn't stop staring at - on the body of the rocket that was visible, the white metal was covered every now and again by a black stripe. Or, was it black body covered in white stripes? Something like that, I guess. Fringe looked over at us, nodding towards the town. "Topatow this place is called, from the records. You hear that clicking? Ghoul territory."

"I'd rather keep my coat where it is now, thanks..." With a shudder and gulp, the second anti-radiation pill slid down my throat, settling in my stomach and dropping that red number in the corner of my vision down to a more manageable 1-2 Rad per second. Minty had done the same, keeping mostly quiet as we closed in on the town, the little N in the corner of my vision pointing straight towards it. Even as I shuffled about, it stayed right where it was, aimed straight at that town... weird. The front gate seemed to consist of a pair of very massive - and thick - pieces of metal, a ghoul dressed in combat armor peering down from the upper walkway, holding a battle rifle... how do ponies stand on their rear haunches and fire like that!?

"Hold it there, smoothskins, what's your business?" Minty chuffed out a long breath, staring up at the stallion and matching glares. I blinked a few times, peering up to try and get a closer look at the rifle he was holding - did it have stripes on it? Weird. Fringe stepped forwards, the wind around us kicking up another plume of snow.

"We're traveling from Mooscow, thought we could get past the storm my heading north but our supplies were all lost. We just need some shelter till it passes!" The ghoul gatekeeper seemed skeptical, uneasily trotting - no, uh, walking... how do they do that!? - over to a control panel. There was a whine of a steam turbine, the heavy steel doors parting down the center and opening a few feet, revealing the main town that seemed to be built around the impact crater. Minty stuck close beside myself, keeping his mouth held tightly shut as we followed behind Fringe, the gatekeeper watching us all.

"Welcome to Topatow, don't cause any shit or I'll blow your brains out." The power armored stallion froze up for a moment, letting out a shuddering breath and continuing on further down the crater. The missile itself stuck out haphazardly from a pool at the bottom, steam evaporating from the glowing water's surface and several forms swimming about in it, all of them with threadbare manes and degraded skin. Well, I guess even ghouls have to find some way to relax themselves. Minty took to biting tightly at his lower lip, spotting one of the figures climbing out of the pool, the red streaks in his grayish coat cutting through black stripes. I stuck a hoof out upon his chest, holding him back and snapping him a stern look. Don't you even think about it...

"So... how soon can we leave?" We caught up with Fringe, the stallion stopping outside of an open-air shop, a radio on one end of the counter playing the voice of another ghoul. Minty had his teeth thoroughly gritted, bouncing nervously upon his hooves as he tried to contain himself when he finally got a good look at the shopkeeper - another zebra. She wore a rather cheerful smile... at least, as cheerful as degraded coat and exposed muscle would allow... and pulled up a small box of very high caliber ammunition, pushing it across the counter to Fringe. He tossed down a decently-sized bag of caps upon the counter, dropping the box of point-five-o bullets into a port on his armor with the ozone-smelling magic and turning about to face us.

"If the reports I get from EQUAD are true, we'll likely be here for a few more hours at most. Why, what's your rush, anyways?" Minty was breathing long, deep breaths, looking around the town, a mix of frustration and anger building on his face. The radio on the counter whined loudly, and that expression of murderous intent soon changed to one of pain, my augmented friend falling against the counter and holding his forehooves to his temples. Oh, shit, not again, don't get sick again Minty... he began to sprout off a string of random numbers again, the shopkeeper, some passers-by in the town, and even the ghouls who were relaxing in the pool at the bottom all turning eyes to him. There was a small humming sound, myself trying to figure out what could be causing these weird episodes - let's see, the radio? Well, no, because the last time this happened was when we were walking in the storm, and after he started sprouting off the numbers, those two warheads... My eyes went wide, vision snapping to the sight of the giant striped missile sticking nose-first into the bottom of the crater.

"Oh, fuck me with a fuel rod."

Author's Note

Once again, thank you for reading! The last few major characters introduced, and the final task for Megaspell Mary at hoof, it won't be too long until we'll finish the story up! Of course, without my friend and co-author Minty Candy, Occupational Hazards could've never happened, he deserves as much credit as myself!

~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Signals & Stripes

“28… 42… 17…92…34…” Celestia, make it stop! I spouted off numbers involuntarily, feeling my stomach lurch inside, acid traveling up my throat along with what little was left of my breakfast. Vomiting over the floor again, the cashier stepped bacwards, out of disgust. Twintails was panicking beside me, glancing out at the bottom of that radioactive cesspool as my horn hummed painfully. Shit… Twintails, help! I let off a groan as the numbers continued to filter through my head.

“Dammit man, give me that!” Fringe shouted into my ear, reaching for and grabbing my pip-leg. Gah, don’t pull so hard! He worked with the dials, flipping a switch on the back of it. The inter-built pip-buck began to blast out a high-pitched whine, which quite honestly didn’t help my headache at all. I held a hoof to my head, feeling sick again, but at least now not being assaulted by numbers. I swore seven was mocking me... “Come on, get ahold of yourself. Would figure the buzz is irritating, but it’s better than whatever the hell that signal is doing to you.” The power-armored stallion grunted, holding one of my shoulders and steadying myself as I panted heavily, the whining soon dying off along with the numbers. I looked up at Fringe, coughing a bit. “Why haven’t you learned how to jam signals if that’s your reaction to them, eh? Thought you were supposed to be good with stuff like this.”

My breath was a little ragged as I stood up, the cashier picking up a mop to start cleaning up my sickness. I rubbed my temple a bit, still disoriented but thankfully watching as the planet stopped rolling like water. “Ugh, s-sorry…” Twintails looked back at the bomb in the center of town, a grin forming on his muzzle and his eye twitching erraticly, looking somewhat faint. I thought you liked watching these bombs go off... “Whatever station that is that's doing that, it’s coming in a lot clearer here than back outside EQUAD. If we find it, we should be able to shut it down.” Fringe grunted lightly, giving myself a few pats on the shoulder before we headed out of the shop, the shopkeeper glaring at us as we left. Quit your whining, stripes, you’ve probably dealt with it before.

“W-well, the tower can’t be too far out of the way, it doesn’t look like there’s anything between here and Sunrise Castle. No wonder they call this the 'big empty'...” Twintails regained himself, stumbling a bit on his hooves ad taking a deep breath as we walked through town. I did my best to avoid making eye contact with anyone around - the sooner we got out of here, the better. “It’s probably just an old CONELRAD system stuck on a broadcast loop. Used during the war to confuse dragon bomber strikes. Far as activating balefire bombs, though, that... that's a new one for me.” Fringe led us around the edge of the crater, heading into a small café. Guh, food, yeah, might... maybe not want food that things that are healed by radiation eat. The power-armored stallion laid his large rifle down against a couch, sitting down next to it with a whirr of motors. Kind of wonder if I could bribe Nova into giving me a set of that stuff...

“You two ought to get comfortable, storm’s not clearing up anytime soon.” Fringe let off another grunt, peering out of the old window - huh, why does that look more fitting on that cruiser we hitched a ride in? - and lighting up another cigar. I reluctantly sat down on the dirty sofa, Twintails sitting beside me, his rifles jingling as a small cloud of dust puffed out, a soft clicking being heard from our geiger counters. Fallout-filled furniture, great. We sat in silence for a moment before a ghoul waiter... waitress?... trotted over to us. “I’ll have a Wild Pegasus, anything hard.” The ghoul jotted down Fringe's order as I shook my head, Twintails pulling out a Sparkle Cola. The waiter walked away, and I rummaged around in my saddle bags. Second to last Sarsaparilla, better make this one last... I popped the cap off and slipped it into my worryingly light cap bag, the measly 7 caps jangling against each other slightly.

I took a sip of cola, the fizz stinging a little as it ran down my acid-burned raw throat. A black and white and red form caught my glare as a zebra ghoul passed by the clouded window, breathing heavy. “Why is it Zebras haven’t been evicted from this city yet? The others seem to have gotten the idea down already.” I was about to take another drink, but the power armored earth pony answered myself with a very heavy hoof to the shoulder. I felt the lip of the bottle jam into my teeth, spitting some of the soda back into it. Owwie...

“Keep your smart mouth shut, last thing we need is to be kicked out of here in this weather.” He hissed in my ear. The ghoul returned with Fringe’s drink, setting the orangeish bottle on the counter before he collected the required caps. Fringe twisted the cork out, taking a swig of it around his cigar. “Besides, it’s not like they have much of a choice. If you happened to forget, bombs hit everyone, and everyone suffered the consequences.” I didn’t say anything, only taking another sip of soda. Twintails did the same, glancing around the shop absent-mindedly.

My pegasus friend set his Cola down on the table, leaning into the chair a bit. He pulled up his Pip-Buck map again, checking to see how far exactly we were from Sunrise Castle. The wind howled outside as we drank, ghouls passing by, always unwilling to step back out into the cold. “So, you’re with the Steelponies?” Twintails asked, trying to find something to break the admittedly awkward silence. “Why exactly are you following us around anyways, keeping us alive? Oh, ah, thanks, by the way...”

Fringe slipped the quarter-empty bottle into his saddlebags, turning to face us both, a certain look on his face. “All I'll say, there are ponies out there that have taken an interest in you.” I downed the last bit of Sarsaparilla, levitating the bottle over to a trash can. “Of course, with your habit of charging into any situation head-first, they have every right to be concerned. I'm just, well, making sure you don't get your bloody asses blown off.” He said gruffly, glancing at Twintails. He'd been doing that a lot...

Twintails gave a slightly annoyed look at the mustached stallion, about to say something but only letting off a sigh. We sat in silence for a while longer, Fringe eventually pulling out a deck of cards and started to play Solitaire. I looked out the grimy window, watching as the guards standing at the gate switch shifts. The storm had died down quite a bit since we arrived, the clouds returning to their normal welcoming shade of bluish-grey. Fringe collected his cards and slid them back into their box, tossing it back into his saddlebags before standing up and hitching his rifle to his back. Twintails and I stood up; I cracked my neck a bit as Twintails ruffled his feathers. “The storm’s letting up. If we start now we can probably make it to Sunrise Castle in a couple hours.”

I readjusted some of the metal plates on my armor before we headed out of the restaurant, Fringe having left a couple caps on the table as a tip. The freshly fallen snow crunched a bit under our hooves, the idle clicking of our Geiger counters returning as myself and Twintails swallowed down a few more of the anti-radiation pills. The dirty snow blew through the open gate, Fringe leading us in the correct direction, the compass swinging around madly in the corner of my vision to say that we all were heading southwest- or, wait, south. Guh, stupid thing's probably on the fritz from those bombs. Our Geiger counters quieted to the occasional thirty second or so tick as we put more distance between ourselves and Topatow. I felt my horn vibrate softly again, a faint static filling my ears. I groaned and put my hoof to my head, but the sensation passed quickly. Twintails looked over to me, concerned. “I’ll be alright. Let’s just hope we find that station soon.”

We walked through the snow, the icy winds blowing around us, thankfully not making it feel like I ran my face over a cheese grater this time. Twintails shifted his back-mounted guns a bit, their clinking in the saddle faintly heard over the blasts of wind. We were near the base of a gradual hill, something starting to come into view over the edge. I checked my Pip-Buck, the light green lines showing we were still a few miles from Sunrise Castle. As we approached, the static filled my ears once more, my horn vibrating. Aaagh, shit… not again. I put a hoof to my temple, but instead of a wave of numbers breaking in again, my Pip-Buck gave off a loud whine, mingling with the static. Twintails looked worried, but Fringe continued on. The beep continued, but my headache didn’t grow worse, thankfully - my head simply felt like a dead TV screen, filling with a large amount of static rather than numbers.

Unfortunately, the closer we got, the more the signal seemed to be overpowering what interference my puny pip-leg could put out. Fif…teen… For…ty…Five… I stopped, rubbing my head some more. Twintails and Fringe stopped, my pegasus friend trotting over to me, looking into my eyes. “Are you alright? Should we, ah, should we find a different way around?” A frown grew on his face, myself first nodding, then shakng my head, pushing forwards towards the metallic... thing, my headache pounding. Hold it together, Minty... Twintails looked back up at the top of the hill, the tip of a radio tower now visible. “I, ah, don’t think that interference trick is working anymore, Fringe.” I gave a shuddering breath, praying the transmission would end soon.

“We just… need to wait until… it stops.” I gulped down a breath of air, trying to fight the vomit rising in my throat. My haunches fell to the snow, the fluff dampening my tail as I shut my eyes tightly. My Pip-Buck beeped and whined, trying to dampen the signal from the tower. Seventy… Six… One Hundred… and Three. I groaned, the signal slowing, the whine of my Pip-Buck subsiding. I swallowed several times, forcing my lunch back down. “Al-alright, I think I’m good. I just hope it doesn’t start again when we’re inside. I don’t think I could handle being that close to the signal.” My eyes went up to the top of the tower, watching the slow blink of the red light.

We slowly traipsed up the hill, the small building coming further into view. It was nothing more than a small radio station, the windows boarded up, the doorway blocked by a small pile of snow. It didn’t look like anyone had visited in a while, though that didn’t set it apart from many other buildings that were around here. Fringe tried the handle, but the rusted and iced-over metal didn’t budge. He grasped it in both hooves, shaking it back and forth violently, but to no avail, prompting a stern grunt from teh stallion as he bit on the nub of his cigar. “Alright, stand back.” Twintails and I stepped behind him as he moved backwards, lifting up his rifle and taking aim at the lock. The massive gun cracked loudly as the bullet smashed into the small hole, the door flying open from the force. Ow, ballistic lockpicking, I thought that was just something that Twintails did...

We stepped into the building, entering what I could best describe as a monitoring room. A few tables of switches, dials, knobs, and lights lay before a surprisingly intact pane of glass, which revealed a room of microphones and seats. I trotted up to the desk nearby, looking around for a power switch. Ah, come on, there has to be something here! As I twiddled a few dials, something atop the desk, admist the degraded paper and pencils, caught my eye; it was a small porcelian figurine of a yellow pony, appearing to be hovering in the air with one hoof barely on the ground. I picked it up, her pink mane covering one of her eyes, reading the inscription upon the black base; 'Be Kind'.

Fringe trotted over, scanning the corkboard on the wall as I tucked the figurine into my bag, not wanting him to see it for whatever reason. I looked around the room, spotting a circuit breaker on the wall, a wide grin coming to my face as I quickly ran over to it. Clasping the rusted lever in my hooves, Twintails poked his head up from behind a garbage can - okay, not gonna ask - coming over to help. There was a loud screech as the metal slid against itself, but as the switch fell to the off position, the few still functioning lights flickered out, leaving us in semi-darkness. A sigh of relief escaped myself, along with a light chuckle, finally feeling my head not being massaged into jelly. Twintails fell back, chuckling and grabbing myself in a light hug, wearing a smile as he... wiped his rusty hooves on my barding. Gee, thanks. “Well, thank goodness that’s dealt with.”

As we were heading back out, ready to greet the wasteland again without worrying about things exploding in our faces, there was a jiggle at the door leading into the sound booth. It swung open, a figure freezing mid-sentence as he spotted the three of us. “Oh come on, did this thing die aga-” My eyes went wide; in the small beams of light that tricked in from the boarded windows stood a figure with an unmistakably striped coat. He looked between the three of us, very worried - oh, he had every right to be. He leapt back behind one of the degraded couches, lifting up a hunting rifle. “W-what’re you doing here!?” Fringe stepped forward, but the zebra turned the muzzle of the gun towards him.

“Hey, calm down mate. We thought this place was empty.” The power-armored earth pony lifted a hoof up in front of himself as I lifted up Ivan, pointing the charged prongs towards the zebra. The stripe turned his sights towards myself as I pulled on the trigger, the prongs beginning to spark, lightning arcing between them. The cowardly bastard stalled, looking out from behind the scope, inspecting Ivan more closely. His eyes went wide as he dropped his rifle, raising his hooves - good, always like battles where the enemy knows their place.

“Wait! Don’t shoot, I’m a friend!” He shouted, shaking his forelegs in front of himself. Like hell you are. I pulled the trigger tight, the lightning discharging towards the striped bastard. What a coward - he'd ducked, letting the electricity sear the wall behind him in a big black mark. I popped out the dead ECP - why couldn't that wiry foal-eater just have stayed still!? - but before I could reload, Twintails knocked Ivan off of my back. It fell to the ground, several parts clattering inside of it and sounding as if they'd broken. “Hey, careful!” The zebra rushed over to the Tesla Cannon, inspecting it for damage. I jumped forwards, my dense augmented forehoof connecting and pushing him away, into the wall nearby. Don’t you even think about putting your filly-raping-... As I shoved him to the side, I was granted a good look at the symbol upon his flank. My gaze falling down towards Ivan, the same ornate ‘i’ emblazoned on it's side... euuugh!

“Gaaah! I’ve been using Zebra tech for this long?!” I shuddered, feeling positively filthy, seriously wanting to take a bath or shower as soon as I could. Hell, I'd jump into that radioactive cesspool back in Topatow if it meant I could get the... ZEBRA germs off! Twintails looked apologetically towards the striped bastard, who looked very offended. Oh, cry me a fucking river, you savage. “Wh-why did I take that thing? No wonder it was in terrible condition!” Fringe winced as the zebra’s expression grew angrier. I stared over at him in horror, moving between my forehooves - out, out damned stripes! - and the rather scowly face.

“Great. Of course the captive I lend my cannon to is a racist.” He trotted back over to the power switch, starting to push it back up. “If you’re all here to raid the place, go ahead. Just leave this thing on.” I felt a pit appear in my stomach as he struggled with the switch, my rear legs throwing myself forwards as I shoved him away from the breaker box. He let out a sharp scream as his head banged into the corner of the wall nearby. “What in the name of Luna was that for!?” He shouted, standing back up shakily and holding a hoof to his head. I noticed the bit of blood trickling from his forehead, a twinge of guilt striking through the wall of disgust I still felt on myself. Wh-why did I feel guilty? The zebra rubbed at his head, looking down at the bit of blood on his hoof, Fringe walking up to take a closer look at the wound.

“Sorry, he’s a little… odd.” The power-armored earth pony said simply, as I bit back a retort. “That signal of yours is screwing with his head, turning it back on now wouldn’t be that bright.” As Fringe explained further, I felt the little twinge of guilt building inside myself. I... I hurt someone that was surrendering... no! The one surrendering was a, a dirty no-good Zebra! The soft, timid voice of a mare spoke up, seemingly inside my head. 'That was rather rude, wasn’t it? I mean, the poor thing seemed like he was just scared.' I shook my head a bit, trying to drown out that voice. He was a Zebra. Zebras are all evil... right? I focused back on the conversation, the zebra looking a little less frustrated. “We were just stopping on our way to Sunrise Castle, we'll leave as soon as the signal stops making our friend here have seizures.” For a moment, I was tempted to kick Fringe right in the side. You don’t tell a zebra your plans!

“Fine, but I can’t leave my signal off. Why, that is my business and mine alone.” His enigmatic answers weren’t helping his image right now. No doubt trying to send back information as a spy. “But you said you were heading out to Sunrise Castle Air Base, correct? I know the rough location of a large cache of experimental weapons, that’s how I made Jules here.” He nudged the tesla cannon, a faint smile coming to his face. I felt my cheeks going a bit red in anger, watching him cradling the lightning gun. It's name. Is. Ivan. “Unfortunately, I tripped the security system while I was first there, and all the bots are likely active again. I can’t get in myself, but all four of us might be able to.” He picked up Ivan, managing to swing the giant mechanism over his shoulder with ease. Dirty striped... but, he said he lent it to me... it's done a lot for me- NO! Zebras are chaos incarnate! Their weapons and technology and everything about them is pure evil!! That pink-maned pegasus mare in my head looked a little disappointed, her puppy-dog eyes staring right at me. “Doutful anyone besides myself would even know the codes, and hacking the busted up mainframe would likely be near impossible. If you will help me recover some of the weapons there, I’ll dampen the signal and you’d be free to take whatever it is you needed.”

Twintails looked over at me, worriedly biting at his lip as I scowled and rubbed at my head. Stupid... little... mare... “I don’t think we really have a choice, Minty.” I was taken aback, staring at my pegasus friend's face for a moment. Leading a zebra through to an old military base with security on maximum supposedly to stash of weapons? Yeah, I can’t see any problem with that, not one fucking single issue! Twintails trotted closer to me, lowering his voice. “Minty, even if he is planning on recruiting some sort of army with the stuff in there, do you really think it’ll stand up to Megaspell Mary?”

“I’m more worried about him right now. How do we know he doesn’t already have a bunch of his friends holed up in that place?” I hissed back at Twintails. He bit nervously at his lip, glancing back at the zebra. The stripe was simply standing and staring at us, one of his eyes blocked partially by his Mohawk. Twintails gave me the same look as before, indicating he didn’t have any better ideas. I groaned a little under my breath before turning to face him. “Alright, you’re coming with us. But the station stays off until we bring back what you need, and we’re not afraid to take necessary actions if you decide on backing out on your end of the deal.” I glared at the zebra.

He snorted, trotting forward. “Well, it’s certainly good to know we’re all in a loving relationship.” He trotted past me, pushing the busted door open to the cold wasteland. “After you.” Holding the door open, he returned my own glare, that mocking tone in his voice irritating me to... well... not do anything. We all headed out, Fringe taking up the rear as Twintails and I lead the group. I looked back at the zebra, who let off a small sigh as he brushed some of his mane aside. “Sorry. I’m Nikolai.” He put a hoof out to shake mine, myself pausing for a moment, staring at it. That little yellow mare in my head nudged at couple wires that ran through my brain, urging me to take his hoof. Begrudgingly, I stuck my hoof out and gave it a few shakes, immediately turning forwards again and wiping my hoof on my armor. The little mare spoke up again, a sigh moving through her smile.

'Well, that’s a start.'

"Good afternoon to all you out in the Big Empty, you're tuned into Roughcoat Radio, with your host Dead Air blathering on in your ears, providing entertainment, chat, and otherwise sanity to everyone out there from Topatow to the SCAB. First pleasantries, turns out that pair of balefire warheads that detonated late yesterday night thankfully didn't hit anyone, 'cept they did manage to give a trio of smoothcoats one hell of a scare. Crazy bastards, said they were trying to avoid the storm en route to SCAB - if anyone's still left alive out that way and ya see an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn carryin' weapons towards ya, don't open fire. Last thing we need is another goddess-damned war, as a lot of you can likely agree.

"Anyways, the lines are open, anyone out there wanting to get a few minutes of airtime can feel free to break in at any point. Celestia knows it's not like we've got all that much else going on 'round here..."

The day had carried on rather far... I think... as we all made way towards where Sunrise Castle ought to be located. Fringe had kept his helmet stowed, sticking to his soft brimmed hat and idly chewing on a cigar he'd yet to light up. Minty took to skywatching, his gaze moving around aimlessly, yet always staying away from our new striped acquaintance. I get that he's pretty racist, but, sheesh, come on man. Nikolai traveled a short distance away from the rest of us all, his only barding being a thick jacket and black cloak detailed with ornate markings and scriptures, the large lightning cannon previously owned by Minty cradled carefully on his back. The dying wind whistled around us, myself idly glancing down at my pip-buck - damn, out of range of Hi-fi's station. I could go for a bit of music right now...

"You're a Stable pegasus?" The sound of the new voice behind myself was understandably startling, at least up until I caught eyes with Nikolai. I glanced towards Minty in front - well, he was either not listening or he was showing some goddess-like levels amount of restraint. At least he doesn't have any guns out, or his wings, for that matter. Suppose it's understandable... "Sorry, I did not mean to startle. I'd just never considered that such a flight-oriented species could survive in such... constrictive condidtions."

"Ah, well, yeah... it was interesting, to say the least. Hardly that strong a flyer now, honestly." I let off a weak chuckle, rubbing at the back of my head idly. The zebra beside myself passed on a slight smile, nodding once as I let off a small sigh. Can almost remember what my stable smelled like, felt like... "It wasn't bad, honestly - kept to myself, helped Gamma Ray with the reactor, watched old test films in the downtime..." I let off a small snicker, grinning and turning to look out aross teh wasteland, cheeks taking on a blush. "Couldn't have thought I'd step out into the wasteland and get to see three of 'em go off." Nikolai fell behind myself, the smile fading from his muzzle momentarily as he seemed to pause in thought.

"Three... you mean, those balefire warheads? Why would you -want- to watch them?" He wore a look of confusion across his face, taking a few steps away from myself as a sheepish grin crossed my own. Oh, he's not going to get used to us for a long while. A few light chuckles escaped myself, turning to look at him with that grin; yup, he was definitely kind of uncomfortable. "You're... you're mad, aren't you? Like, just not right in the head at all."

"Everyone's got something going for them. I mean, hell, I don't want to see anyone getting hurt by the things when they go off, but... oh, they are beautiful." I snickered lightly, trotting ahead of Nikolai, still behind Minty and Fringe. A passing glance back at the zebra showed a true look of disbelief, before he shook his head and finally caught up with the rest of us. Welcome to the club, buddy. Minty chuffed out a breath, some large snow dunes passing by us in the far distance, the loose frigid ice being blown about by the northern winds as the night seemed to just barely begin to fade on to morning. Nikolai watched the tail of the unicorn with myself, each breath condensing into small, steamy clouds. "So, ah, why were you out up here, anyways? I mean, besides whatever you're doing at that old numbers station."

"My parents were part of a group that was attempting to reach and establish trade routes between ourselves and your kind, headed for a city you probably know as 'Quebuck'. We were taking a route over the north ice cap, but..." He let off a sigh, looking down at the snow as it passed by underneath his hooves. "I still do not entirely understand why it became such a graveyard for Equestrian and Zebra Ballistic Missiles. The group had split when my mother came to give birth, several scouting ahead. By the time we finally found... what was left... it was only my mother, father, and a midwife left. We came across the broadcast station, and..." He'd clenched his eyes, biting at his lip and sniffling. Okay, far as tragedy goes I think he's just about met Minty-level by this point. "I was still just a foal. Thankfully the station did seem to have a large supply of food, but... I was the only one who was left. We weren't prepared for whatever those things were, with skin coming off in strips and horrible, cutting teeth..." He'd come to a stop, myself alongside him, watching as the tears ran down from his eyes and froze against his coat. Minty, eat your heart out...

"Hey, hey, it's alright. You-you're fine now, you can fend for yourself, and, and... well... you've got friends." I passed on a soft smile, Nikolai sputtering softly as he lifted a hoof to wipe at the frozen tears. Blinking a few times, he looked up towards myself quizzically, his eyes obviously strained, and behind them a young sense of fear. I knew the expression well. Shuffling my rifles a bit wider, I leaned forwards and gently wrapped my forelegs around the striped neck and mane of the zebra, squeezing the surprised equine in a soft hug. What was that about Zebras being evil creatures from hell, Minty? Emotionless, foal-eating, mare-raping demons? Pah. This one's a big softie. I could have sworn I heard Minty's jaw drop and hit the snow as the sound of hooves stopped, Nikolai timidly returning the hug. Fringe let off a grunt behind myself, having turned to look at the hold-up.

"Ay, when you two're done, can we get moving already? Think I see something that looks like the perimeter fence of the Air Base." Breaking the hug and helping Nikolai to his hooves - and pausing for a moment to snicker at the expression of disbelief Minty had on his face - I turned myself about, trotting forwards alongside the power-armored earth pony. Down below the ridge we had stopped on, the faint outline of an old fence topped with barbed wire could be just seen sticking out of the dunes and contouring itself to the outline of the land. Past that, the usually mountainous wasteland became flat, a long expanse that faded to the haze of the snowy night and made the mountains in the far distance seem much less imposing. Minty stepped up alongside myself, Nikolai reconvening on the opposite side of Fringe.

"So that's an Air Base? I was expecting something a little more, uhm, floating in the sky..." My augmented friend rubbed at the back of his head, his gaze moving between the snowy expanse below and the clouded sky above. Fringe let off a grunt, looking over to the paths on either side of the ridge, a hoof moving to check the breech of his rifle. Nikolai similarly brought the tesla cannon around to bear, scanning about the area. "Uh... why the readiness? Something up? Or, something supposed to be up?" Har har.

"The SCAB's supposed to have a group of ghouls and snow dogs living in it, but they went silent a few months ago, and all that's been coming out from up here are hellhounds. I don't know about you two, but I'd rather be able to keep on living, thanks." The power armored earth pony traded his soft hat for the matching helmet, pausing and scanning his view over the air base below, myself taking a moment to bring out that lovely little grenade rifle of mine. Ooh, this'll be fun~ Wearing a grin, my view moved over to Minty, levitating out his old goop rifle with a less than pleased expression on his face. Aw, c'mon, don't be such a sourpuss, we'll probably find more than enough parts there to make you twenty of those tesla cannons, with fuzzy dice too! He let off a sigh, trotting forwards with the rest of us, heading down the snowy slope from the high ridge. Nikolai had taken up the lead, allowing myself and Fringe to seperate him from Minty - we don't shoot hot plasma at other people who have a bigger gun, remember that.

"So, uh... where'd you get that gun, anyways?" With a weak chuckle, I found myself trotting alongside Fringe, that permanently stern look on the helmet that covered his face being understandably not the friendliest sight. The mounting for the rifle was impressive in it's own right, myself mesmerized as it seemed to stay perfectly level with his visor as we moved down the uneven passageway towards the perimeter of the base. "I-I mean, I haven't seen anything like it, not even in the Gun Runner's store in Trotisk. This a custom-built job, or...?" The stallion let off a grunt, turning his helmet's face towards my own, stopping in his gait for the moment. Okay, no touchy the gun that loads rounds that can blow my head off. After a moment of awkward pause, and a few weak chuckles escaping myself following a good few steps away from Fringe, he continued onwards, letting off a grunt.

"Yes, it's a custom model. No, you can't use it. Look, I don't exactly enjoy small talk Leftenant-..." Left-what? Okay then, that was a little... odd, to say the least. Fringe froze for another moment, then continued onwards, letting off a long sigh. Riight, save the small talk for later. I tugged at the straps for my auto-rifles, adjusting them idly, a frigid wind cutting over the sloped path and kicking loose snow about, the lines of the fence that cut through the snowy wasteland fading to the bluish hue of the snowy night, light only just starting to fade back in from the southeast. Guh, things only got weirder as you traveled north, didn't they? Of all the wastelands I could've come out in...

"Easy there, hasn't seen us yet. Stay low, and don't fire unless he's got friends." The line of barbed wire was just barely visible atop the steel fence that divided the snowy wasteland, but the large, hulking creature beyond it was rather plainly visible against the white powder that made up the ground. Fringe had crouched himself down, the rest of us similarly laying in the cold snow with weapons at the ready. Minty had kept a selfish glare on Nikolai as the zebra shifted the tesla cannon in his hooves, holding it in the same way that gatekeeper in Topatow weilded his assault rifle. Still really wanted to know how they trained themselves to do that... "Target range, one hundred meters. Crosswind coming from north-northwest... Goodnight, sunshine."

The rifle resounded with a loud, booming crack, firey exhaust blasting from the muzzlebrake and sending the round downrange. A millionth of a moment later, the beast seemed a bit short in the head department, the limp body falling downwards into the snow, turning it from bluish-white to bluish-black as it bled out. A shudder ran up my spine, but thankfully that Sparkle-Cola stayed where it was, Fringe letting off a satisfied grunt and standing himself up. The rest of us followed, the long barrel of my own grenade launcher bobbing in my view as I chuckled around the mouthpiece. Hellhounds or not, that trefoil around the map marker for the hangars could only mean that fun things were inside this particular pre-war facility. Might have to keep them from wanting to disarm it somehow, but hey, a megaspell is a megaspell...

"I'm looking forwards to no more walking for a while, even my pip-leg is starting to ache..." Minty shook his metallic hoof in the air a little, grunting lightly as he set it down. Oh, such a drama princess... huh, why wasn't he using his fancy wings, anyways? He had to have the power cell-things for it, and I bet that it would've definitely kept him away from Nikolai a bit better. Then again, those things were pretty sharp, and he seemed like he -really- wanted to give Nikolai the good news with his goop rifle... probably for the better he didn't have them on. Wings or not, he did have a point, we'd been walking all night and the adrenaline was really starting to run out, and sugar-filled irradiated soda could only carry you so far. "Think the place where the crews here lived are empty, at least?"

"The scouts that came back from up here all said that most of the activity was around the hangars and control tower, so we should be good for the night. At the very least, stand guard in shifts while the others sleep, just to be safe." The speaker on the outside of the helmet carried through Fringe's voice, along with a light sigh. The motors in his suit whirred as we all moved along, starting to sound under strain and overall fatigue. "Nikolai and myself can take first watch when we get there. You two look like you need the rest."

"Alright. I... just hope we can find enough beds." Minty almost seemed to sneer, trotting ahead of Nikolai and along towards the base. Well, he's at least acknowledging his existence now, and that in and of itself is an accomplishment. Still have a lot of work to do in the 'niceness' department, however. Grenade rifle at the ready on the off-chance another nasty beast needs 40mm of good news, we'd soon reached the large barbed wire fence, looking along it for some easy entrance. The snow hadn't drifted in the same way as it had around NEAMO's fence, making this barrier just about as sound as before the war. Fringe passed myself a look, lowly chuckling behind his helmet. Oh boy, 40mm grenade rifle fence-breaching!

"We might want to take a few steps back, and get ready to run. Worst case, that fence just needs some plasma along the joints after this one..." Nikolai and Minty both paused, myself glancing back at them with a grin and wink, the barrel of the rifle coming level as I readied for the shot. Oh, I loved the smell of high explosives in the morning... evening... whatever time it was right now. My lips pulled into a wide grin as my tongue tugged at the trigger, one firm pull sending the pin into the primer, igniting both it and the gunpowder in the casing, propelling the four-centimeter package of high-explosive goodness in a short arc towards the base of the steel link fence. The detonator in the cap ignited the payload, causing the quick chemical reaction and release of energy that sent a hot shockwave out in all directions, throwing up a plume of snow and warping, tearing, and bending the wire in the fence apart, forming a pony-shaped hole as the reaction ran its course, the snow and dirt kicked up showering down around us all, myself still wearing that manic grin as I brought myself back from the recoil of the rifle. I love my job.

Fringe pushed forwards through the hole first, his metal armor causing what was left of the fence to bend aside and yield, making a much less worrysome entrance for the rest of us. Whaddayaknow, unnecessarily bulky power armor did have some uses! The power-armored earth pony stood on alert with his large rifle as Minty shuffled through next, Nikolai still adjusting the manner in which he carried the tesla cannon to fit through the gap that'd been created. I took the moment of pause to drop the cartridge free of the barrel, smiling and sliding in another round - one of the orange-tipped ones, incendiary, right? Ooh, the next thing that comes up to us is going to get a face-full of fun~ Nikolai worked himself and his cannon through with some difficulty, Minty trying his hardest to show some concern for the Zebra that'd fallen in the snow- no, wait, the zebra's cannon, I mean. At least he gave it back. Wings held against my sides, I pressed through the fence as well, chuckling and taking the moment to look down at my pip-buck map - oooh, so very close to that trefoil! I could taste the mushroom-cloud-causing capabilities from here~

"So, the barracks are... over that way, right?" Pointing a hoof towards the small collection of half-pipe structures obscured by the snow, I smiled and began trotting rather happily towards them - nothing quite like a good old explosion to get the blood pumping again. The rest of the group followed behind, the cool bluish snow passing by underhoof, the wasteland seeming a little bit calmer and pleasant now; or, maybe that was just my tinnitus acting up. Screw that ringing in my ears, I'm just happy to be causing more explosions again! Oh, I just can't wait to see what might be inside those hangars, how big a boom those experimental thingies could make...

The blissful smile on my face faded slightly as I spotted a warped piece of metal jutting out of the snow, pausing outside of the row of barracks and examining the perforated sheet a bit more closely. Could've sworn I'd seen something like that before... something that ran lengthwise to it was unmistaxibly a very dented piece of pipe with a cap and pressure guage at one end, and a very warped handle as well. Must have been some kind of weapon... my gaze traveled along back towards the barracks, spotting a large scorch mark and crater in the very center of the row of houses. Trotting nearby it, it clicked idly with residual radiation, as well as giving off a faint greenish glow - a mini megaspell, maybe? But what... That was when the walls of the barracks came to my sight. Minty and the rest of the group had caught up, my augmented friend pausing as he looked between the front walls of the housing units with myself.

Bomb shadows. Five of them.

They were all pony forms, some of them were mid-gallop, others seemed to be facing towards the center of the crater, all of them very recently burned firmly into the walls of the four houses nearby. The wind seemed to blow only mildly here, barely something you could call a breeze, but chilling to the bone. What could just outright vaporize ponies like that? Were these buildings THAT well-built? Could... could it have been... a balefire egg? Fringe stepped up to myself, pulling off his helmet and lighting up another one of his cigars - sheesh, how many of those things did he have? "C'mon, let's get moving. Find one of the other bunkhouses... I'd rather not spend the night in these ones." Yeah, that sounded like a plan, don't spend the night inside the buildings where ponies were vaporized right outside of and had their sihlouettes burned into the facade.

Further down the row, Fringe wrestled with one of the door handles, finally managing to wrench the aged enterance open and permitting us all to head inside the unit. Arcane lanterns illuminated the area inside, casting a soft yellow glow across the four beds and series of lockers that occupied the room. Minty moved forth and immediately sought to bury his face into one of the degraded pillows, letting off a muffled groan as his saddlebags settled on the old mattress. Fringe set himself up beside the doorway, Nikolai alongside, as I took to one of the other beds, letting off a long sigh as the soft bliss of slumber overtook myself. Goddesses, how long -were- we walking for, anyways? These beds were way too comfortable to have been here for two centuries straight... and yet...

Back in my Stable. It was my birthday. Snickerdoodle had really outdone herself with decorating my cake this year, and everypony was still enjoying themselves in the dining hall. Myself, I'd retired early, resting up in the bedroom adjacent to Gamma Ray's, pouring my eyes over an old copy of one of those Civil Defense booklets and drinking down a nice cold Sparkle-Cola. Oh, the cute cartoon character they used to teach foals about civil defense, Bert the Turtle - it was funny, Junebug insisted that he was a tortoise, something about his shell or beak or something. I didn't really care, the pictures looked pretty and I liked learning about this stuff. I'd flipped to a page discussing the proper duck and cover procedures - which, in all honesty, involved sticking your head between your flanks and kissing your tail goodbye - when the door opened with a hiss of hydraulics, a vibrant light-blue unicorn with neon-green mane standing outside in her light jacket. She passed on a smile and trotted inside, myself setting the little book to the side and getting up from my bed.

"Happy Birthday, Twinnie. You know, you're missing a pretty swinging party up there, heh..." Gamma Ray snickered lightly, wrapping a leg around my neck as we embraced in a light hug, giving a few scratches behind my wing joints. Ooooh, yeah, that always felt good... "Glad to see you're enjoying yourself, sweetie. I hope that that new pip-buck of yours isn't chafing too badly, trust me, you learn to get used to it." Smirking, she righted herself, glancing up at the shelf above my bed. I took a few steps back, following her gaze up to the small statuette of the orange earth pony with the stetson, a light smile coming across her face. "Growing up so fast... still seems like just yesterday your mom came rushing through to the infirmary, you came out almost the minute she came in." She let off a light chuckle, followed by a sigh, resting her forehooves on my bed and levitating down the porcelian figure. The black base was inscribed with two simple words; 'Be Strong.' "We still haven't any idea where your mother got this from. Two centuries, and not one scratch..."

"Gamma... what was my mom like?" The elder unicorn stumbled, dropping the statuette onto the bed in surprise. I trotted promptly over to her side - oh, please don't be having another one of your episodes, Gamma. They're scary... She righted herself, putting on a weak smile and picking up the statuette, setting it on its base. Her eyes moved to meet my own, a free forehoof rubbing at the back of my head, a sigh escaping her mouth. She paused for a moment, looking forst down at the floor, then over to the porcelian earth pony with her mane tied in ponytails.

"She... she was lovely. The most kind and caring pony I'd ever met. You're a lot like her, you know." A smile came to her muzzle as she hugged myself against her side, ruffling my mane a little. Letting off a chuckle, I wrapped a wing around herself, looking down at the statuette with her. "She'd be happy you're the way you are, Twintails. She'd..." Gamma Ray let off a sigh, her magic aura encompassing the statuette and levitating it in front of us both for a moment. "She's in a better place now. She'll always be watching over you, no matter where you are, just like the princesses." With a smile, the elder unicorn set the small figure down upon the shelf, giving a gentle kiss upon my forehead and patting at my shoulder. "C'mon, I think there's still some cake left. Can't let Silver Plate finish it all off again..."

I awoke to the sound of a pair of voices screaming quite loudly at one another, and one having a rather hearty chuckle at the doorway. Popping myself upright in the bed, I couldn't help but join Fringe - on the bed across from the one I picked, a very panicked Minty and very surprised Nikolai stood on either side, my augmented unicorn friend laying quite a beat-down on the unfortunnate zebra with practically every pillow in the room... and a snowball. Faster than I could blink, even more pillows were being exchanged from the zebra at the unicorn, and then returned back; was I still dreaming, or was Minty currently having a pillow fight with a zebra?

I found myself flopped onto my back, rifles clinking either side of me as my view changed from the pair to the ceiling, wrapping my hooves around myself and otherwise laughing myself to tears. This was just too good to be happening, I must be dreaming. After a few moments and further exchange of Inter-room Ballistic Pillows, the feathers seemed to slow to a stop, both Minty and Nikolai looking between myself and Fringe as we worked the last few chuckles out. Nikolai coughed a little, shuffling himself onto the other bed as Minty seemed to turn as red as a stoplight.

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, shut up..." I glared at all of them, Twintails and Fringe trying to keep straight faces as Nikolai rubbed a bit of snow out of his mane. Grumbling to myself, I lifted my saddle bags up onto my back, pulling out my plasma rifle and slinging it over. Twintails readjusted his machine guns as Fringe stood up, loosening himself and his armor after his long shift... did he even sleep? Uck, at least we know one of them isn't part robot. I let off a strong shudder - cuddling up to a zebra was NOT a good way to start the day.

The snow-covered paved path wound its way between more barracks, some of the buildings sporting such large holes I was honestly surprised they were still standing. Nikolai was walking closer to the front of our group, leading us to the large encampment embedded in the snow-blown hill nearest the big flat strip. Note to self, ask somepony what the heck an Airbase actually is sometime. Nikolai glanced behind himself as us, Ivan strung across his back as he pulled the hunting rifle out. "The front door ought to be easy to get through, but if not, there is a sewer system running underneath this place. Granted... I have no clue where we'd wind up inside, but we'd be in, at the very least." I felt my stomach lurch inside at that - so he's really just about as blind going in as we are? Great.

We walked to the front door, Twintails jiggling the lock for a moment, contemplating the holster on his hoof before stepping back. I bent down to peer into the keyhole myself, smirking at the honestly simple mechanism. "Psh, cakewalk. Step aside, no need for ballistic lockpicking..." Sliding out my trusty screwdriver and a bobby pin, I slipped them both into the slot with a smirk. Twisting the pin around, the tumblers began to give way as I continued to work it. As I continued, though, there was some large chunk of something inside the tumbler that really didn't feel like it belonged. I applied some pressure, but the pin snapped in half, ricocheting off my glasses and very nearly shattering them. Oooh, glasses I can replace or fix, I don't think I can find any augmented eyes. "It's frozen shut. Moment please..." Pulling out my plasma pistol, the electric prongs slipped easily into the hole. There was a splatter as I pulled the trigger, the ice inside melting. Twintails huffed - sorry, Twinnie, not all locks need a bullet to be opened~

A few moments of jiggling later, and the door popped open with a satisfying click. We entered the dark building, Fringe bringing his rifle to bear in front of himself, the lamp on his helmet automatically clicking on. Ooh, I really want a set of that armor... "What kind of security did'ya say this place had again?" His voice was muffled through the speaker, the helmet lighting up the forlorn and dusty waiting room. Before Nikolai could answer him, however, there was a beeping sound and whirr of electronics behind us. A turret began firing rounds at me, one grazing my horn - no, nonononono, I really don't want to know what happens when augmentations connected to my brain are shorted out! I dove into a hallway that led off of the area, Twintails firing off a grenade in the general direction. It hit dead-on, the turret exploding in a shower of flames and sparks - ooh, pretty. I thanked Twintails as I stood myself up, the wires and smoking hole where the turret once was sparking idly. "Well, that's one answer... if this place went into lockdown after your last visit, we're going to need to find a security terminal to unlock the doors."

“I think I may have seen one on the upper level. May be wrong, though.” Nikolai scanned the upper balcony of the reception area, Twintails and Fringe reconvening in the light of the lamp. Is tehre a light switch somewhere, or something? Heading up to the second floor of the facility, we continued down the hallway, Fringe checking around the corner before pressing on. The facility was actually still fairly intact, for being two centuries old; I guess somepony commissioned the right company to build these things, for once. Another ceiling turret had began firing at us through a doorway, but a quick shot by Nikolai managed to smash its targeting lens, and a blast of plasma from my own rifle finishe it off by frying it's circuits. Eck, never liked that smell of shorted electronics... We came to another hallway, a few pieces of ceiling having fallen through to the lower floor. Nikolai lead us around the holes carefully, a twinge my gut still making me not exactly happy with this situation. Leading us blindly into a weapons facility with security fully armed is not a fast way to invoke confidence in my book...

The door swung open squeakily, a securi-mare trotting back and forth between a few cubicles. We all ducked out of sight, the robot’s gaze scanning the hall before returning back to it's pre-set patrol path. I lifted up my plasma rifle, preparing to jump in on the fray and give the robots a hot glowing ball of good news, but before I could even step out into the hallway... -something- pushed me out of the way. Stumbling a bit, I took a moment to look around for the culprit - nothing. Nothing was there, though I swear the air shimmered a little along the row of cubicles, as if something was there, but, wasn't. The same moment, I couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of a certain striped skin in our group. There was a loud crash, and the sound of wires sparking and a robot voice garbling out a generic threat before Nikolai walked around the corner, his cloak shimmering a bit and returning to it's normal black color. We all trotted up to him... some a little less enthusiastically than others... Twintails chuckling a little. “Well, I didn't see that coming.” The pegasus looked over at myself, bumping his foreleg against my shoulder playfully and grinning widely. Nikolai’s smug expression grew a bit more than a little irritated - well, I guess everyone hates puns.

Fringe let off a groan, taking a moment to place his hoof to his forehead and shake his head disapprovingly before stepping forth and continuing on. I took a moment to inspect the disabled robot, hoping for a couple energy cells at the very least, but unfortunately, everything of worth was destroyed. Yeesh, overkill, much? Even Twintails at least leaves a pile of salvagable scrap. I grumbled to myself idly, mentally wincing as the mare in my head gave me a small disciplinary whack to my wires. Yeesh, hey, at least I’m not holding a gun to his head, alright? She gave a less than approving roll of her eyes before going back to work on the jungle of wires and circuits that constituted most of my conscious brain. Twintails fired off another couple grenade shells, smacking a wandering robot square with a splash of greenish plasma. It slowly turned it's main armament towards us, but the central processing unit in it's head was quickly disconnected with a large rifle round courtesy of Fringe.

We walked down the hall and stepped over the robot, Nikolai pushing the switch to open the door at the end. The door slid down, revealing a large room full of computers, and unfortunately broken monitor screens. Another blast of plasma and broken turret later, and we were able to examine the room a bit more closely. Twintails moved to peek at the main monitor and switch boards, as I moved to the computers, Nikolai and Fringe rummaging through the printed files for anything. Most of the computers were busted, but every so often one of the screens still flickered occasionally. I lowered my horn to the port, slipping it in and making the connection; numbers and letter filled my vision, a wave of information crossing my mind. Come on, security, security… A few options appeared in the front of my vision;

Disengage Lockdown
Unlock Artillery Section
Self Destruct.

Well, I certainly don’t feel like choosing that last one would lead to anything good. Highlighting and selecting the first one, a password screen quickly appeared. Alright, Mr. Robronco security systems, here we go… A combination of words filled my vision, some being as random as 'ibuprofen' to 'oatmeal'. Alright, you wanna do this the hard way, you pile of circuits? Come on, show me what you've got… The computer beeped as the correct code was selected. 'Ascender', huh, weird. [LOCKDOWN DISENGAED, ARTILLERY RESEARCH ACCESS DAMAGED] the screen flashed, as I pulled my horn out of the socket, looking up at Twintails as he stumbled a little, bits of smoke trailing from his tailtips. Somepony have a shocking discovery? “The lockdown’s off, but it won’t let me through into the 'Artillery Research' section. Something’s broken.”

Nikolai spread out a collection of papers on the desk, a faint gleeful smile on Twintails' face at the mention of artillery. Rolling out a large blue piece of paper, the Zebra and my pegasus friend began to look it over, the former in concentration and the latter in excitement. “We found some schematics of the place, and a few user passwords in the files. Hopefully those will let us into the deeper parts of the facility.” I scanned over the papers idly, taking note of the location of the armory. Oooh, that was rather close~... and that was one huge elevator. “It looks like there’s another security station a couple levels lower. That should let us in.” He rolled up the papers, sticking them into his cloak with a crinkle of the old parchment as it folded further.

“Well, I still have a good amount of high explosives left, if it won’t~” Twintails chuckled as we headed out of the security office, Fringe letting off a disapproving huff and Nikolai falling a few steps behind the pegasus with the grenade rifle. I kicked a rock down the steps leading deeper into the facility, the clacking echoing off the cold walls. After a few moments of careful climbing, we soon reached the bottom floor, the sound of more robots stomping about from the other side of the door. “Ugh, of course the security robots are still working... for now, anyways~” Twintails let off a chuckle as he brought his grenade rifle up to bear, myself levitating out my plasma rifle and peering down the sights. Fringe kicked open the door - oh, I REALLY wanted a set of armor like that - allowing Twintails and myself to charge in, firing madly.

The large robot’s thick hull dented as it was pelted with plasma and explosives, a pressure tube connected to the hooves coming loose. It stumbled as it began firing off the mini-gun on its shoulder towards the both of us, prompting myself to duck down. Firing behind cover worked on biological things that flinched when a ball of steaming hot green goop flew past them - for all I was doing, I might as well have been using a plasma shotgun facing the opposite direction. Ooh, plasma shotgun, now there's an idea... to be saved for after the robot is dead! That round was way too close... Twintails managed to hit the exposed wiring with one of the plasma grenades, the robot falling to its knees and sizzling where it fell. There was a moment of happy pause, before the sound of a missile being fired at our left prompted us both to duck, the rocket-propelled package of high-explosive death flying over our heads. The second robot shot off a few lasers in our general direction as we reloaded, but before it could throw another missile at us, Nikolai appeared to materialize out of thin air behind it. He rammed the butt of his rifle into the uncovered processor unit, the robot sputtering before it fell over, still spouting errant warnings.

“Alright, the armory should be on this floor, which way now?” The zebra hopped over the robot carcass' legs, as Fringe caught up with us, the end of his large rifle reeking with the smell of burnt gunpowder. Nikolai pulled out the map, adjusting his cloak with the ornate designs idly. I shuddered a little - I really didn’t need the constant feeling that Nikolai could be hovering over my shoulder whenever he wanted with that thing. He flipped the map around before heading off down another hallway, reading it while walking along on his back hooves. Eeeech, that's really weird... Fringe took out a couple more turrets as we moved along, coming to another large door, a terminal hooked up to it. The power-armored earth pony booted it up, Nikolai passing him a torn slip of paper. He punched in the code, and the door slid open, granting access to a ridiculously expansive room.

The walls were covered in shelves and shelves filled with various weaponry, ranging from conventional pistols to rifles to Gatling lasers, nearly every single weapon imaginable. I walked in, gazing around at the vast supply, jaw agape. Twintails immediately zipped to the back, exploring the wide array of explosives with an almost too excited level of glee across his face. Nikolai trotted himself over to a shelf, lifting a large sledgehammer-like object in his hooves, grinning widely. “And here I thought I’d lost you forever.” He let off a chuckle, caressing it warmly - alright, that’s a little weird. As if on cue, the little yellow pegasus mare dug up a memory of myself hugging Ivan, crossing her hooves on her chest with a smug little smirk. Alright, fine, it’s not as weird as it could be. Still is pretty weird. “Thank you all for your help, I'd wanted to retrieve this for ages.”

As he shouldered the hammer and started wandering around the shelves, I trotted myself over to one of the unmarked crates, spotting a long, heavy case with a skeleton laying next to it; there was a note secured to the top. I stepped over the skeleton and lifted up the note, starting to read it;

Captain Sparks,

Here’s the experimental Model J01-T5 Ferromagnetic Rifle you requested. It’s still a bit tempermental and inefficient, but it should run smoothly with proper maintenance. Flip open the panel on the side to insert the MF Cells, it’ll require 3 to power up the CMB firing mechanism. We should be able to come up with a model for mass production soon, we hope the prototype meets your needs.

Setting the note aside with a little more than a bit of curiosity, I took a closer look at the case it had been laying on. It looked quite unnecessarily heavy-duty, the latches secured by a turnstile combination lock in the center. I leaned in, flipping a few numbers this way and that. Ugh, picking this kind of lock is a lot harder than a key one... Laying my ear against the case, I could just barely hear the tumblers shifting around inside it. There was a loud crashing from the back of the room, Twintails cursing a bit in pain. Jeez, don’t blow up this place, Twintails! I fiddled with the lock again, grunting in frustration. Come on, you stupid little piece of... there was a click, and the latches popped open slightly. I lifted the lid open further, the metallic braces keeping it propped and revealing to myself... sweet goddesses above.

Inside the lined case lay the intricately made rifle from the note, the untouched metal shining in the light and displaying the production number stamp on the casing. I lifted it out carefully, coils around the barrel reflecting my hooves just barely as I turned it over in my aura. I could feel the large grin creeping across my face as I inspected the cool blue-glowing rifle, fitting the shoulder pad up to the top of my foreleg and looking through the scope. The red-tinted glass distorted the light slightly, the crosshairs just happening then to line up with Nikolai’s head. Letting off a slight snicker, I lowered the rifle back down, the yellow mare in my head in a full panic. Yeesh, I was only joking, calm down. I opened a rounded hatch in the side, revealing three large ports for Microfusion cells. Ooh, I so wanted to try this out now...

“What’s that, eh?” Fringe trotted over, the only one of us not gawking at the wide array of weapons - lighten up, old-timer. I chuckled, rolling it over still to get a look at it from every possible angle. The back had the model number carved into it as well, the symbol for high magical energy warning on the side only exciting me more. As I peered down the sights again, I found myself able to spot Twintails rummaging around in the back still, through the rows of shelves. Ooh, a luminosity spell to boot? I could feel myself grow a little… excited… by it. The yellow mare gave a slightly disgusted look - please, at least I'm not going to sleep with it. Maybe.

“Some kind of experimental rifle.” I grinned widely, turning to look at him through the scope. He pushed the long barrel away from my face, giving me an 'I can see that' look mixed with quite an unamused glare - okay, yeah, maybe seeing through his armor was taking it a little far. I chuckled a little weakly, moving the rifle to hold it lengthwise between us both. “Okay, okay, so maybe it’s not the best of ideas to mess with an untested bit of military hardware, but, come on, Fringe! Look at this thing!” I practically shoved it into his chest, allowing him to look it over. He inspected the reloading mechanism before shutting it with a light grunt, holding it up to his head. He was forced onto his haunches to look down the scope, rolling his shoulder as the butt was pressed into it. After a moment of looking it over, he returned it to me, letting me holster it on my back.

“Well, you’re lucky you have that magic, that’s a pretty poorly designed rifle, practicality-wise. The butt isn't padded at all, and reloading three cells after each shot would be a nightmare with hooves, especially in close quarters like this. Not to mention any sort of sniper rifle’s going to have a hell of a kickback.” Well, note to self: keep magic well fueled. He paused for a moment. “If you’d like, I could show you how to use that thing more efficiently, when we get out of here. Used to help train some of the snipers in EQUAD.” I perked up a bit at this, grinning wider. Before I could thank him for the offer, however, Twintails came barreling from the back of the room, carrying a ridiculous-looking piece of... half-cut clear pipe on his back? Has he lost it?

“You two will not BELIEVE what I just found!” He said, grinning so widely it looked like his face would split in two. Nikolai trotted over as he hefted something off of his back, looking over at the excited pegasus in confusion, then worry. If the striped one is scared about what Twintails has... "A Balefire Egg Launcher! There was even a whole battle saddle mount for it, and I found a couple of the eggs in an unlocked safe!" His grin seemed to widen even further as he pulled out a black gem, the light warping around it in odd ways. Welp, there goes another pair of pants. Maybe I -should- ask Cross Stitch about those diapers he keeps playing with...

"O-oh, my..." Nikolai said, looking equally as worried. "Um... maybe, for the sake of those who want to keep living, don't try to use that in here." Twintails let off a small sigh and rolled his eyes, tucking the egg back into his loaded saddlebags. He hefted the launcher on his back, seeming to adjust it, spreading his wings and giving them an idle flap. Yeah, I don't think you'll be flying with that thing... "Aaaanyway," Nikolai turned to face me, as Twintails continued to silently gush over his new toy. "Thanks for helping me get here. You wouldn't believe what I could make with this stuff." He circled a bit, looking around the mass of weaponry with a smile.

I'd not wanted to respond, but the yellow mare nudged a couple wires about, making new connections. "You're, ah, welcome." I said, begrudgingly. She smiled, Nikolai looking a little surprised, but smiling lightly nonetheless as he turned to face myself, my own cheeks going a bit hot. "But if I hear you're starting a Zebra invasion with all this, I'm not against putting a hole through your skull." His smile faltered a bit, stepping away from myself and sliding up alongside Fringe, starting up a quiet conversation. Twintails stepped over to me, still beaming and giggling deeply, wearing a stupid grin on his face - it was the cruise missiles all over again.

"This place is amazing! We need to keep searching around, imagine finding another cache of balefire eggs! Or- or balefire eggs that split into smaller balefire eggs! Or even... even a Balefire warhead..." He giggled, blushing profusely as he quieted himself down, the launcher swinging with his body. I rolled my eyes, the pegasus sticking out his tongue playfully. "Oh, come on, like you're not just as excited as I am. There might even be a whole weapons factory deeper in, just think of aaaaall those Ivans you could have, not to mention the master maneframe all to yourself to tinker with~" I blushed, a smile creeping across my face. An Ivan for every day of the week... Celestia-damn it, Twintails.

“Alright, alright. Maybe the blueprints will show a way through. Hey, ah, Nikolai, could we see that map again?” He nodded, wearing a small smile, giving the large blue rolls over to us before turning back to Fringe. He'd layed his hammer on the workbench, pulling some kind of metallic hoof up from it and onto himself. I rolled out the blueprints flat, taking a look at the various passageways and staircases. I turned the map around, trying to get my bearings. Alright, if we’re here in weapons storage… and we walked this way for a few minutes…

There was a large pounding on the doors to the armory, all of us looking over to it in surprise. There was another pound, the door shaking against the force. Something roared from the other side, another joining in as the pounding continued. “Ah shit, the Hell Hounds must’ve found their way through the rest of the security robots! Is there another way out of here?” Fringe jumped forth with his rifle, sliding on his helmet frantically as Nikolai scooped up his hammer and the components of the hoof he’d disassembled, tossing the latter into his bag. The power armored pony shoved me aside, scanning the blueprints. “Alright, there’s a maintenance shaft in the back.” He scooped the diagram up haphazardly, starting to run to the back of the room. We all followed, save for Twintails, as he was sliding a gem into his launcher. It made a high-pitched *ding!* - I take it that's the noise that lets everyone in the general vicinity know somepony's about to do something very stupid...

I tore the grate off of the ground, both Fringe and Nikolai sliding down the ladder. As I was about to jump in behind them, I looked over and saw Twintails grinning manically, taking aim with the egg launcher. The door broke open, a couple Hell Hounds running in, their metallic claws pounding loudly against the metal floor. Twintails let off a maniacal cackle and pulled the trigger, the egg flying out of the half-pipe and arcing through the air. We didn’t stay to see it's effects, as I yanked Twintails down the stairs, pulling the hatch shut before we tumbled into the narrow passageway. There was a thunderous explosion abovem which shook the hallway and sprinkled dust and loose dirt atop us all. I stood up as the blast subsided, my Pip-Buck starting to click a little faster.

“Are you CRAZY?!” Nikolai shouted at Twintails, who looked a little disappointed he couldn’t see the blast. The pegasus blushed a little, chuckling nervously and looking up at the launcher. “Why would you EVER think-!!” Nikolai was cut off mid-scream by another roar from above. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me, there’s more?! We need to get out of here before those things grow a brain and find this hallway.” Without another word, we started to rush down the hall, the noise of the hounds scraping at the walls and floor, searching for us, fading as we charged further along.

We hurried down the maintenance shaft, taking a right as the Hell Hounds' roars echoed through the hallways. Pipes shook as machinery rumbled beneath the walkway, the errant hiss of steam adding moisture and clouds to the cool subsurface tunnel. "Oh, come on, where's the exit?!" I shouted, something pounding after us. Fringe pulled out the map from the crook of his rifle support, myself levitating it up to my face. The shaft we were in lead to a couple smaller rooms deeper down and one large one nearer to the surface. Oh great, the half-robot one is navigating... "Left!"

Nikolai cantered down the hall, turning and leaping down some steps. I glanced back, one of the Hell Hounds barreling through, tearing apart the walls with its claws. Too close, too close, down rover, down! I lifted the magnetic rifle up, plugging in the three cells frantically and pulling the trigger as the dog ran closer, not bothering to look down the sights. The rifle let off a loud zap, what looked like a bolt of blue energy flying out of the muzzle and striking the dog just above its eye, blood spurting as it howled in pain. After a moment of pause, it fell to the ground, twitching and clutching at the new hole before growing limp. I panted a bit, staring down at the dead beast, but was pulled along by Twintails as another roar was heard further off.

"Forward two, then right!" My shouts and their footsteps echoed in the corridors as they followed my commands, running down more steps before coming to a halt. Fringe was ramming his shoulder into a door, the familiar scraping of claws against metal returning in echoing, ominous fury. Nikolai pushed him aside, lifting up his large hammer - okay, even I have to admit shoving a whole suit of power armor aside was pretty impressive. Standing up on his rear haunches, he swung and the door practically flew off its hinges from the impact. We ran down the new smooth stone-walled hallway, passing by a few security robots. They started firing after us, but we only rounded another corner as the Hell Hounds crashed through. Well, at least they’ll keep each other busy for a while. The sounds of the hounds fell back with the robots, the echo of rockets and lasers, and howls and scrapes filling the cavern. Yep, really should ask Cross Stitch about those diapers!

We broke through a few more doors, desperately trying to find the way out. “Here!” I shouted as we passed by another large door, myself skidding to a stop outside it. Trying the door revealed, quite unfortunately though, that it was locked. I thought I disabled all of the locks! Fringe shoved me aside and placing the muzzlebrake to meet the bolt before firing, the door flying open, and my ears ringing. Ow, I hate ballistic lockpicking... Twintails fired off a couple grenades and emptied his machine guns down the hallway as a few surviving robots followed behind us. They promptly exploded in a shower of sparks, smoking where they stood, as we all ducked into the room. I panted, magically shutting the heavier entrance door behind us. Maybe if we’re really lucky they won’t bother searching for a while... I looked around, all the others frozen in awe as the stared up at a… ah…

“What the HELL is this doing here?!”

Author's Note

Thanks once again for reading along with us! Lot of new things this chapter, and I assure you that we aren't finished with it yet! So, do sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride - maintaining sanity not guaranteed!

As always, I'd like to take the time to point out that this story would not have been possible if not for my friend and co-author Minty Candy. He's been doing a fantastic job keeping up with writing and drawing each page, and while I consolidate it all together, he's in deserving of as much recognition as I am!

~Twintails, aka the-furrry-railfan

Panzer Vor!

Everyone in that cold, underground room shared my look of disbelief - but, I bet, not my particular feeling of excitement - as Fringe pointed an armor-clad hoof out at the wide, angled front of the beautiful, turreted, tracked behemoth. Slowly I trotted about to the side of the massive white-painted beast, the heavy, wonderfully functional Balefire Egg Launcher mounted upon my back forcing me to shift about my weight as I moved. Ooooh, somepony please buck me upside the head, I so must be dreaming right now. My own BEL, a mess of balefire eggs, and now... an entire tank! A really stupid grin was on my muzzle as I spread my wings and gave them a flap... a few flaps... okay, downside to the BEL, flight is not exactly an optimal mode of transport with it. At least I managed to get up off of the ground far enough with it to set myself down on the long back, the dust blowing about from by flapping making for a more than slightly obscuring cloud for Minty and Nikolai, who'd moved around to see exactly what I was up to. Sorry boys, curiosity can't wait!

"What the right hell is a tank doing on an airbase? Let alone one of these things..." Fringe grunted loudly as the doors on the front section of the ridiculously long tank swung open with a creak, myself climbing up onto the top of the gun-turret thing and looking down at the barrel. By the goddesses, that thing was almost as big as my hoof! As I turned, the back end of the BEL struck against a metal wire or something sticking out, making it produce an honestly rather comical 'boioioing' sound as it settled once more. As I turned to see what it exactly was, my back hoof tapped against a metal plate that seemed a good deal more hollow than the rest of the turret - well, weird palce for a weak spot, I would think. Come on Equestrian engineers, can't make a tank without it having a... is that a handle? Is this a hatch? Is this...

"Uh, Twintails? I, um, I think we found what this thing fires..." Minty seemed rather hesitant in his voice as a crate of four brass cylinders was levitated up onto the long metal back and set down, each one of the rounds carefully held and spaced by a sort of foam material. I swear I recognize that stuff on the ends... pulling the top section of the carrying foam off, the actual bullet sections of the tank rounds was revealed. Honestly, if I keep on getting good surprises like this, I swear my heart'll stop from the excitement alone. Minty let off a sigh, shaking his head and adjusting his glasses, hefting himself up to meet alongside myself. "I guess you weren't the first pony absolutely crazy about balefire eggs after all. What's next, a balefire egg hoof grenade?" Yanno, that actually didn't sound like such a bad-"Don't you even think about it."

"Party pooper." Sticking a tongue out at Minty's outstretched rubber-soled hoof, I turned my attention once again back to the hatch atop the turret of the tank, reaching forth and pulling at the metal handle. The small door opened with a loud creak, a half-circle of thick metal plating supported on a hinge and falling with a loud clang against the turret's top. Okay, maybe I sould take off the launcher before trying to climb in this way. Minty moved up alongside myself, lifting open the second half of the hatch and peering inside, his horn providing a bit of illumination on the inside of the tank. A loud electric buzzing filled the air for a few moments before large floodlights turned on on the walls of the room, better illuminating the area around us as well as taking us both by surprise. Minty looked over to the far wall, where the ammo apparently was... by goddesses, that was a LOT of ammunition for this thing... spotting Nikolai standing beside a large switchbox. Well, at least we weren't finding our way around in the dark anymore.

"Okay, rule one for this thing, no firing the cannon indoors. Got that, Twintails?" Yeesh, first Minty's going off at me for just considering the tantalizing idea of hoof-throwing balefire eggs, now Fringe is getting in on the act with telling me something that I would've eventually figured out by myself? I'm not THAT irresponsible with fun big explosion-things! There was a thud from underneath us, Minty and myself both glancing down at the top of the tank, a distinct whirring sound filling the air. The groan of metal against metal was almost unbearable, Nikolai bounding across the room with his cannon and hammer in tow, leaping up onto the tall back of the tank with us, looking up at the high roof of the storage room it was sitting in.

"Minty, you should get as many of the crates of shells onto here as you can, I have a feeling this will ultimately be a one-way trip..." The zebra faced towards my unicorn friend, looking at him with a hint of worry in his eyes. One-way trip? What did he... The whirr reached a fever pitch, and suddenly the floor of the storage room was moving away from us, the ceiling getting closer. Cargo elevator, of course the tank was still on the cargo elevator! Minty was understandably hesitant, looking between myself and Nikolai for a few moments before flaring his magic and moving a few more of the wooden crates up onto the tank's large metal back. That stupid grin of mine came back - this was going to be fun. Fringe stuck his head up from the opened hatch, his large armor thumping against the metal inside.

"The thing looks like she'll run, but for how long, that I can't tell you. Just think we might want to consider hightailing it soon as the lift reaches the top, that cluster of hellhounds looks like it won against those robots..." As if on cue, the roar and scraping of the hellhounds drawing closer blew over the sound of the cargo lift, heavy thudding against the large metal door near the base. Well, eheh, at least we were part of the way out as is... can't this damn lift move any faster!? Fringe ducked back in through the commander's hatch, Minty beginning to move the racks of balefire egg ammo into the tank as myself and Nikolai watched the door. That was a -very- big dent.

The metal of the door warped further before yielding, three snarling, scraping, very battered and VERY angry beasts bursting forth and letting loose a growl up at us. Minty brought in the last set of shells, diving inside the open hatch and landing with a clang and grunt of pain - yeah, last time I checked, tanks weren't exactly padded, ya dummy. Nikolai had moved to slide his large lightning cannon and hammer inside the tank next myself still fixated down at the floor of the storage area. We didn't even get half of the shells there, that's just really disappointing... The lift shuddered as the beasts began to tear and claw at everything there, ripping apart the crates and scattering the shells around. A low humming sound could be heard, if just barely, as a few of the balefire payloads began to glow an almost evil green color. Armed. One more ought to give those hellhounds the good news...

"For Celestia's sake you idiot, get in the tank!" As I was lining up a shot with the egg launcher - hey, it would've taken care of the hellhound problem pretty quick! - I felt a sudden tug as both myself and the launcher were pulled through the hatch, a hoof connected to a striped leg pulling the egg out of it's cradle just as my jaw clenched on the bit, the air pressure stored in the cylinder discharging the piston harmlessly. Oof, my teeth are really killing me right now... pulling myself to my hooves, the interior of the tank slowly faded to focus, Fringe having to constantly shuffle about inside the relatively tight area. Boy, power armor and tanks do not fit well together. The left wall was stacked with the crates of ammunition, the right having what appeared to be a few fold-down cots and medical supplies mounted upon it. Well, all things considered, at least it doesn't look too bad.

"Hold onto yourselves, I dunno what we're looking at but I can tell you it isn't going to be pretty!" The power-armored earth pony pushed forwards to the front of the tank, sliding into the seat and adjusting himself at the controls. Nikolai climbed back up and pulled shut the hatch doors, Minty dropping one of the cots and laying himself down upon it, leaving myself to... uh... "I hope you know something about reactors, because that mess in back apparently is one, and is what's supposed to power this thing." Fringe looked over at myself, pointing a hoof towards the rear end of the vehicle. Man, this thing was long, but if it's really a reactor and it's been sitting here doing nothing for two centuries straight... Gamma, don't fail me now!

Dropping my battle saddle and bags against the inside wall, the small magical energy reactor in front of myself, I took to work tenderly waking the thing back up. Let's see... coolant levels are optimal, reaction appears to be under way, interior core temperature rising within safe measures, and... by the goddesses, that was a nasty crack in the turbine's main piping. This thing would explode the moment any pressure was put through it, and I'd imagine being steamed alive like a vegetable isn't very pleasant. If only I had a welding torch and some more time. The lift - and tank - shuddered, an explosion below giving myself a generous timeframe of 'get this thing running before it turns into our coffin in a few seconds'. Yanno, no pressure. Uh... maybe I have some scrap in my bags that I can use, yeah! That might get us a few minutes of not exploding, if Minty can regain enough energy to weld it onto the crack without killing himself in doing so.

Goddesses, why did I have to be the only one who worked in reactor maintainence?!

Dropping the contents of my saddlebags onto the floor - remember to count all those balefire eggs later - a small tube caught my eye. Toothpase? Where did I pick that... wait... it was decorated with strange writing, and seemed to glow faintly, a lime-green color eminating from the clear sections of the packaging. Picking it up to examine it closer, the writing actually seemed to shift around to something legible, if just barely; 'General-purpose material restoration gel, 32 ounces. Apply to damaged material and apply heat, results visible within seconds! Do not ingest.' Thank the goddesses for helpful aliens!

Without a second thought, I had the cap on the tube flipped open and began squeezing it out onto the long crack and around the main seals, watching the thin glowing lines of gel begin to absorb into the metal and smooth out, seeming to crystallize before my very eyes. The lift lurched again, the sensation of rising having stopped - surfaced already? Gently I cracked open the valve on the heat exchange, steam humming through the pipes and making the crystallized material glow faintly before solidifying into shiny new metal, sealing the crack and repairing the old gaskets. Oh, I could kiss that alien stallion right now! The turbines whined up to speed, connected to the generator, lights illuminating the inteior of the long tank and making many of the guages light up and start to waver. Tuning the last few dials, I spun myself around and saw Fringe peering back at me with Nikolai sitting beside, a smirk behind his moustache. With a smile and nod back to him, he turned about, peering through the viewport and pushing forwards. The tank lurched as the drive kicked in, the old tracks clattering as they moved along - holy shit, this was actually happening! This is so awesome!!

"Well, this is not exactly what I would call a fast escape, honestly..." Nikolai leaned over and peered at the various dials and guages in front of Fringe, myself moving up with them as Minty cuddled with his plush of cross Stitch. Glancing at the dial, the fact that we were apparently managing a pleasant 20 kilometers an hour gave at least some truth to the statement - I hope this thing is explosion-proof. Fringe had the pedal against the floor, Nikolai nervously resting a hoof against the top of what looked like one of Featherweight's big autocannons mounted in a ball joint, myself glancing up through the turret to the hatch on top. Well, hell, I want to at least see the fireworks if it's going to be my last time. Climbing up the ladder carefully, I rested my back hooves on the small platform, pushing open the hatch and letting the doors fall with simultaneous clangs either side against the top of the turret armor.

Poking my head out, a chill breeze blew in my mane as we trundled along, a pair of wide, parallel tracks being left behind us as we moved away from the cargo elevator. The ground shook and buckled, snow being thrown into the air as the ammunition depot detonated with a roar, the heavy tank not seeeming to be phazed as the shockwave caught up and resonated in my ears. Ow, stupid tinnitus... but hey, look! A couple hundred balefire eggs still causes a mushroom cloud! Aw, isn't it just the most adorable little thing of radiation and burning hellhound?~ I chuckled lightly, leaning back into the wind from the motion of the tank, relaxing and watching the cloud slowly move away from us, soon becoming nothing more than a more distinct cloud in an already clouded wasteland, snow falling slowly. The sound of hooves trotting in from below brought my attention back down into the belly of the tank, Nikolai looking up at myself.

"Looks like we're heading away from the cloud's drift, and, ah, if my pip-buck map's right we'll come across EQUAD soon if we keep heading this way. That, or ocean." Hopping down, I gave my wings an idle stretch, trotting over to the pile near the reactor. A few small boxes and hooflockers sat empty on racks next to the fold-down cots, myself taking the time to start sorting through and see exactly what crap I really was still carrying around in these things. Oh hey, Sparkle-Cola!

"Welcome back, to all you of the ghoulish type out there between Topatow and the SCAB - well, latter meaning anyone who's left out there. You're listening to Dead Air on Roughcoat Radio, and we're coming back to you with chatter and talk for anyone with a working transciever. Anyways, as always, lines are open, so- ah, hey, whaddayaknow, someone actually is listening to me out there. Man, that's a weird bandwave... hey, welcome to Roughcoat Radio, what d'ya have to say?"

"Hey, Dead Air, it's me, Nikolai! You're never going to believe what I'm talking t-"

"Ay, Nikki! Haven't heard from you in a few days, what's up, my fine striped friend? Been keeping yourself busy cozied up in Celestia-knows-where up here? Heh heh..."

"Ah, well, actually, that's what I hopped on to tell you. See, ah, I just came out of the SCAB with a few friends, and, well... I guess there was far more there than anyone could have guessed survived."

"The SCAB? As in, -THE- SCAB? What the hell were you doing there, boy?! And, uh, these friends, they happen to be an earth pony, unicorn, an' pegasus?... what are you transmitting from, anyways? The reciever here switched over to some old military bandwave."

"Oh, uh, nothing in particular... just a tank."

"That doesn't look all that much like Horseshoe Basin..." Minty was sitting atop the tank's turret, peering off into the snowy distance with a pair of binoculars. We'd been driving for an hour at top speed already, you'd think we would've even hit Pripytrot by now! I was rested in the commander's hatch, peering downrange with him, the light from the pair of headlights cutting through the perpetual twilight and shining off of the snow. Large forms of what looked like big warehouses stood prominently against the dark sky, a salty breeze blowing towards us every now and again. My augmented friend stood himself up, looking down at myself with the faintest hints of worry in his eyes. "Twintails, I... I think we're lost. My pip-leg doesn't even show us being anywhere in the wasteland anymore, it's just snowy desert in every direction. Celestia knows what we're headed for now, even that's hidden."

"Might be pre-war military, or something. Maybe some kind of stealth depot?" Shrugging idly, I hopped back down inside the body of the long tank, Minty moving in after me. Nikolai was fiddling with his sledgehammer while Fringe continued driving us along, the smell of old metal and sound of the turbine driving us along filling the somewhat cramped space. The whole thing was like a moving stable hallway, if stable hallways had turrets, anyways. Minty trotted back to the bunk, myself moving towards the front, Fringe chewing on an unlit cigar and glancing back at myself. "We haven't seen any recognizable places in ages, are you sure we're headed the right way?" The earth pony grunted, peering out through the small slot that served as a viewport.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. We've never had scouts this far out, supposedly there's an old shipyard here, though." A smirk came to his face, moving the cigar around. "Maybe they have some spare parts for this battleship. Whaddaya think, something this big surely has got to float, right?" Releasing a snicker, Fringe's leg motors whirred, moving one of the control levers and turning the tank slowly. Nikolai rolled his eyes, setting his hammer down against the wall of the tank and shouldering the end of the autocannon, pulling the bolt back. "Right, better be at the ready. No telling what's up here... just don't fire unless they do. I'm not particularly a fan of one-sided battles." Um... well, that's an interesting revelation from a sniper. Ah, don't bother over it, time to have fun with my balefire egg launcher! I really should name the darn thing, something cute... I dunno, 'Kindness', maybe. The orange mare in my head wore a slight disbelieving smile, an eye twitching errantly - what? It's my big fancy balefire-throwing toy, I can name it what I want to!

Picking up the large launcher and moving up to the turret, I paused to take a peek out through the gunsight. Oooh, hopefully we'll have to do a bit of wall-breaching, I really wanna fire off this thing's gun~ The markings on the sight indicated that we were roughly a couple hundred meters or so from the front gate of the shipyard, still trundling along at a pleasant pace. Popping open the hatch once more and steadying myself outside it, the cool wind blew harder against my face and the salt stung deep in my nose - is this what a sea was? I mean, the old pictures and maps, it just looked like a big swimming pool, but...

"What was- Fringe, movement! Left side!" Nikolai's voice resonated up through the open hatch, myself hefting up the launcher onto my shoulder with my back against the hatch ring, scanning about the snow. If we've got something to shoot at, I sure as hell want to be first to give them the good news!... if I could see them. Maybe -I- need glasses. The cool air seemed colder as we continued along, the ever-present feeling of being watched not really fading as the fence came into our headlights. A sign held on it by a few rusted screws displayed faded letters; 'ROYAL EQUESTRIAN NAVY SHIPYARD - TRESSPASSERS WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT AND ESCORTED OFF THE PREMESIES'. Welcoming. Welp, if anypony's still alive around here, they're sure going to be getting a nasty knocking.

The fence buckled easily beneath the large tank, the barbed wire atop it being thoroughly crushed into metal sheeting between the permafrost and the heavy tank's tracks as we pressed forth inside the military dock. Gazing around the snowed-in facility, the sting of salty air making it just a little bit harder to see, a faint glint of metal caught the corner of my vision. Was that- no, nope, just a piece of metal. Hell, they've got me a little bit paranoid, I was about to launch a balefire egg at...

What was that skeleton holding?

"Ah, keep going ahead guys, I'm going to scout around a bit. See if there're any goodies near these outer buildings." Sliding myself out of the hatch and affixing the launcher onto my back, a snap of the wings had me out of the tank and hovering behind it, watching as it trundled off at that slow pace. Hell, that was almost running speed. The salty snow crunched underneath my hooves, another shrill blast making me really wish I had some heavier clothing against this damn sea wind. Sliding inbetween the buildings to where the skeleton was, the slicing wind was subdued, whistling in the alleyway and adding some background noise as I trotted forth.

The skeleton was adorned in a strange getup, an all-black visor on a thick helmet and a load of fabric entangled on one of the heater units connected by string to its back being prominent features. The faint stink of decay eminated from leaks in the suit, making myself really wish I was a unicorn right now as I reached up to remove the metal square. An old holotape? What could... was that a movement of metal? Ears perked and alert, I peered out of the alley and into the roadway beyond, looking down in the direction of the tank. Probably just a building settling, nothing to worry about. Might as well start heading back, listen to this thing in the meantime. Plugging the tape into my pip-buck, it swiftly downloaded, another fiddle of dials getting it to start playing. A stallion's voice came over it - desperate, afraid, frightened.

"Wildcat, it's me, Seafire. I know this isn't exactly the best time to admit, but, I really want to get this off my chest before... before it's too late. I never should have taken advantage of you like that. There... there isn't a day I don't regret it. That foal you're on leave because of, that..." The voice let off a shuddering sigh, disgust ripe in his tone. "I'll raise her with you. I'll raise her FOR you. Whatever happens, I want nothing more than to make it up to you. I... I'm sorry." The drone of a far-off siren sounded, a warning klaxon soon following with it. There was a shuffling of papers and muffled shouting, a door slamming open and a gruff, commanding voice - with more than a hint of fear in it - screaming loud enough to be picked up.

"Seafire, get your flanks in gear, Cloudsdale's been wiped outta the sky! The stripes launched, it's fucking happening!" O...kay, so he was afraid and frightened for an ENTIRELY different reason when this recording started. Well, if this isn't lovely. The recording skipped a little, static crackling in my ears before being replaced with the sound of running, the voice on it sliding into something canvas.

"Goddess-damned... fucking... Where's my saddle!?" The door banged again, a series of screams erupting far from the microphone. The canvas shuffled, the stallion gasping in surprise at something. "Oh, GODDESSE-" An insufferable... familiar... bang erupted through the speaker, breaking way to static for a few seconds before the recording ended. I placed a hoof against my chest - my heart was pounding. This was a recording of somepony's last... suddenly, I felt that perhaps going back to the tank and staying there for a good long while with a bottle of Sparkle-Cola was probably a very good idea. Scurrying out of the alleyway, I glanced back in the direction of the tank, completely blindsided to the metal hoof connecting to the back of my skull. Ow, my tinnitus...

"Flash-Bang, don't frighten me like- you!? What're you doing up here?!" Recovering myself from getting a faceful of salty snow - ow, that was a very bad sting in my eyes - and flipping myself around, I was met with the very surprised face of Minty... wait, not-Minty... wearing some sleek dark-purple power armor, a pair of armored wings and a barbed tail that reminded me of something I saw once in biology class standing out prominently against the white snow. Rubbing at the back of my head and letting off a groan, my eyes focused on the slotted muzzle-end of a boxy rifle-thing mounted on the armor. Oh joy. "F-F-Flash-Bang? Got an issue here!"

"Wait! Ow... we, what are we... what are YOU doing up here?" Not-Minty kept her laser rifle-thingies pointed at myself, glancing frantically between me and Kindness. Okay, yeah, I probably am not in the best of positions right now with this thing. A second blackish blur landed with a plume in the snow, this one mounting quadruple rocket launchers either side of, again, very imposing wings and a black metal tail, the mare inside the, honestly, kind of familiar armor looking at myself in a sense of disbelief. Not-Minty and not-me shared a glance, myself... ooh, that ringing was so bad right now... I fell to my haunches, holding my ears and rubbing at my head, wrenching my eyes shut. Nopony told me that listening to a lot of close-range explosions was a fast way to go deaf! Guh, hindsight is 20/20. The ringing FINALLY faded, not-me looking into my eyes closely.

"You sure did a number on him, Sugar. Hey, Twintails, y'alright?" She reached out a hoof, helping myself back up, my pulse thudding in the back of my head. I grunted a little, pushing aside the heavy launcher and holding the place where she'd struck me, letting out a shuddering breath. That's going to hurt in the morning... evening... whatever time it was right now! Not-me... ah, Flash-Bang, I mean, moved and looked into my eyes again, staring intently for a few moments before letting off a sigh. "Mild concussion. You'll be alright, but you'll have to come with- freeze!" She looked to my side and threw myself back into the alleyway, my head impacting heavily against the hardened snow. Oh, goddesses, there's my tinnitus again... it fading is good. I got back up to my hooves, looking out into the road on a stumbling gait, catching sight of Nikolai frozen in place, Flash-Bang and... Sugar Rush, right, both aiming at him. Like a bloody family reunion... emphasis on 'bloody'.

"Flash-Bang, Sugar Rush, this is Nikolai. Nikolai, Flash-Bang and Sugar Rush. They're friends... I think. Ow." I groaned again - could the world stop spinning for a moment? - the two mares and zebra looking at myself with sympathetic grimaces on their faces. Nikolai moved to hold myself steady, looking between me and Flash-Bang, eyes getting wider with each glance and jaw becoming more and more agape. Somepony stop my heart, that beating is giving me a headache.

"I, um... I think I'll just take him back to the tank..." I stumbled a little, wrapping a hoof around Nikolai's neck before feeling my other foreleg grabbed and lifted by the mare with the rocket launchers, our eyes meeting for a moment. Hers were filled with worry, before looking past myself and to a surprised Nikolai. "Um... alright, ah, follow me." Oooh, man my head hurt. Maybe I just needed some sleep, yeah, some nice, comforting, slee-OUCH! Oh, that was a needle prick.

"Don't fall asleep, that'll make your concussion worse. Or, well, something. You got the shot of adrenaline already, so you're staying awake." Gee, thanks a lot Not-Minty. Now I've got a whole percussion ensemble in my head. Letting off a soft groan of pain, we began following the tank tracks left in the snow, a gentle snow falling about us all... I think. It was kind of hard to do that when your head felt like an overinflated balloon. Flash-Bang glanced at the pair of wide tracks, in disbelief, then back across myself to Nikolai.

"You guys actually found a tank? What the hell was one doing up here?" Nikolai shrugged at the question, myself readjusting my hoof around his neck and trotting between them both with my back hooves, having to twist my torso about to keep Kindness from falling off. Flash-Bang glanced up at the egg launcher, her eyes going wide. "Yanno... maybe I shouldn't ask. How far away are we from it, and who else is with you two?" We rounded a corner, seeing the big fat rear of the tank just down the road, stopped in front of a building formerly used as the mess hall, if the faded paint is true.

"Besides myself and Twintails, there is also a unicorn named Minty Candy and an earth pony named Moral Fringe. Though, I'm within reason to believe the unicorn may be trotting beside us just to spite me." Nodding towards Sugar Rush, Nikolai wore a small sneer, prompting the unicorn mare to give him a look of confusion. All fairness, she did look a lot like Minty... if I saw Minty through water in a glass cup. Stupid headache. "We did not get off on a good hoof, as you'd say. He seems to have an inexplicable prejudice towards me, sometimes I think he may be a ghoul in disguise." Nope, pretty sure he's just brainwashed... unless he's got a very expert skin grafter somewhere. Flash-Bang and Sugar Rush shared a worried glance, us all moving up alongside the long body of the tank towards the front doors.

"You said an earth pony named Moral Fringe, right?" The zebra nodded, tapping a hoof against the set of metal doors a few times. The latches inside were moved open, the doors swinging outwards and revealing the soft-hatted cigar-smoking power-armor-clad earth pony himself. He nodded towards Nikolai, opening up the second door and freezing as his eyes met with Flash-Bang and Sugar Rush. His jaw fell agape, the cigar he was half-finished with falling into the snow and sizzling out, us all standing there for a moment as Nikolai blinked a few times, understandably confused. "Captain Fringe. It's a pleasure to see you again." Flash-Bang hefted myself in through the open doors, Fringe moving aside and helping Nikolai up as well. 'Captain' Fringe? Again? What did she mean?

"Leftenant Flash-Bang. I haven't seen you since Pripytrot. Didn't think you'd run this far up." Nikolai tried to bring myself along to one of the cots, but I somehow managed to turn myself around, propping up against the steel doorframe and looking between the mildly surprised Fringe and determined-looking Flash-Bang. Panting a few times, I held a hoof to my head, starting to feel the slightest bit faint - yeah, that was a pretty small adrenaline shot, Sugar Rush. That, or I'm starting to get used to it... I hope it's the former.

"Alright... somepony is going to have to... explain, some... things... Ngh..." Letting my body fall against the hard metal frame, the world outside seemed to fade to black, the sweet, wonderful grasp of unconsciousness grabbing myself and drawing me in. I smelled faint hints of grease and cordite, my back and forelegs being picked up and gently layed down, my body floating upon clouds... or, what I think were clouds, anyways. Every now and again muffled screaming broke through the ever-thickening curtain, a light sigh escaping my lips. Everything went quiet - peaceful.

It was black. Everything was black around me. It wasn't like the last time this happened, I mean, I could still feel myself, even still see myself when I waved my hoof around in front of my face, but... it was still really goddess-damned black. Every now and again, I thought I heard the voice of a mare, or a whine of static, or something. It was getting closer. Behind me, yeah, it was behind me. And it was getting closer. I had to run - I tried to, anyways - but I was just running on a black plane, hearing my hoofsteps echo in the emptiness, and that mare's voice. It wasn't Gamma Ray, that was for sure. It wasn't Flash-Bang or Sugar Rush, either. This was something new. And it scared me.

"It isn't your time yet..." I thought I was running away from it, but it sounded louder than ever. I skidded to a stop, trying to spread and flap my wings. Trying to fly away from it. Trying to move muscles that weren't there anymore. I looked back; my wings were still attached, I could still feel them there, rubbing against my body, but no matter how much I struggled, they stayed put. It wasn't like they were glued there - oh, I knew that sensation. I wasn't really a clever foal. No, this was... I really couldn't move them. Panic setting in - well, more panic, anyways - I spun my view back to the front, seeing a sea of ponies I'd never seen before. Four of them trotted forth, standing in a line, my view slowly settling on them.

On the far left stood a dashing pegasus stallion, sporting a blue formal jacket decorated with an array of medals. His black mane was neatly combed back, eyes hiding something behind them as he seemed to look myself over, unblinking. To his right was a vibrant pegasus mare, her deep-blue coat covered by a large combat jacket, one of her forehooves moving to hold her belly softly. Her mane was an almost water-blue, flowing in loops behind her ears and over her face, spread neatly apart. Her eyes landed upon myself for a moment, before looking over to the mare beside her.

This third mare, I could best describe her as just looking as the most unfortunate pony I had ever seen; her red mane was in a mess, light-blue coat stained with blood and her belly semingly torn open, but not dripping, hanging loosely before her inner thighs. She sniffled a little - the first one of them to have actually made a noise - a gentle smile forming upon her muzzle as her eyes met my own, becoming slightly dampened. Beside her, with a forehoof resting softly around her neck, stood a rather tall unicorn, bluish mane flowing and sparkling like the stars above, looking down at the mare beside her comfortingly, then up at myself. The unicorn... alicorn... Princess Luna... spread her wings softly, nodding towards myself, the sensation of a hoof sliding around my neck and resting gently against me coming to my mind, the soft, cool breath I knew so well blowing gently into my ear. In a sort of harmonic unison, they all spoke, starting to become blurry around their forms, their voice fading to match a whine of motors and turbine. Gamma Ray's voice stood out most prominently inside my head as everything faded to black once more.

"It isn't your time... Twintails..."

"He's coming to! Move back, give him some space." The red-tinted light of the interior of the tank faded into my vision, my head not pounding nearly as much anymore, my forehooves moving to lift myself up from the lower bunk and look around at the group that surrounded me. Sugar Rush set down the medical pack from the wall, wearing a faint smile and with weary eyes, letting off a sigh of relief. Flash-Bang was closest to me - she was really worried about me? I suppose that makes sense, seeing your doppelganger die probably would hit you pretty hard. Fringe was standing the furthest back, his face turned to the floor, the soft whine of his suit's motors filling the air as he adjusted himself, holding his eyes shut. Nikolai was missing, and so was Minty - where were they?

"Welcome back, Twintails. You... had us worried." Flash-Bang's eyes seemed strained, and she wiped an armor-clad hoof across her nostrils. She was actually crying? She stepped forwards, wrapping her hooves around myself in a soft hug. They took off all my barding... lovely. Please don't lean forwards, please don't lean forwards, please don't have pressure-sensitive armor... Thankfully she broke the hug, resting back on her hooves and looking over to Fringe. Her smile fell to a soft frown, before facing back to myself. "Did you ask him about Wildfire?"

"Uh..." Did I? Um... oh, wait, was that when he threw me against the ground? Yeah, he distinctly avoided the question by not avoiding me when he decided to test his power armor's lunge servos or something. "Y-yeah, but... he didn't really answer me." Fringe lifted up his head, facing towards me with eyes shut, letting off a small chuff through his nose. Flash-Bang stepped towards him, Sugar Rush giving me a worrying glance.

"You should tell him everything. Now." Fringe let off a sigh, blinking his eyes open and nodding once, moving past Flash-Bang and towards the end of the fold-down cot. He stopped at the foot, pressing a button on the outside of his power armor and slipping out of the sections and pieces, the torso seperating and two large, dampened, dark-green-feathered wings spreading out from it, the mustached stallion letting off another sigh. Okay, so he's a pegasus that wears power armor... and never told anypony about it. Didn't Nova say something about there not being any pegasi in the Steel Rangers?

"Captain Moral Fringe of Enclave wing squadron 22, strike force one-forty-one, sniper unit, formerly under command of General Titchbreeze and Major-General Mosquito. Wildfire... Wildfire was an unlisted mission given to me by Titchbreeze on the fifth of August, seventeen years ago. Tasked to assassinate a dashite with ties to the General, tracked her to the enterance of Stable number 34. Confirmed kill." That... that was my stable. Seventeen years ago... Fringe trotted up to myself, his flank displaying his cutie mark of the same insignia as on his armor breastplate. Our eyes met - his were tense, beginning to dampen. "When you both first arrived at EQUAD, I saw her in your eyes. Twintails... Wildfire was your mother. And I put a bullet through her skull."

The small orange mare with the stetson in my head dropped her hat, and jaw, blinking a few times in disbelief. She spoke for the both of us, my own mind having ground to a complete standstill as it was.

'Didn't see that one coming.'

I scanned over the area through J01-T5’s scope, the tinted glass magnifying the surrounding landscape. The wind blew some of the looser snow across the ground, a feral ghoul coming into view against the thermal setting. It stumbled through the snow, a few strips of its flesh being lifted by the wind and revealing pearly bone underneath - uck, disgusting. Gently pulling the trigger, another bolt of energy flew out of the muzzle with a distinct zap. The magnetically propelled round landed in the snow near the ghoul’s hooves, sending up a cloud of the white stuff and knocking the gory thing over. I grunted in frustration, taking my eye away from the scope and levitating the rifle beside myself. How is it a magically magnetic powered bolt of energy still has this much celestia-damned drop off? Taking a breath and standing myself up, I slung the rifle over my shoulder, the ghoul lost in the darkness without the help of the night vision scope.

Sliding the drained cells out of their slots and slipping them into my saddlebags, I pulled out another three, looking over them for a moment. Guh, I had better learn how to shoot this thing properly, or I’m going to be burning through cells like the old Stable generator. My stomach clenched as the smell of the maintainence areas hit me once again, that familiar, welcoming... I need to see Cross Stitch as soon as I can. I don’t want him worrying… Peering out into the perpetually night-shrouded wasteland, I sighed, my breath freezing in the air. The sound of hooves broke through the snow behind me, prompting myself to turn around and pull out my plasma rifle in defense. Nikolai skidded to a halt in front of myself, panting nervously. “M-Minty… Twintails, he’s... he's really injured. Fringe and, and the mares that look like you two are looking after him... I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

My stomach fell through the ground, my eyes going wide - even the yellow mare in my head seemed to be faint. Twintails, not going to make it... what happened to him? Nikolai spun himself about quickly, heading back towards the dark outline of the massive armored vehicle. I ran after him, my mind racing with scenarios, each worse than the last. No, no, no no no, you can’t lose him now, too! We leapt over a small puddle of slush beside the tank, Nikolai opening the hatch doors on the side. As we both dove in, Twintails was standing there to greet us both, followed by… me? When did Sugar Rush get here?

We stopped in front of them, both looking exhausted. “Twintails, oh thank Celestia!” I wrapped my hooves around him, pulling him into a hug. He didn’t say anything, instead pushing me back slightly, a worried expression on his face. Only when he did, did I notice he wasn’t sporting his normal bulletproof vest and deep-green duster - instead, he was adorned in a set of heavy power armor, but it wasn’t nearly the same as the Steelponies or Fringe’s. It looked far more advanced, a few exposed coils on it's back humming and arcing, and it was almost... familiar...

“Uh… I’m sorry, I’m... I'm not Twintails.” That voice was distinctly higher... What was going on? Where’s Twintails?! I tried to push them back, but his doppelganger and Sugar kept me from moving further back in the tank. “Listen, listen… Twintails is fine. Fringe is talking to him now, he’s... he's alright.” I tried to push past her again - that damned power armor! “But… look, they’re going to need a lot of time alone. He’ll be alright, he’s awake, he’s breathing.” She spoke slowly, resting those black metal hooves on my shoulders. “Just… leave them alone for a bit, ok?” My breathing slowed, but my nerves certainly weren’t relaxing any. And that armor, I just couldn't put my hoof to it...

“Please, can I just see him?” The two looked at each other, sighing a little. Not-Twintails' ears flopped down as she kicked at the floor, biting her lower lip softly. I looked between them, my own ears moving back against my head. They didn’t say anything, though I could tell they really did want to let me through. But... something was holding them back. I nodded slowly, Sugar looking back up at me, lifting one of her similarly armor-clad hooves to place against my chest.

“Maybe you should stay in the front. You two can talk tomorrow. He just... he just needs to think right now.” I didn’t say anything, Nikolai moving aside and allowing myself to slide into the seat with the machine gun, himself sliding into the driver's section. I rolled over, cuddling up to my Cross Stitch plush, peering into it's two button eyes with a faint frown. The zebra pressed at the controls, the motors whining to life as I squeezed the plush closer to me, both he and Twintails never leaving my mind. The rumble of the tracks was rather pleasant as we moved along, myself soon falling to unconsciousness and the grace of sleep.

I opened my eyes, my vision blurred as I fished around for my glasses. When I slid them onto my face, the rusty inner wall of the tank came into focus. I rolled over, finding my Cross plush had fallen over the side of the chair, now laying between it and the controls. Fringe was snoring rather audibly in the bunk behind us, Nikolai lazily resting in the driver's chair as he read through Rusty’s Electronics: Volume II. His gaze moved yp to myself, and then back to the controls, pulling a lever back and watching the dials on the board. The tank slowed a bit as it began to turn, the compass needle rotating as we faced further east. Sugar was sleeping atop a small pile of old barding on the floor, her hooves draped across her chest. She snorted awake, attempting to look busy as my magic encompassed the plush, Nikolai readjusting the levers before standing himself up and stretching, pushing past the two mares. Ech… why didn't we have another open seat in front? Not-Twintails trotted up to the sleeping unicorn mare, nudging her in the shoulder lightly. “Come on, Mint-butt, you’ve had your turn to drive. You need to sleep anyway.” Sugar grunted and stood herself up, picking up the pile of barding and relocating to the rear of the tank.

I looked over to Sugar as she trotted to the back, taking notice of her armor. It was so... familiar... I thought back, racking my mind, trying to dig up where I knew it from. My eyes went wide as my thoughts settled on my Stable. The explosion… the ponies… that pegasus I killed, he had the same armor. But… that means… Sugar, and, and the other mare… I could feel my breath growing shallow as the yellow Pegasus in my mind grew worried. “Why the FUCK are you two wearing that?!” I leapt out of the seat, drawing the magnetic rifle and pointing it at the uncovered face of Not-Twintails. Sugar and the other mare’s eyes went wide, Nikolai ducking down beside the crates of ammo.

Sugar put up her hoof, trying to calm me down. “Minty, Minty stop! It isn't what you think, we’re not with the Enclave… not anymore.” I pointed the gun at her, making her stutter as she stared down the long blue-glowing barrel. “P-please! Listen, we’re not part of them anymore, we're both deserters! Just… listen, please!” I grimaced, but the little mare in my head tugged at the wires, forcing me to lower my gun. Damn her... The pair looked at each other, Nikolai peeking out from behind the corner as Fringe snorted once again. Sugar caught her breath, the other mare walking over to her, whispering something into her ear and embracing her in a hug. Sugar was about to protest, but the other mare pushed her away. Not-Me and Nikolai moved back, the pegasus mare trotting slowly forwards and sitting in the operator's seat, beside myself.

"So... I suppose you're wondering what exactly's going on, huh?" I nodded again, peering forwards at the ball joint that held the machine cannon. Flash let off a soft sigh before continuing, her black metal armor settling in the chair. "Yeah, Sugar and me were in the Grand Pegaus Enclave. Were. Now, listen, before you decide to shoot me..." I only turned to face her. "Look, we heard about what happened to your stable, we would've done anything if we could stop it. Things like that, that's the reason we left. The Enclave was supposed to be the big saving grace, the thing that actually rebuilt this place after the bombs fell, but..." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I think they gave up on that early on. Living above the clouds and all, with all that bueraucratic nonsense and propaganda, sort of disillusions you to it. They've been trying to create a way to kill off all the... uh... 'degenerates', as they say. I think that's what they used when they attacked your stable... or at least, a sampling of it."

Flash leaned back into her chair as the tank rumbled forward. I heard a few clanks of metal on metal echoing down the short hallway, myself peering over the shoulder of the chair, seeing Fringe shuffling about in his bulkier Steel Ranger power armor. He trotted over, opening up and looking out of the forward hatches for a moment before his gaze shifted to myself staring at him. I quickly shifted my gaze to the various buttons and dials on the control board. “Ah… Twintails is still asleep, then?”

“Yeah. He went through a lot last night, I wouldn’t expect him up anytime soon.” The earth pony stallion grunted, pulling out a cigar from a satchel on his foreleg with his teeth and striking it on the steel of the tank, opening the front doors a crack. Smoke started to furl up from the end as it lit, his gaze a little more sympathetic than it normally was as it settled on myself. “The offer still's standing to teach you how to fire that thing. No experience with a rifle like that myself, but a sniper rifle's a sniper rifle.” He pointed towards the J01-T5, the smoke from his mouth being wisped out by the air rushing past the opened door. I stood myself up, adjusting it on my back and looking towards him.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Fringe turned himself about, taking a draw off of his cigar and moving to the ladder leading to teh top hatch. I faced Flash for a moment, a faint bit of resentment on her face as she kept her gaze low. I followed Fringe up the short ladder, hooves clanging heavily on the rungs. The hatch banged loudly against the side of the tank, as the wind blew my mane back. I shut the hatch behind me as Fringe trotted towards the back of the tank's turret, hopping down out of the crosswind with his soft hat flapping lightly. He turned back to me as I approached him, sitting down. “So, how do I start?” He stood, scanning the area, pointing out a relatively large rock atop a hill a good ways away. The snow hadn't drifted around it yet - maybe it was

“There, that ought to be a big enough target to start out with. Remember, you're also going to have to take into account the tank's motion as well. Take a shot, just to see what you need to fix.” I lifted up the rifle to my shoulder, placing my eye against the scope and sitting down. The rock shone faintly in the tinted scope as I lined up the crosshairs, pulling the trigger. The rifle cracked loudly, the bolt of energy flying out of the muzzle and flashing through the air, smashing into the snow below and well in front of the rock. I grunted, pulling the scope away from my eye, Fringe chewing on his cigar as he thought.

He blew a puff of smoke into the air, the wind blowing it away. “Alright, first of all, no firing sitting down unless you're resting it on a ledge. Your shoulder’s pushing it to the right, here...” He moved over and adjusted J01, the butt digging a little more into the joint. I shifted a bit, pushing J01 back to its original position. “You’re going to need to get used to that feeling, or learn how to adjust for the error. Maybe if you weren't treating the scope like a bloody peepshow, too...” I rolled my eyes, as he adjusted the gun again. Gack, that smoke tasted horrible... He shifted the cigar between his teeth, looking at the rifle intently. “The thing still has some drop off, but not nearly as much as a regular rifle. There any notches below the crosshairs?” I blinked a few times, peering down the scope - don't jam your eye against it, remember that Minty - and nodded. “Alright, those are around a hundred meters each beyond…” Fringe paused for a moment as he ran through some calculations, moving the cigar in his mouth again and letting out a chuff of smoke, peering at the rock. “Settle on 500, that rock’s further away now. Try again, and make sure you use the lower notches this time.” The tank pushed forward, the rock slowly growing smaller as we trundled away and I pushed in another three energy cells.

I lifted J01 back up, aiming towards the rock. Easy now... tugging the trigger, another bolt of energy shot out of the end, flying through the air with a crackle and sending a light tingle through my augmentations. The shot ricocheted off of the top, the crack of the rock resounding through the chilly air. Fringe tilted his head to either side noncommittally. “That was a bit high. We’re not quite at 600 meters, but in training, a hit's a hit. Probably help if we weren't firing from a moving platform in the first place.” He let off a grunt, pushing forwards to the front turret, when a loud roar resounded off in the distance, drawing both our attention.

Well off in the distance, a cloud of snow was being thrown up, as a large pack of Hell Hounds raced towards us. How persistent are these things... and where the hell did they come from!? Fringe spat out his cigar, pulling his rifle off of his back and dropping himself down onto the back of the tank. I ran to the hatch, flipping it open and leaping down as Fringe fired off a shot. Landing with a heavy thud as I let my pip-leg take the brunt of the impact, Not-Twintails looked back at myself in surprise. “We’ve got a pack of Hell Hounds rushing our tail!” I glanced around the tank, Sugar Rush jumping to her hooves and looking past myself, eyes gone wide. Not-Twintails cursed, jumping out of the seat and moving up to the ladder.

“Go get Twintails and Nikolai, I’ll help Captain Fringe out.” Not-Twintails pressed a button on her armor, a pair of quad rocket launchers moving out and settling underneath her armored wings. Sugar Rush followed behind her likewise, a pair of new-looking laser rifles... no, laser machine guns fitting either side of her body. Okay, yeah, I kinda want a battle saddle like that... The Hell Hounds’ roars seemed to emanate from the walls as I pushed deeper into the tank, seeing Nikolai pushing forwards to the front of the tank, and Twintails... naked. Helium atom cutie mark, how'd I forget he had that?

“Come on, we’re under attack!” Twintails remained frozen for a moment, before moving up and following myself down the hallway. Another shot from Fringe's rifle was heard from above, the idle thumping of three armor-plated ponies trotting around the long back. “There’s Hell Hounds coming at us fast, and, well, uh...” I trailed off, that look in Twintails' eyes growing... scarier, as a wide smile crept onto his muzzle, the implications of what he had in mind all too obvious. Well, it’s comforting to know whatever happened hasn’t killed his insane love for destruction. We both raced up the ladder, and onto the small ledge that held the cannon’s firing mechanisms and sight. “Okay… uh, what do we do?” I looked to Twintails expectantly, who was already getting to work. Was... was he whistling?

“Easy enough, load it up, shut it, aim and shoot.” He said almost gleefully, as he moved one of the large cases of four shells up onto the small ledge. He lifted one of the large cannon shells with a grunt, moving it over to the back of the gun and slamming it home with a hoof. The heavy door shut with a click, myself lifting out another cannon shell as he looked out through a small gunsight, hooves moving to a pair of wheels. His eyes went wide, peering through the sight - I'm guessing that's nothing good. “Oh, shit!” There was a loud smash as I was slammed into the wall of the turret with the shell, stars appearing before my eyes. Ding, soup's done...

There was a loud, insufferable scraping as the Hell Hounds clawed at the metal hull, Fringe, Not-Twintails and Sugar all taking shots at it. Fringe backed up towards the gun as Sugar pelted the Hounds with a barrage of laser beams from her guns, Flash flying above and letting loose a barrage of small rockets. “Fringe!” I shouted through the broken glass of the view port. He looked over to us, running up, but still facing the hounds, firing off another bullet. Squelch, that'll leave a mark... “See if you can drive them back, we need some distance!” He nodded, jumping off and running away from the tank. Twintails had recovered himself, squeezing a secondary trigger; massive spent casings fell from another autocannon, filling the turret space with a distinct smell of detonated gunpowder. He let off a cackle, peering through the gunsight, myself falling back for the moment.

Fringe let off a charging scream and took a shot, one of the Hounds’ heads exploding as Sugar and Flash rushed after him. The hounds turned their attention away from the tank, following the three fleeing ponies as Twintails started to gauge the distance again. “Alright, let's give these fuckers the good news..." Turning the wheels under his hooves, the entirety of the turret body rotated on electric motors, the gun slightly adjusting as I levitated another round up on standby. Letting off a mad cackle, the pegasus squeezed the other trigger, causing the gun to resound with a heartily massive bang. There was a deafening thud as the shell flew from the muzzle and the mechanism ejected the large spent casing, a dense smoke trail following it. The three fleeing ponies flew into the air, wings spread wide as the shell's tracer was plainly visible through the second viewport. Twintails slumped back, a bright blush on his cheeks, chest heaving heavily. "...that made me so wet you could sail a boat up me." Okay, little bit too much info, there, buddy.

The flash of light from the balefire egg round striking the snow blinded me, but before the interior of the tank fell back into focus, I was thrown to the side of the turret again. Ow... My horn bounced painfully off of the metal, the explosion roaring in my ears. It soon dissipated, and I got to my hooves shakily, peering out of the small window and seeing the snow stained red with a few bits of robotic body parts still intact. I tentatively lifted the top hatch open, peering out from the wider view angle into the night, looking past the large greenish fireball and cloud. The hounds were all dead, a few that were further from the blast extremely disoriented but still somewhat together. Hefting myself out onto the metal deck, Twintails took up my place, sticking his head up through the hatch and wearing a widened grin. Sugar, Flash, and Fringe all landed in front of us, Sugar shaking nervously, the copper and brass wings clanking against her... Hey! "What the hell did you two fire off?! You're lucky the blast wave just pushed us away from that thing!" Twintails chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his mane and resting against the hatch ring.

"Alright, so maybe the shell was more powerful than I thought it would be." He kept that stupid grin on his face, chuckling weakly as Sugar glared at him. The set of metallic wings on her back slid into a resting position, as the fan's whirring died down - come on, the least she could've done was ask first! Fringe ruffled his feathers as well, holding them closely against the interior thermal suit of his armor... wait, what?! My jaw fell agape as I stared at the stallion, watching the heavier armor plating starting to slide back into place. Fringe, wings, pegasus, what!?

They didn't say anything, Twintails’ smile fading. Fringe eventually let off a grunt, spitting the nub of a cigar he had left off the side of the tank, sounding much more somber than he normally did as he began to speak. “Rather obvious now, isn’t it? Yeah, I was in the Enclave with these two.” I looked between the three, still trying to piece everything together. Fringe, pegasus, Enclave sniper... “Leftenant Flash-Bang's first mission was with me, three years ago during the first attack on Pripytrot. Long-range sniper unit, we hung back and picked off... survivors.” He paused, gesturing first to Not-Twintails - Flash-Bang? - as she chewed her lip and hung her head. He let off a breath, turning his gaze over at Twintails. “This… this is part of what last night was about.” Turning my gaze back to the hatch of the tank, Twintails had dropped back down below, prompting myself to follow. He was sitting on the lower fold-down cot, holding the metal pipe edge of the bed with his hooves, eyes wrenched shut and sniffles escaping him.

“Fringe… he, he was ordered to… to kill…” Twintails was tearing up. I trotted over to him, pulling him into a hug. He sniffed a little before giving me a squeeze back and looking up to me. “I… I wasn’t born in my Stable, Minty. I-I mean, I was born in it, but my... my mom wasn't. Fringe… he was ordered to kill her. I don’t know why, but somepony high up wanted her dead. He… he did it, but…” Twintails took another shuddering gasp as I sat myself down beside him, gently squeezing him in a hug, trying to help him relax. “He tracked her to Stable 34, and took the shot after she crawled out of the entrance. She... she had me, and then she left. Gamma Ray adopted me, and, and...” Fringe shuffled himself down the ladder, making a cursory glance towards us both, then turning his head away and facing towards the front of the tank. Oh…

Twintails sputtered, Nikolai shuffling past Fringe and looking towards the radio setup. He fiddled with the dials, holding the headset to his ears “Hey, I think that's Steel Ranger chatter. If this thing just had a better transciever... uh... I'll go see if Fringe needs help with anything.” The zebra set the headset down on the radio setup, turning himself about and moving to the seat for the machine cannon. I looked over to Twintails, who was sniffling lightly as tears rolled down his eyes, hunched over on the lower bunk.

“You should get some rest. I promise that everything'll... everything...” I let off a sigh, the black-maned pegasus beside me looking up with his reddened eyes and rubbing some tears off of his cheeks. My magic encompassed a small plush figure I'd slid into my saddlebags, levitating it between us both for a moment before gently setting it in the hooves of the greiving Pegasus. I had a feeling he needed something to cuddle a bit more than I did, right now... He returned a gentle hug as I slid myself off of the bunk, watching as he curled himself up with the small plush of cross Stitch, a light smile across my muzzle. Trotting to the front section of the tank, Flash-Bang and Sugar Rush had climbed back down into the body and pushed past myself, moving to the back. Fringe was already busying himself with the controls, Nikolai glancing back at the pegasus with sympathetic eyes. And I thought mine was a sob-story... Fringe grimaced as a whine of static ran through my augmentations, my horn gently brushing against the metal interior of the tank. Oh no, not again... wait... this was radio chatter.

"Unit 442, Knight Whisper, northwestern sector, do you copy?" Stallion's voice... man that was a beat-up microphone he was talking through. Fringe fiddled with his suit, most prominently pulling a pair of earphones out. Oh, that had to hurt... "Copy that base, Knight Whisper here. There was a large explosion followed by a mushroom cloud and fireball, but we don't believe it was of balefire warhead scale. Seemed like a skywagon detonating... uh... Knight Quick-Fire, did the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces ever develop land-battleships?" That was a mare - Knight Whisper, I guess - and she seemed -really- confused. I wouldn't blame her, what was she seeing that she thought it was a land battleship? "Negative, Knight Whisper, you are clear to engage and disable. Destroy if absolutely necessary." Ooh, now that sounds like a battle. Steel Rangers versus a land-battleship, plasma and rockets flying around, all those gleaming silvery steel ponies in power armor fighting on a snowy tundra... talk about eye candy. I let off a light chuckle, before the tank was struck and rocked by a barrage of explosions at the side, throwing myself to the floor. By Celestia, I never realized how long this freakin' tank was...

"Land-battleship... oh, fuck."

Author's Note

Thanks again for reading with us! Lot of emotional bombs dropped this chapter - don't fret though, we've got a breather or two coming up. We're still a good ways off from the end of things, but we are getting there, we promise! Er, well, at least, that's what Minty told me I should say... eheh.

Like always, this story would only be half-written without the help from my good friend Minty Candy, he's as much an author here as I am!

~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Recovery

"Everypony, stay in the bloody tank! Nikolai, keep your hooves off that gun, don't return fire no matter what they do. Minty, Twintails..." Fringe let off a sigh as everyone shuffled around, himself moving to the forward doors. His gaze was towards myself as he contemplated what to say next. "Climb up out of the top hatch with your hooves up, after I get them calmed down. With any luck, we're not too badly dam-" Another rocket barrage hit against the left side fo the tank, shaking the entire interior and sending myself falling to the floor, some of the balefire egg rounds falling and clanking against one another. Well, they aren't armor-piercing rockets at least... I think. I hope. Minty's magic held the shells steady against the wall as I recovered myself, getting onto my hooves and sliding into my old barding. The tank had come to a stop in the snow - hopefully they aren't so flinchy to open fire on sonething that isn't even aimed at them - and everyone was sliding into their positions, Minty already sitting in the little alcove of the turret beneath the hatch.

"So, fun fact, apparently a giant tank isn't the most inconspicuous of things to be riding around in. That's Steel Rangers' rocket fire, they think we're a land-battleship or something. All things considered, they're not exactly wrong..." Minty braced himself against the side of the turret as I slid up into the gunner's chair, peering out through the sight. Right off in the corner, past the aiming triangles, a set of power armor glinted in the coming dawn - wait, the sun was just coming up? Goddesses, it feels like it's been days... my hooves moved to the drive wheels idly as the Steel ranger moved out of sight, starting to slowly turn the turret to get him back into view, before I felt myself pulled free from the chair in a teal magic aura. Minty snapped me a look, his metallic leg holding me away from the sight. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Hey, it's not my fault the gunsight is welded to the turret! Only saw one Steel Ranger... also, it's apparently sunrise." The doors below opened with a slow creak, the cool wasteland air filling into the tank once more as Fringe stared out of the door. He pulled back, looking up towards us both and giving a nod, prompting Minty to open up the top hatch as he returned to the forward door. The top hatch fell with a clang, my unicorn friend sliding up and out. His horn had a momentary connection with the metal of the tank on the hatch ring, causing him to wince and stall half-out of the top of the tank. Uch, I sure hope that's just his augmentations being a bit silly...

"Identify yourselves and step away from the tank, you are in violation of the codex, Section IV blo-... wha... Kn-Knight Fringe! We thought you left!" The mare adorned in the Steel Ranger power armor stuttered, her dual missile launchers moving to a resting position at her sides as she stood at the side of the tank, another Ranger along with her on the outside. I'd sat next to Minty as he recovered himself, peering over the side and watching it go down - well, at best we get a free pass back to Trotisk and Turnpike, at worst... well, a balefire egg cannon shell can easily punch through power armor, right? Fringe grunted idly, glancing up at my curious self, the unicorn mare in front of him looking to meet my own eyes for a moment.

"I'm on orders from Paladin Nova to protect two civilian assets. He's one of 'em. They haven't any intention to cause trouble, we're returning to EQUAD." The mare seemed a little flustered, the silent Ranger with her looking along the length of the tank - a smirk came to my face trying to imagine what he must be thinking of the thing. As he glanced up at myself, I couldn't help but notice him move his haunches a little closer together, as if to... hey, it was that stallion! The mare in my head rolled her eyes as I let off a little chuckle, righting myself and looking up at the brilliant orange the sky was stained. The whine of suit motors filled the air as Fringe seemed to let off a grunt in surprise, followed by a low growl. "Knight Whisper, I respectfully request that you refrain from aiming your missile launchers at me."

"S-sorry, uh, sir, b-but I'm ordered... m-my orders are t-to, uh..." Oh, please let this not turn into a bloodbath. I glanced over at Minty, himself sharing a rather worried look before glancing back into the tank. His horn flared up momentarily, the mare continuing to stutter off her orders. "...Th-the interception and c-commandeering of... of any pre-war technology, or weaponry. Y-you know the C-codex, sir, you-"

"I'm well aware you're just following your orders, Whisper, but I have my own, and I can't just let you have the tank." Minty kept his gaze in through the hatch, his magic moving something inside, myself looking between him and the grouping of three Steel Rangers at the side of the tank. A familiar click and thunk resonated from the inside of the turret, Minty looking up at myself for a moment. I looked back at him, still trying to process that noise - why was it familiar? And... why in the name of Celestia was I getting a stiffy? The unicorn mouthed the words 'warning shot' and nodded towards the long barrel of the three-inch... oh. That thunk was the loading mechanism accepting a new shell. That explains that... WHAT!?

"W-well, then, s-sir, we'll have t-to escort y-you directly back to EQUAD, and then relieve you of the t-tank there." Minty's horn had flared up again, the whirring of the turret drive mechanism silently lifting the barrel skywards, my own eyes exceptionally wide right now as he watched through the top hatch. I looked towards the direction that the gun was pointed in - south-southeast, with an approximate elevation of thirty-five degrees and muzzle velocity of about 900 meters per second... those balefire egg shells had a pretty big bang with them... and that one marker on my compass, was right in that same direction... he'd plant it right in Turnpike if he fired! His expression matched my own as I lauched myself at him, pulling him into my hooves and sending us both over the side of the tank opposite, landing in the snow with a thud. Ow... how did I forget how tall this bloody tank was? Minty let off a loud grunt, sliding out from under me and stumbling backwards in teh snow, clutching the side of his head.

"What the hell did you do that for!? Ow... wait... moment please." Letting off a light groan of pain, I picked myself up, Minty sipping from a small purplish healing potion and giving his head a shake. Taking a few more breaths, he turned his gaze back to myself, levitating up his glasses from the snow and fitting them on his muzzle. "I wasn't aiming the thing at anypony! It was just going to fly off and land against a mountain, or in a stretch of wasteland, or-"

"Turnpike. It was going to land in Turnpike." I rested myself up against the side of the large metal tank, my augmented friend blinking, his expression changing from anger to disbelief. The soft whirr of armor motors and crunching snow filled the air, Minty standing his ground. "With the angle the turret was at and the way you were raising the barrel, and velocity of those shells, it would have landed right inside Turnpike. You know, that place where Buzzy and Featherweight kind of live?" The ranger with the missile launchers appeared around the front, looking between us both and drawing or attention for the moment. She blinked a few times, staring at Minty in disbelief.

"Huh, Paladin Nova -did- base it off of somepony..." She idly scratched at the back of her mane, shrugging and turning back to head around the front. The mare stopped, though, turning back to face us. "Wait, what did you say about Turnpike?" Mare in power armor is asking questions and pointing dual missile launchers at us, while we're both unarmed and Minty knows nothing about how to render one of those things inoperable. Oh, joy. She stepped forwards, us both in her sights, the side doors opening and a long barrel sticking out, resounding with a crack as the stallion holding the large rifle let out a smoky chuff. The Ranger mare ducked in surprise, all eyes looking to the tank and Fringe, who idly took another draw off of his cigar and chambered another round in his rifle.

"If it's all the same, I'd like to get moving before the whole bloody wasteland thaws. Twintails, Minty, back in the tank. Knight Whisper, we'll try to keep at walking speed. Keep up." The pegasus stallion looked down at the earth pony with a light smirk, closing the side doors again. She stared up at the doors for a few moments, visibly shaken, before pounding a hoof at the snow and letting off a scream of annoyance. Minty and myself watched her for a moment as she regained herself, promptly trotting over to the front of the tank once more, the both of us climbing in through the side doors and settling in. Walking speed... well, at least we know this thing can manage that. Let EQUAD be close. Minty kept rubbing at his temples, letting off a light groan and laying himself down on the cot, taking another healing potion.

"Oh, my head is killing me... what's going on?" Minty adjusted his glases on his head, keeping his eyes held shut for the most part as the motors in back whirred up to speed. The tank gave a jolt before moving forwards, Fringe making small adjustments to the controls before standing himself up and looking out the doorway. This thing had an auto-driver? My unicorn friend rolled onto his side, letting off another loud groan and seeming to curl himself up slightly. A bit of metal armor clanged against the floor as Sugar Rush came up alongside myself, standing over Minty and wearing... hey... was that my lingere? Flash-Bang shared my blush, similarly staring at the unicorn mare as she glanced between us.

"It was the only thing I could find, sue me." She let off a huff, looking down at the unicorn laying on the cot. Her augmented horn flared up as she slowly moved her head along the length of his body, a strong grimace coming to her face as she passed over his head with it. Oh, that did not look like an 'everything's a-OK' expression. Sugar Rush's breathing was a bit heavy as she turned to face myself, my stomach seeming to be succumbing to a bomb crater. "Twintails, I... I'm not sure how to put this... Minty's brain is trying to reform around his augmentations. I think... I think one of the mini talismans in the circuitry shattered, and the healing potions... who put in his enhancements?"

"W-what?..." The pit in my stomach widened further, becoming a great, gaping hole that even the orange mare couldn't seem to work against. Trying to reform around his... what? But, but Minty's been using healing potions for ages ever since we met up, even. Sugar Rush held her own augmented hoof against my shouler, and I finally noticed how shallow my breathing felt, eyes starting to become damp as I blinked. My gaze fell to the unicorn writhing on the cot, squeezing the small plushie tightly and keeping his head held tightly. "C-can't you d-do anything for him?" The unicorn mare looked down, her magic flaring and pushing a syringe through the side of Minty's barding. He seemed to relax slightly, though still clutched his head and the plushie, not seeming to lose that grimace of pain. Sugar let off a sigh, looking at my augmented friend for a long while.

"I gave him a painkiller, he won't be hurting but he needs a neurosurgeon as soon as possible." She fell silent for a few moments, myself taking a few sputtering breaths, the whine of the motors moving the tracks filling the long tank. Sugar Rush blinked a few times, looking down at the royal blue plush in a tiny Stable jacket, the number 76 stitched on it rather expertly. This gave her a moment of thought. "Is that his Stable coltfriend? Was he... um..." She bit at her lip, moving her metallic hoof back down to the floor. Nopony outside of Mooscow probably did know if anyone in Stable 76 was rescued or not... her gaze moved back to myself, Flash-Bang having rested one of her hooves on Sugar Rush's neck, peering forwards past myself.

"C-Cross Stitch, we, ah, we found him after the Stable was... he's still alive, in Mooscow. He's a seamster, though." The two mares shared a glance between them, Flash-Bang pushing forwards and stepping up alongside Fringe, tapping against his shoulder and giving him a salute with her hoof. Minty let off a small shuddering breath, rolling about in the cot, still holding onto the small plushie. The chair beside the pair of armored pegasi seemed to be empty - where was Nikolai?

"Captain Fringe, requesting permission for leave on a civilian POI retrieval mission. I'm sorry captain, but if you can't convince your slowpoke friends to pick up the pace, we're going to be arriving at EQUAD with one casualty." It was honestly rather jarring how stoic she seemed in expressing the fact that... that, that Minty was going to be okay! He's been through worse, we both have, he'll pull out of this. Fringe blinked a few times, letting off a light grunt and reaching over to the chair opposite, a few muffled words of protest coming from Nikolai as the black ornate cloak seemed to materialize out of thin air, leaving the zebra somewhat naked and the pegasus mare very surprised.

"Permission granted, Leftenant. Wear this and be careful, if we're not arrived at EQUAD before you return hold in place with the POI." Flash-Bang gave a nod, pulling the thick cloak over her armor and spreading her wings beneath it, the interior lights of the tank shimmering as she disappeared from view right in front of our eyes. The metal hooves of her armor clacked silently against the ladder leading up to the top of the turret, the hatch doors opening seemingly on their own and shutting much the same as the stallion moved to the side doors. He opened them only slightly, looking behind at the mare on the left side. "Plans changed, Whisper. We need to get to EQUAD ASAP. Try and hop on the back, and hold on." Minty let off a soft moan, drawing my attention back to his sleeping self, eyes dampening as I gently ran a hoof through his teal mane.

"You're going to be alright, Minty. You're going to... to wake up..."

By the time we'd trundled into the long, familiar tunnel leading into the EQUAD facility, we had garnered a large entourage around the tank. Every now and again you could hear some curious Steel Ranger banging a hoof against the steel side, resonating and making the sleeping unicorn wince in pain. Every curious tap and wince from the unicorn picked away at myself - didn't they know what they were doing? Don't they care that Minty's in pain? Don't they... they... Sugar Rush rested a hoof gently on my shoulder, my vision blurred through tears and eyes stinging. The tank came to a slow stop, the quiet gasps of admiration filling the air as Fringe swung open the forward left door, Nova standing outside with an understandably worried expression.

"Where's Minty? We can have him taken to the infirmary immediately, and- Minty!" Her frown changed to a wide, hopeful smile as she leapt past Fringe and wrapped her hooves around Sugar Rush's neck, taking the augmented unicorn mare by surprise. Minty let off a soft groan as Sugar stuttered, Nova starting to let off soft cries, a smile still on her muzzle - oh, this isn't going to end well. "Y-you had me so worried! When I h-heard that you were injured... but you look fine now! You... you..." Her smile moved back to a frown, tears streaking down her cheeks as she took a better look at the pony she was hugging. Sugar Rush held her up, looking over to where I was standing over Minty.

"I'm sorry. Where's the infirmary?" Sugar Rush's magic lifted up the lightly sleeping Minty, Nova moving out of their way as my augmented friend was levitated onto a waiting gurney by his doppleganger. The confused Steel Ranger paladin sputtered, looking towards myself for a moment and then jumping out of the open door of the tank, chasing through the thinning group of power armored ponies who were still admiring the sight of the massive tracked vehicle. Fringe and Nikolai stuck around, the tunnel slowly growing silent as all the onlookers filtered back to their posts. Fringe lit up another cigar, taking a few puffs off of it and looking up at myself as I stood in the open doorway of the tank, resting against the frame and looking at the concrete floor.

"They're going to want to keep this thing, you know. Us trundling in inside a giant war machine, unless Quazar miraculously grew a heart while we were all up there, there's no right way in hell this thing is leaving." Fringe let off a grunt, banging his hoof against the side of the track's armor and looking up at myself. A small cloud of the thick smoke left his nostrils as he peered up through the tunnel. A few shouts and commands from the Rangers at the entrance echoed down it to us, myself following his gaze. "Sounds like we beat Leftenant Flash-Bang. Never was a strong flyer, her." There was a faint hint of amusement in his vocie as he trotted along the long stretch of tunnel, myself following behind. Nikolai's hoofsteps followed behind mine - I'd forgotten he was there. Oh, this day just gets better and better, doesn't it?

"We are a really long way from my station. I'm not even sure if the signal reaches this far." His eyes looked over the thick walls and steel braces. "Undoubtedly not inside here. What kind of facility requires so much structural reinforcement? It seems as if they were expecting this desolate place to be fully targeted with every single balefire warhead available." The pair of ponies standing at the entrance were much closer now, the pegasus mare in the black cloak still arguing with the gate guards. Now that I thought about it, Nikolai did have a pretty good point - this whole facility seemed ridiculously overengineered, even by pre-war standards. Compared to NEAMO, this thing was a bloody stable and a half... the echoes of the arguing finally melded into discernable words, Cross Stitch cowering behind Flash-Bang, and otherwise showing just how much of a former Stable pony he was. At least he seemed to have made himself a pretty neat winter jacket, even if it did have a huge '76' sewn on the back.

"I recieved a direct order from Captain Moral Fringe to retrieve this civilian stallion, he has all rights to be able to go inside and see his currently severely injured significant other in your care. Do you want to explain to your superiors that you prevented somepony from being there for their special somepony when they passed on?" Hoho, man Flash-Bang was pretty feisty when she was mad. Fringe had reached the entrance of the tunnel, the two guard stallions turning and saluting him out of habit as Flash-Bang stepped forth. Myself and Nikolai were nearing the entrance as well, and Cross Stitch seemed to have a moment of confusion, followed by a look of pure unbridled terror plastered onto his face, which is just about the same moment I remembered what the other defining feature of Stable 76 was besides the half-robot ponies.

"ZEBRA!!! KILL IT, KILL IT, TEAR IT'S SPINE OUT AND TURN IT INTO ASH!! JUST DON'T BREATHE IT IN!" The augmented unicorn screamed as his magic tore one of the light beam-rifles off the guard's power armor, aiming and firing the weaon madly about Nikolai. The understandably surprised zebra leapt forwards, knocking the levitated laser rifle aside and landing with Flash-Bang between himself and Cross Stitch, staring over the pegasus mare's back at the frantic eyes of the unicorn. He wasn't seeming to get any calmer. "DON'T LET IT LOOK AT YOU, IT'LL TURN YOU TO STONE!!" ...or saner, for that matter. Fringe let off a grunt, tackling the unicorn to the ground and keeping him pinned down, a moment's struggling leading to the dull sound of a small metal object being thrown into the snow. Cross Stitch screamed again, writhing and fighting against the large power-armored stallion's grasp. "GIVE ME BACK MY HORN!!!"

"He's not the enemy, mate! Get your goddess-damned self together!" Nikolai hastily pulled the black cloak off of Flash-Bang's back, wrapping himself in it and disappearing from view. Man, that was still pretty weird to see. Everypony had eyes on Cross Stitch and Fringe as they fought with each other for now, the augmented unicorn soon breaking down into tears as his struggling became weak and more out of desperation and worry than anger. Fringe's breath condensed heavily in the cool air, his eyes moving over to myself. "What's up with him, eh? Doesn't he damn well know the war's been over for two centuries now?"

"It was his Stable's fault, they were brainwashed with anti-zebra propaganda, or something. Minty had the same problem, remember?" Fringe eased off of the unicorn, who remained laying in the snow outside the tunnel, eyes wrenched shut and forehooves flailing weakly at the air, crying pitifully out into the wasteland air. The tunnel guards seemed to regard the situation as not being in their job description anymore, appearing to busy themselves with other things and leaving Cross Stitch to us three... four, right, Nikolai's still around here somewhere. The unicorn sputtered and sniffled, searching about in the packed snow and picking up his horn, holding it gently in his hooves.

"C-can-, can I p-please just go s-see Minty now?" Flash-Bang moved up alongside him, softly resting a foreleg around his neck and helping him to his hooves, quietly leading him down into the tunnel. Fringe looked around the area, the new sun rising high into the noon sky as the sound of hoofsteps on concrete faded away and moved to echoes. The sound of power armored ponies idly milling about small trenches and mounted cannons filled the air around, Nikolai's shuffling of his cloak greeting it as he came back to the land of the visible. The cold, dry air held our breaths in thick white clouds, comparable to the larger, thicker ones that seemed to thinly make up the high ceiling of the entirety of the wasteland. The zebra tapped against my shoulder idly, calling for my attention, a faintly worried expression upon his face.

"It would be hopelessly unwise for me to attempt heading back to either Topatow or my station alone. There was another storm system coming off of the northern sea and headed over that way, I would be lost or die from the cold if I tried... do you have any other, uh, friends in the area? Ones that, well..." Nikolai awkwardly hoofed at the show, forming a neat small pile underneath himself. Was... was he actually asking me to set him up somewhere? He let off a sigh, looking down at the cold snow. "Actually, perhaps going back at all wouldn't be in best interests." The zebra adjusted the large hammer and tesla cannon upon his back, turning his attention back towards myself. I passed an idle glance toward Fringe - he had another cigar lit in his mouth, idly looking over us both and taking a long draw off it, chuffing out into the cool air.

"Someone with your knowledge and expertise of energy weapons, would make a good member of the Steel Rangers... if we accepted zebras. It's not in my power, and I don't think Quazar would be in a talking mood today. Sorry." The pegasus in power armor turned his eyes to the snow, turning about and heading back towards the tunnel entrance. He paused for a moment, looking back at us. "I've got to check back in with Quazar. If things turn south, I'll send Flash-Bang to get you." Comforting. Fringe headed back down the entrance to EQUAD, a slow trail of thick smoke accompanying him. Energy weapons... that mght work.

"Nikolai, I think I know somewhere you can stay."

"Oh, hi there! Long time n-... n-n-..." We'd stepped inside the Plasma Spaz, Nikolai already examining the large array of energy weapons in display and myself watching a very stuttery pegasus ghoul standing behind the counter. Her wide-eyed, terrified expression kept as we moved further inside, her tiny pupils welded to the sight of the widely-smiling zebra trotting alongside myself. Nikolai's smile faltered lightly as he turned his attention to Greasy, idly tilting his head and showing some semblance of concern.

"Ah, are you alright, Miss Gears? You're not appearing well." The pegasus behind the counter faltered on her hooves, slowly trotting backwards and spouting incoherent gibberish. Hoof met forehead as I finally remembered that teensy little detail concerning Greasy, and subsequently was followed by memories of the whole show she'd put on when we finally arrived back here after that fun time fighting for our lives in the inner city. She was hyperventialting readily, and rather dramatically went and fainted against the hard wood floor as Nikolai lifted a hoof off of the counter, watching her. Needless to say, maybe I didn't think this through all that well. "You, um, I believe you neglected to mention she was a ghoul."

"Yeah... I probably should have remembered that. I'm sure she'll warm up to you when she sees you fixing some of the guns and stuff, just, guh, this is all I can think of on short notice." Shaking my head back and forth and cursing myself for that momentary lapse of reasoning, I moved myself behind the counter and gently hefted the fainted pegasus onto my back, carrying her over to the small bed in the back room. Oooh, man, ghouls really stink of decay... muh, I suppose I would too, if I were trapped for two centuries in some dusty underground workshop. Nikolai kept alongside myself, looking down at the ghoulified mare with the faintest hints of worry upon his face.

"Are you sure that this will work out? I mean..." Nikolai bit at his lower lip idly, glancing back out at the large array of energy weapons sitting in the front of the store. "I'm not sure about yourself, but I've a feeling this is akin to leaving a bezerk security robot in the same cage as a foal. Much as I do admire her accomplishments, well... she -is- a pre-war ghoul..." Greasy stirred for a moment, moving a hoof to her head and sitting herself up, grunting and ruffling her decayed wings. Nikolai took a few steps backwards, standing firmly, as the ghoulified pegasus shook her scraggly mane from her eyes and focused in on myself. I moved forwards, resting a hoof against her shoulder, looking to her strained and age-weary eyes.

"Greasy, I know that the war wasn't kind to yourself at all, and you've probably still got some emotions from it in your head, but... you have to understand, the war's been over for almost two centuries now." She shuffled on the mattress, moving to get onto her hooves, still looking at myself with a certain expression of confusion. Myself taking a few steps back, Nikolai remained standing where he was, breathing softly in the somewhat warmed air of the shop. Greasy's eyes met his own, and she began to hyperventilate once more. Oh, come on now... "Greasy! Greasy, listen to me. The war is over. This is Nikolai, he needs a place to stay, and he's friends with myself, Minty, and Sugar Rush. He's not an enemy anymore..." Her breathing was back under control, ut that feeling of disbelief in her eyes remained.

"So... everypony's friends with the stripes now... great... just goddess-damned great..." She let off a few weak chuckles, weakly trotting up to Nikolai with a forced smile. I'd never really realized how tall he seemed to be... or, well, how short Greasy was, for that matter. Nikolai seemed to adjust himself, prompting Greasy to flinch momentarily and very nearly propel herself into running me over. She timidly raised a hoof, the zebra softly shaking it as they looked over each other. I swear, you could cut the awkward with a knife... "N-Nikolai, right? U-um..." He nodded lightly, wearing a small smile as he set down his large cannon and hammer on the floor, Greasy looking at them both with more than a bit of astonishment. "Oh my goddesses, where did you find a reactive-force sledgehammer in such pristine condition!? This looks like it just came out of storage!"

"Technically, it kind of did. I had been meaning to retrieve it for a while, the golden pegasus and augmented unicorn assisted me in finally getting it. I haven't tested it yet, but... is that a functioning hover-scooter? Where in Equestria did you find something like that!?" The pair erupted in cheerful banter, examining each other's devices and chatting happily. Greasy's wings were spread wide in a familiar excitement I knew of, Nikolai wearing the largest grin I'd seen on his face in a long time... no, wait, make that ever. A pleasant smile crept across my own face, watching them discuss energy weapons and other things that were just plainly over my head - maybe a mention of a reactor or two, but always back to that techno-babble I couldn't make coat or tail of - before I left them to theirselves, stepping out into the cool air. The day had already begun to wane off, the sun hidden by the dense clouds in the far west as I looked towards the two-laned snow-covered road heading east, spreading my own wings wide and taking to the air.

There was still one thing nearby that I really had to do - and that marker on my compass pointed straight at it.

I rested myself atop the broad chest of the massive grey pegasus stallion, my cheek brushing against his thick neck as he softly nibbled at the tip of my ear, his large hooves caressing and rubbing my own wings underneath the thick blankets. A heavy blush remained upon my cheeks as our deep breaths seemed to batch in unison, my forehooves resting upon his wide shoulders and gently rubbing along the firm muscles underneath hs dampened coat. Lifting myself up, my eyes met his gaze, those comforting, light-blue eyes of his peering deeply back into mine as our lips met in loving embrace. His hooves held myself closer against his large, muscular body, smiles upon both of our faces as the wasteland itself seemed so much warmer now, so much closer together, so many worries melting away into bliss.

"Twintails... I... I've been meaning to ask. Why'd you, you know, act like that, back in Quebuck? Was it something I said?" Featherweight rolled himself and myself onto our sides, looking at myself with the faintest hints of worry behind that blushing, exhausted expression. I shuffled underneath the thick comforter, staring back, trying to think - Quebuck... what happened in Quebuck? We were staying the night, Featherweight let me share the bed with him, and... oh, right. Twinnie. Releasing a sigh, I rested my head against the pillow, one of my forehooves gently held upon his shoulder as my gaze fell between us.

"It... well... it's a long story. You probably heard about it on the radio, when Stable 34... my Stable..." My vision began to blur as I held my eyes shut, errant sputtering whimpers escaping myself. Damnit, Twintails, keep yourself together... The large pegasus stallion embraced myself in a gentle hug, softly shushing into my ear and gently rocking myself back and forth underneath the covers. Sniffling a few more times, I let off a shuddering breath, feeling his thick grey coat rubbing against my cheek. "G-Gamma Ray... my, my adopted mom... she-she used to c-call me Twinnie..."

Featherweight fell silent for what felt like a long time, simply embracing myself and allowing me to release my emotions. My tears dampened the soft coat on his neck and mane, every now and again his soft lips gently pressing against my forehead and muzzle rubbing against the top of my head as he kept myself close. His large hooves gently caressed my back, the light of the setting wasteland sun shining through the windows of the railroad car, a gentle wind whistling through the loose, old frames and filling in more noise behind my tears. A faint melody could be heard, carried on the chill air, one that I'd come to know so very well; the emotions behind it, the flowing, sweet voice, the longing tune. It was a hopeful song, soothing, promising...

"...we'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again,
Some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
'Till the blue skies drive those dark clouds,
far away.

So will you please say hello,
To the folks that I know, tell them,
'I won't be long'

They'll be happy to know,
That as you saw me go,
I was sing-ing this song,

We'll meet again,
Don't know where,
Don't know when...

But I know we'll meet again, some sun-ny, day..."

I groaned in pain, my horn throbbing. Fuck... what happened last night? I reached up to rub it, but even my hoof gently brushing my mane against it's metal exterior sent bursts of intense pain into my skull. Celestia fuck me, what the hell is happening? Letting off another groan, I managed to push myself up onto my haunches, eyes wrenched shut for the moment. The ground was cold and metallic, and I could feel it humming beneath me. My head swam as I lifted myself up, opening my eyes and peering about the metallic... what... My vision was filled by endless miles of what looked like huge metal plates and wires in a dark cavern. The massive expanse was dimly lit by the soft glow of talismans beneath sections of the floor, and the occasional glow of what looked like white energy speeding down the hose-like wires. “Oh my, um, a-are you alright?” I spun around upon hearing the soft voice, seeing the same yellow pegasus mare that... she was the same one from the Statuette? What the hell...

“Ugh… yeah, I-I guess.” I tried to stand up, but my spinning head and aching horn forced me back onto my stomach. The pegasus mare rushed over to me - she seemed so familiar, like, in pictures or something - with a look of concern on her face, bending down and helping me back up. “Oooh, that hurt...” Muttering another soft groan of pain, I looked around the cavern, trying to get my bearings. It looked far too massive to be physically possible at all, let alone someplace I’d recognize, like a Stable or bunker. Wires hung haphazardly from the ceiling, a few twisting together and connecting into the lightly vibrating ground. “Where… where are we?”

“U-uhm… in your mind, for lack of a better explanation. Twilight was always better with this kind of stuff...” In... in my -what-? I raised an eyebrow at her quizzically, the mare starting to slowly walk forward, helping me along with her. We walked alongside each other as our hooves clanked against the floor, the yellow mare brushing some of her flowing pink mane away from her eyes. “Your augmentations suffered a lot of damage from being banged and shaken around so much. One of the, um, inhibitor talismans broke.” I gave a confused look, wincing in pain a moment later. “Your... your brain is trying to heal itself from the scars left by the implants, but it’s growing over them.” My gut clenched at this, my pupils shrinking down - what... does she mean... I tried to say something, but I only stammered. “Unless somepony fixes this soon…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked down towards the ground. I was frozen in place, my voice having died in my throat

My hooves grew hopelessly shaky as I quivered in place, blood draining from my already pale face. I… I could die? I could die here, and not be able to do anything about it? What about Twintails? What about Cross Stitch? And Greasy, and Sugar Rush, and, and… I felt my vision go blurry as I stumbled about, tripping and falling to the floor again. The mare sat beside me, gently lifting my head onto her lap. She gently caressed my mane, taking care not to come close to my still sore horn. “W-what’s going to happen?” My heart was racing in my chest as another twinge of pain shot across my head. She shushed me softly and continued to pet me, looking into my eyes with her large, comforting ones, energy flying through the wires and conduits above us. Hers looked like they were starting to get a bit damp, too.

“I... I don’t know. I-I'm sorry. They’ll need a neurosurgeon to fix this damage, and... I don’t know if there is one, wherever we are.” I whimpered a little, not comforted by her relaxed stature. She rubbed her gentle hoof along my mane, taking a small sniffle in and blinking the tears from her own eyes. “I’m sure they’ll find somepony that can help. They all looked extremely concerned about you... including Nikolai.” Clenching my own eyes shut, I looked away from her gaze, feeling more than a little guilty. I never did give him the benefit of the doubt, did I? He hasn’t been trying to do anything like the Stable books said... I let off a sigh, the pegasus mare sitting still. “It... it’s alright. W-we all... we all make mistakes, sometimes...” She whimpered, starting to let herself give in to her own tears. The way she was acting, she felt a lot of guilt too, didn't-... a pulse of energy shot by, illuminating her face. She was one of the ministry mares... she was the ministry mare that made the megaspells.

I fell silent, looking up at her with my eyes wide, quietly thinking over her words. She regained herself, her gentle hooves rested upon my chest for the moment. “D-don’t worry, Minty, you’re... you're not a bad pony. You... you just... you're just a bit misguided. You still can fix it, before... before it's too late.” She fought back her tears, smiling down at myself gently. I sniffed a little, returning the soft smile to her, the knot in my stomach having loosened the slightest bit. My vision faded to darkness, the mare humming a soft, familiar tune. "Hush now, Quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, Quiet now, it's time to go to bed..."

A soft, steady beeping filled my ears, each note slightly cut off from the last one. I could feel a few tubes running into my right foreleg, my horn still aching, but wasn’t pounding nearly as much as it had been before. There were some faint murmurs somewhere nearby, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. Cracking open my eyes, I slowly lifted my hoof up to my head… but nothing connected. I looked down, realizing my mechanical leg had been removed. Again. I let myself fall back into the pillow, letting off a groan of annoyance. Who took that now? Pushing myself up in my bed a little, I had to take multiple breaks to just stop myself from vomiting over the sheets. My vision was a recognizable kind of blurry - oh, wonderful. I tried to locate my glasses, but, just like my pip-leg, they were out of view. Ugh, where the heck was I? We were fending off the Hell Hounds… going towards EQUAD… something about Turnpike... as the room fell more into focus - well, relatively, anyways - I found myself starting to notice the stench of dried blood.

“Oh, thank the goddesses, you’re awake!” A familiar voice shouted and ran over to the side of the bed. I looked over, the clouded shape of a navy blue pony coming into my view. Cross Stitch? I pushed myself up a little straighter, the Stable unicorn speaking up again. “One of your friends… Flash-Bang, I think her name was, she flew back to Mooscow and brought me all the way here. Honestly, I’m a little surprised she found me.” He sniffled, rubbing at his eyes and gently resting one of his hooves against my shoulder. I groaned a bit, still trying to shake the sick feeling.

“C-Cross? How long have you been here? How long have I been out? And, ah, where are we?” He seemed to smile broadly, his horn lighting up and encompassing something from a table across the room, levitating it over to me. He gently dropped my glasses on my lap and let me slip them on my face. Oh, that was much less headache-inducing... The room came into focus, my robotic foreleg lying on the table my glasses had come from, my armor folded up next to it. “W-what happened to me?”

“The Elder was able to get you an auto-doc, you’re lucky somepony here knew how to operate one of those things properly. They had to dig around in your head a little, but they said they were able to fix whatever was going on. You’ve been out for a few days, unless you were here for longer than I’ve been.” I nodded, my eyes being drawn to a jar sitting atop the bedside table, focusing in on and staring at it, dumbfounded. Inside, there was a disturbingly large chunk of grey matter, a few visible wires running across it. Uhh… Cross followed my gaze before giving a look of disgust. “I… honestly don’t even want to know.” He stood silent for a few moments before his eyes went wide, looking as if he’d just remembered something. His gaze turned back to myself, quizzical. “Hey… recently I got a special order for a live-size unicorn plush. White coat, teal mane… peppermint cutie mark. What’s going on?” He looked more than a little suspicious. Before I could respond with my own answer of what the hell, Nova passed by the open doorway, immediately looking back and beaming as she saw I was awake.

“Minty! You’re alright!” She rushed over and practically leapt upon me, my head pounding as it rattled around. Okay, headache's back. She let go of me and stepped back, clearing a throat as a blush came to her face. “S-sorry...” She let off a weak chuckle, suddenly - finally - noticing Cross. “Oh! Cross Stitch, why didn’t you send for me when you heard Minty was up? The doctors needed to know.” She said, slightly reprimanding, but still cheerful. She lifted up my leg and carried it over to me, helping to secure it back to the stump.

My mind jumped back to the last time I was here, and she had interests in my mechanical foreleg. “Nova… you didn’t happen to order for a plushie of me… did you?” I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer. Cross made an equally surprised and jealous look, glancing between us both. Eheh, don’t get ahead of yourself, Stitchy, it’s SO not what it looks like. Nova's ears fell a little, her smile faltering.

"Haha, w-what are you talking about? I'd -never- do something like that, nope, never!" Nova chuckled weakly, beads of sweat forming on her brow. Cross's expression grew a little more jealous, myself leaning away from the mare sprouting denials. She finished securing my leg, doing her best to avoid our gazes. I flexed the pip-leg experimentally; some of the joints were a bit stiff, but at least nothing seemed busted. "So... um... I'll just... I'll go get a doctor now." She let off a few more weak chuckles, rushing out of the room.

"What the heck is going on?" I looked over to Cross Stitch, who was looking quite irritated from what just occured - I couldn't blame him. He seemed to be fuming more than just a little. I rubbed the back of my head gently, grimacing and letting off my own weak chuckle. Goddeses, this has seriously been a weird few weeks, hasn't it? As I took to the task of explaining what had happened the first time I was here, Cross's expression slwly yet surely grew from angry to disturbed with each sentence. "Wah, your cousin wants you... in the... and the gun... and..." His voice rose to a shout, causing my head to throb and hears to ring. Never said it'd be pretty. "Nope! No, no, no, no, no, not having that! This place is -way- too weird for me." He shuddered, his mane bouncing as he shook.

I nodded, rubbing my temples a bit to soothe them. "Yeah... Trust me, I'd like to leave here just as much as you do." I tried to throw the covers back and climb out of the bed, but Cross stopped me, nodding to the series of tubes still in my right foreleg. Well... that was a good point. I let off a sigh, flopping back into the pillow, figuring I probably should actually wait for a doctor. One soon arrived, followed by Nova, who stood outside the room awkwardly, nervously glancing down eiether side of the hallway. The doctor trotted up to me, setting her clipboard on top of the bit of brain's jar. She looked me over, flexing my joints and inspecting the back of my head. I felt her rub her hoof over some stitches, before lifting up their clipboard and scribbling a few things down.

“Well, you look like you’re making a fine recovery. I can give you some extra painkillers we have around, but otherwise you’re free to go." She looked up at myself faintly interested, glancing between her clipboard every now and again. I nodded weakly, the doctor pulling a small orange bottle out of a nearby drawer and set them next to my gear. She glanced back at the brain floating in the jar, before leaning in for a closer look. “Oh, Paladin Nova, the damaged brain sample you requested seems to be responding quite well to treatment. If you’d like, we can proceed to moving the conscience signat-” The doctor was cut off as Nova rushed over to her, and rather ungracefully shoved her hoof in his mouth. Well then.

“No! What? Ehaheh, I don’t know what you mean!” She stammered idly, scooping up the jar and starting to push the doctor out of the room. “C-come on, let’s not keep… uh… Fission waiting! HE was the one who wanted this!” The doctor looked extremely confused as Nova shoved him out. “Haha, s-silly doctor, maybe you’re the one w-who needs help! Haha… ehah…” She zipped out of the room, dragging the doctor behind her. Cross and I were frozen, dumbfoundedly staring at the door. I… don’t even want to know what she's doing.

Flash-Bang, Sugar, and Twintails entered the room, snapping Cross and me out of our stunned state. “Are you okay? We, ah, saw Nova dragging the doctor away.” Sugar trotted up alongside the other side of the bed, blinking confusely. I nodded, setting my hooves on the ground tentatively. My legs shook slightly as I stood up straight, and my head still ached a little, but nothing nearly as severe as before. Twintails stood beside myself as I slowly walked over to the table, my horn starting to flare up to unscrew the cap. Immediately I dropped to my knees, a huge bolt of pain coursing through my skull. Aaaargh… okay... No magic for a while, at least until the painkillers get in your system. Cross and Twintails helped me up from the floor, and I clumsily undid the cap with my hooves. I took a couple of the bitter pills and slid the bottle into my saddle bags.

The effect was almost instant, my headache lessening, nearly gone completely. I carefully lit up my horn, levitating my armor up and letting it unfurl. My head hurt just from doing that? Ow... I guess I won't be lifting anything heavy for awhile, but it was definitely better than nothing. I slipped into my armor, sliding the metal plates into place before hitching up my saddlebags and turning to the others. “So… eheh, what now?” I passed on a small smile, looking over the small group. They still looked a little concerned, but relaxed a bit nonetheless.

“Well, Sugar and I were going to be sticking around Trotisk for a while. You guys could stick with us, if you needed.” Flash-Bang smiled, idly adjusting her barding and ruffling her wings. I looked over to Twintails, who smiled reassuringly. Cross looked a little more worried, but seemed to agree, anyways. Flash and Sugar headed out of the room, the rest of us following behind them. We headed up a set of stairs, a few armor-clad ponies passing us, nodding in acknowledgement.

As we passed by what looked like a radio room, I could overhear some idle chatter. “We’ve already lost five knights searching Pripytrot, we’re not sending anymore in… yessir… yessir… Fine, I’ll ask Senior Knight Ion, but I don’t think he or Elder Quazar are going to like our chances, especially after all this.” We turned the corner, the mare’s voice lost in the rumble of generators and the echoes from the firing range. We made our way through the facility, Fringe running up from the workshop as we approached the large set of stairs to the exit.

“There you are, Nova said you were still in your room. Nice to see you up and about still.” He put on a soft smile behind his mustache, following behind us for the moment. Man this hallway was getting crowded... We headed up a flight of stairs, the heavy upper door opening to reveal the long tunnel leading out to the bright landscape. I rubbed my eyes as they started to water - Ugh, a week without sunlight kills your eyesight. It was coming out of my Stable all over again. I followed the others, blinking rapidly as the wind whipped some of the water out of my eyes. We all trotted down the hill, the guards standing by the fence raising the gate to allow us through. “The Ranger Engineers are still fixing up the TOG - ah, that tank, but even when it’s done, I doubt they'd be up for giving it back up. It’s honestly a miracle they didn’t confiscate that rifle from you, Minty. Celestia knows Elder Quazar tried.”

Sugar let off a chuckle, stretching her hooves and looking around the entrance area. “It’s a good thing Greasy was willing to give up a couple of her schematics instead. Speaking of, she’ll be wanting a look over of that gun when we get back.” We continued down the hill, Twintails firing off his Luger at a bloatfly idly. “Oh, and you wouldn’t believe how much she and Nikolai have been getting along lately. Kind of funny, she’s probably the most racist pony I've ever met, next to you. No offense.” She chuckled weakly, chewing idly at her lower lip and looking out across the wasteland. Hey, at least I... well... I'm getting better!

Cross pulled his jacket a little more snugly around his face, the wind biting at exposed skin. “I still can’t believe you didn’t kill off that striped-skin when you had the chance, Minty. Don’t tell me you’re becoming a sympathizer.” He let off a weak chuckle, smiling faintly, but failed to hide the serious tone of his voice. I didn’t answer him. Sympathizer? My gut instinctively clenched at that word, considering the implications. The mare in my head tried to calm me down, just like she did before, but it didn’t help that much. I shook my head, trying to hide my worry - what would he do if I said yes? Did... did he already know? I mentally sighed, shaking my head, if just barely. Just, try not to let on, Minty. Who knows, maybe he’ll come around… or not.

We were soon walking through Trotisk, a few foals building a snow-mare at the side of the road while another packed snow into a large barricade. The bell above the door to the Plasma Spaz rang as Twintails pushed inside. We all filed in as the sound of hooves were heard coming down the wooden steps. Greasy trotted up to the counter, smiling widely as she saw us. “Minty! It’s good to see you’re back on your hooves. Oh, oh...” She ran back to the steps, shouting up them. “Hey Nikolai! Minty’s back!” There was a crash, and soon the zebra was racing down the steps. He jumped the last few, landing with a thud against the hardwood floor, still wearing a large set of goggles that honestly just looked bizzare. A few smaller lenses were secured to the left lens of the goggle on hinges, magnifying his eye largely. He slid them up his face, grinning widely, but not before Cross had fainted at the deranged sight.

“Eheh, ah... sorry.” I bent down, fanning Cross’s face with a hoof as Nikolai set the odd headgear on the counter. “It’s good to see you're alive, though. Greasy and I have been so worried.” He helped Cross over to a chair, letting him lean against the counter as he recovered. As I bent over, Greasy noticed J01-T5 slung across my back, letting out a squeal of delight. She rushed over me, yanking the long rifle off of my back, almost tearing the strap apart.

“Where on earth did you get this, Minty?!” The ghoulified pegasus mare was ridiculously giddy, practically bouncing in place as she looked it over. “I’ve tried building some form of energy sniper rifle before, but there’s always the problem of being able to accelerate plasma and making a powerful laser beam that won’t fry the weapon itself... ooh, can I study this? Pleeeeease? It won’t take long, I promise!” Before I could answer, she had ran back upstairs, Sugar and Flash following behind her. Pah, crazy Enclave mares...

“Sheesh, how do you put up with her?” Nikolai shrugged, chuckling a bit as Twintails looked idly about the energy weapons shop. Cross groaned as he came to, shaking his head. He opened his eyes, only to be met by Nikolai standing right in front of him. He jumped backwards, yelping in fright. “Woah, woah, calm down!” Twintails walked up to Cross, the unicorn leaping behind him and using him as a shield, as he encompassed a grenade from the counter in his magic, just about ready to pull out the pin and throw it towards Nikolai.

Twintails grabbed the grenade out of Cross's hoof, glaring at him and tossing the small energetic container of plasma aside. "What is the matter with you? Are you completely insane?!" Cross only dove under the table, cowering in fear. Twintails rolled his eyes and trotted up to the counter beside Nikolai, mumbling something about balefire warheads. "Minty, can't you stop him from blowing us all up? I'd rather not die in a large explosion just yet." I trotted over to him, picking up his tail with my magic and dragging him out. Graah, fuck, headache's coming back... might need another couple of pills. I unscrewed the cap and swallowed two of the bitter things, Cross standing himself back up.

I slid the bottle of pills back into my saddlebags, sighing as the pain died down and everything stopped spinning. "Cross, you can't go chucking grenades around like that. You're likely to get us all killed." Cross sputtered, pointing at Nikolai. I leaned in towards his ear, muttering softly, "Look... I'm not really happy with it either, but he's been pretty useful so far. The least we can do is not try to kill him." Me giving a lecture on not gunning down stripes? That mare in my head must be so proud. "Besides, if everything goes as planned, he'll probably be the last one around." Cross raised his eyebrow hopefully, and I immediately regretted saying that. "Just trust me." Nikolai still looked a little worried as I turned back to face the group.

"So... what are you guys planning on doing now? Myself, I think I'm actually going to stay here. My station's quite far away, and Greasy's been really accommodating." He smiled at us gently, picking up his goggles off of the counter. "If you guys ever need me, though, I'd be happy to head out with you." Twintails and Fringe both noddd and smiled in approval, but Cross wasn’t looking happy at all. I felt my ears drop a little, looking at him..

“We’ll be heading on back to Mooscow, hopefully we can get there before the next time a storm blows in.” I glanced back at Cross Stitch, who seemed to be looking up at one of the plasma casters hanging on the wall in awe. “Maybe we can pick you up some other time… it’d probably be best not to have you and Cross together at the same time.” He nodded, chuckling a little.

“I suppose not. Just don’t leave me here for good,” He lowered is voice. “I... don’t particularly like the look of some of the stuff Greasy’s been putting together. I think the war may haave took away a bit more than just parts of her coat...” He stood up suddenly as Greasy and Sugar came back down the steps, carrying J01 in her magic. She levitated it over me, and I slung it back into place. “Well, hopefully you guys don’t run into more Hell Hounds and… stuff.” He chuckled weakly as I nodded, the others trotting up around.

“That’s some absolutely beautiful craftsmanship you have there, Minty. Let me get a closer inspection of it sometime, I bet I could find a few ways to modify it for ya!” My ears perked up at that idea. J01-T5 with explosive plasma rounds? More scope settings? Fuzzy dice? Ohohoho, so much fun to be had! Greasy passed on a smile as she turned back around, heading to the back of the shop alongside Nikolai. “See you guys, around!” I made sure J01 was secure before Twintails, Fringe, Cross and I all headed out of the shop, Cross zipping his jacket up a little tighter.

As we headed out of town, I idly rummaged about in my saddle bags, looking towards the bundled-up unicorn beside me. “Hey Cross, catch.” I tossed him my plasma pistol, my coltfriend catching it in his aura. It hummed and sparked faintly, as he slid it in the front pocket of his jacket, adjusting it idly with a hoof. “Just don’t try killing everything you see.” He grinned, Twintails flipping and adjusting the knobs on his Pip-Buck, the familiar, smarmy voice breaking through static.

“So bundle up folks, that storm looks like it’ll be another nasty one from the coast! And be sure to keep an eye out for whatever the heck that warship leaving tracks across the wastes is, I dunno aboutr you but something that spits balefire warheads isn't something I'd want to get too close to! Anyways, that's the morning news broadcast for today, here’s some music for you all, if only life could really be this sweet...”

"Life could be a dream
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again..."

"Hello wasteland, and welcome back to CONELRAD on your AM radio dial! You're listening to the stallion otherwise known as Bert the Turtle, coming to your listening ears with all the news and other crap that's going on out there nowadays! So anyways, time for me to stop blathering on about reorting the news and actually report it! First off, still no word out of Pripytrot, but some scouts in shiny steel divulged that something more serious than a universal shut-down of all transcievers is going on out that way. If you have friends or family in the city, well... I wouldn't reccomend heading in to get them out. Those scouts also said they went in about ten rangers stronger than they came out. Whatever the hell's attacking them... remember, I'm not making this stuff up... whatever the hell it is, it's killed ten of the best those ponies in tin cans have to offer already. I don't need to tell you how dangerous a pissed-off Steel Ranger knight can be, and if they're getting overwhelmed, well... hm...

"A-ah, anyways! In other happenings out in the wasteland, and assuming you haven't been listening to the last few times I reported on it, there have been scattered reports from out up near Steel Creek of a large snow-camoflauged beast of a machine trundling along and leaving wide parallel tracks in the snow and ice. Many sources, including a certain ghoulified mathematician you all know and love, have confirmed this nasty monster to be a pre-war tank. Last sighting of it was moving inside that tunnel outside of what's left of Steel creek, other words, into Steel Ranger custody. If this is the case, all we can hope for is that they've got sense enough to not point that big-ass gun at anything or anyone who didn't realize the gigantic steel behemoth isn't damaged by hunting rifle shots.

"And finally, I'm pleased to bring you to the newest segment of the program - advertising! If it's a robotic companion or just a new pack mule you're looking for - no offense to any mules who might be listening in - then send along an order at your nearest courier shop for one from Sparkplugs Robotics! Supplies are limited, but payment can also be taken in the form of any wrecked robots you might find laying around. Discounted price for full disabled pre-war bots! Eheh... ah, oh yes, and if it's your barding that needs to be patched up, or if you just want something to cuddle that won't try and squirm away from you in the middle of the night, just send along a letter to Mooscow's own local seamster, Cross Stitch. Trust me on this, that kid's got more talent with a needle in one hoof than most ponies I've seen have in their entire bodies! Will also do special orders for new clothes you might need to brave the cold, cold wasteland, so don't be shy about asking! Kid's got a heart of gold.

"Anyways, that wraps up the mid-day report, here's another piece of gold from our own Tom Neighrer. Who knew he really WAS such a kinky bastard? Hah!"

"I have here a march for mine, it's called; Smut!
Give me smut and nothing but!
A dirty novel I can't shut,
if it's uncut, and unsubt-
-tle.

I've never quibbled,
if it was ribbled!
I would devour,
where others merely nibbled!

As the judge remarked the day that he acquitted my Aunt Hor-"

"Advertising? How the hell are you advertising now?" Minty looked towards Cross Stitch in a state of disbelief as we trotted along the short stretch of road between Trotisk and Turnpike, the latter augmented unicorn gaining a smirk upon his face and letting off a smug chuckle. Fringe trotted alongside myself, having his own small chuckle as he moved along, the faint sound of the song continuing from his armor's radio filling the air about him. A sense of eagerness had myself, the stormclouds overhead causing the wasteland to be the faintest bits darker than usual during the daytime, the smoke rising from the cooking fires of several residents enjoying lunch just over the next hill showing just how close we were to Turnpike.

"It's funny how so many bottlecaps can get you so far around here. There was a lot more of 'em in clothing and other fabric repair than I'd figured, so can you blame me for wanting to get a bit more business? Besides, with all that extra cloth I wound up with, I -did- manage to piece together a little something for you, mint-butt~" The royal blue unicorn wore a sly grin, looking over at Minty. In return, my augmented friend's eyes widened, a blush coming across his face. "Oh, you do look so adorable when you're so delightfully padded up~" Minty stuttered for a few moments, stalling in his tracks. Padded up? Wait wait wait, does he mean... a small trickle of red flowed down my friend's white muzzle, staining his coat. Cross Stitch trotted on, looking smug with himself and certainly not hiding it.

"Uh, Minty, you've got a little something..." Tapping a hoof against my muzzle, my friend took a moment before wiping his own clear of the blood, shaking his head idly. He adjusted his glasses, bringing himself together and moving along, shuffling the large rifle on his back. "Yeah... ah, anyways, do you guys mind if we hang around in Turnpike for a little bit? There's, um, there's something there I need to do... more than a few times... eheh..." Letting off a weak chuckle, I caught Minty rolling his eyes at myself, Cross Stitch glancing backwards with a certain level of surprise. I put on a weak grin, trotting back up alongside Fringe, who was similarly passing on a small glare.

"I'm not going to ask, so you ought to not tell me. We'll have to stop somewhere anyways, if we're going to want to reach Mooscow on hoof." He let off a small grunt, reaching down and grabbing another cigar in his mouth, idly chewing on the end for a few moments. "Just hope whatever's in Pripytrot hasn't been pushing north, yet. Even with the TOG now, I can't be sure if we'd have a chance..." The power-armored pegasus turned his gaze towards the south, and the dense fog that shrouded the road in from the city. A twinge of uncertainty ran through me - wasn't Pripytrot the other place where the Doc said to check? Since we didn't find any of that firing material at Sunrise Castle... or, if we did, it was currently vaporized or detonated... I let out an audible gulp, looking towards the shrouded city as well, my auto-rifles clinking either side of my body. Maybe some things just weren't worth dying over...

"Twintails! Minty! Glad to see y'both again, Featherweight's been especially missing his lil' cuddle-buddy. Ooh, an' you brought more company, too!" The cheery red-haired pegasus filly darted about the small kitchen area of the caboose, Fringe and Cross Stitch both staring in in surprise as we all filed inside the small area. Buzzy eventually darted over my own head, tapping a hoof against the wooden door separating the railcar halfway. "Hey Featherweight! Your special somepony's back, an' he brought friends! If you want me to leave for a while again, just say so!" By the goddesses, that filly knew how to make me blush. Cross and Minty were both looking around and rubbing at the back of their heads awkwardly, and even Fringe seemed to be particularly interested in his unlit cigar right now. Maker of comfortable situations, Buzzy sure as hell isn't. The wooden door opened with a creak, the bedraggled blue mane of the tired pegasus stallion falling in his eyes and prompting him to brush it clear with a free hoof.

"Twintails! I didn't expect to see you back so... uh, hello?" Featherweight blinked a few times, focusing his lovely blue eyes on the small group occupying the forward end of the caboose. Cross Stitch wore a heavy blush, his own eyes locked on Featherweight's, who seemed at the very least quite confused at the company. The royal blue unicorn fidgeted, Featherweight sliding up alongside myself, still watching Cross Stitch... hey, was he honestly checking Featherweight out? Hooves off buddy, this is my huge hunk of stallion. He let out a forceful breath through his nostrils, a stream of blood accompanying and faintly staining his blue muzzle, Minty looking over to him in alarm. Featherweight bent down, meeting my face. "Uh, he one of your friends?"

"Cross Stitch, Minty's old Stable coltfriend. Gotta say, I didn't expect him to react like that to you..." The blue unicorn fainted against Minty, my augmented friend straining with his magic to help his coltfriend over to a nearby bench. Laying him down with a grunt of pain, he weakly levitated out another one of those pills, swallowing it down and then turning to fanning Cross' face. Fringe idly moved the cigar about in his mouth, his suit motors whirring and lifting a hoof up to Featherweight, who took ahold and shook. Sheesh, Featherweight was larger than Fringe in his power armor... "Oh, right, this is-"

"Knight Fringe of the Steel Rangers, pleasure to meet yourself." The mustached pegasus stallion nodded idly, glancing over Featherweight with the faintest hints of surprise evident. "Hmh, swear I recall seeing you before, somewhere. Damned if you don't seem much larger up close. Seem like Ranger material, but your daughter... not so much. Blabs too often." Fringe wore a slightly amused look on his face, adjusting his cigar once again, Featherweight returning it with a gaze of confusion. Daughter? Oh, come on, Featherweight wasn't THAT old... right? Maybe I should stop thinking about it before I get into territories I'll regret...

"Daughter? I ain't his daughter! He's my brother!" Buzzy landed on Featherweight's back, leaning up against his head and looking down at Fringe. The pegasus in power armor's eyes were wide, starting to take a few steps backwards, chuckling nervously - goddesses, I think that's the first time I've ever seen Fringe chuckling. He rubbed at the back of his head, idly adjusting his soft hat and blinking a few times, his expression seemingly starting to falter to one of surprise. "We, ah, we don't have any parents. Mom an' Dad were in Pripytrot, when..." The young pegasus filly slumped onto her haunches, her red mane falling over her eyes as she drew in a breath and let it out with a shudder. Featherweight similarly let his head drop, a frown forming on his muzzle as the air in the railcar became tense. Fringe, meanwhile, chewed harder on the end of his cigar, his face gone tense, as if somepony stabbed him or something. He turned to face myself, voice trembling the faintest bit.

"I think I'll... step outside, for a moment. Won't go far, just... just need a smoke." The power-armored stallion pushed forth out the doorway, Buzzy having hovered off of the back of Featherweight and gone back to busying herself with the food. Featherweight, meanwhile, moved over to one of the thin-frame windows, watching out of it longingly, his breath condensing on the frigid glass. Trotting up beside him, I gently brushed my cheek against his neck, meeting his gaze with my own one of concern. A small smile flashed upon his muzzle as he lifted up one of his hooves, draping it around my neck and tugging myself in closer, ruffling my mane softly.

"Heh... I g-guess we have more in common than we thought." I let off a weak chuckle, digging at the wood floor with a hoof. The wasteland is one hell of a cruel place... Fringe was wandering out in the snow, one of his forehooves rubbing at his face as the smoke from his cigar flowed in clouds around him. He almost looked like he was crying. What else did he do?... Featherweight bent down and rested his chin against the top of my head, his warm breath blowing in my mane as he cuddled myself close against.

"There's a few empty sleeper cars around, Buzzy can show your friends the one she usually goes to. They're not too far away, and besides... I think I might want to just cuddle with somepony, tonight..." He held myself back, looking down with a soft smile and those beautiful, blue eyes. The pots on the stove simmered quietly, Cross Stitch beginning to stir as we both turned back to the inside of the caboose, Minty wearing an exhausted expression on his face. The purple-coat unicorn let off a soft groan, lifting his head up and holding a hoof to it, resting on a foreleg and blinking his eyes to adjust to the interior. He focused in on Featherweight once again, eyes going wide, voice coming out in stutters. The large grey pegasus moved up to his side, gently resting a hoof against the side of his head and letting off a weak chuckle. "Heh, glad to see that you're awake again. Cross Stitch, right?"

"Dbuh... mmuninuh... ebuh... eheh..." Cross Stitch stuttered gibberish, his gaze moving up from the sight of Featherweight as his hooves moved numbly about in the air. Letting out a fluttering chuckle, the augmented unicorn fainted again, Featherweight blinking a few times and setting his head back down against the bench carefully. He turned about, letting off a few weak chuckles of his own and rubbing at the back of his mane. Buzzy hummed idly, hovering about with a long wooden stirring spoon in her mouth. She wore a smile behind it, placing her hooves against her body and shaking her head side to side in disbelief. Wearing an amused grin, I slid back up alongside Featherweight, resting a foreleg around his neck.

"You're one hell of a stallion, Featherweight."

Adjusting my barding on my chest, a large, grey wing wrapped itself over my back, still faintly smelling of the sweet sweat of pleasure from the night before. Featherweight's large, soft lips placed a tender kiss against my cheek, drawing a blush from myself. He rested himself underneath the covers of the large bed, watching me with those soft, dreamy eyes of his, drawing small circles on the fabric of the pillow he rested on. "Have to leave so soon? Why the rush?" Sliding the blanket off of himself, the large stallion sat up in the bed, giving his wings an idle flap and dispersing the aroma of last night's pleasures about the room. I wanted to stay - I really, -really- did - but... as I thought of what we were heading back for, in honesty, a twinge of anger found place in my stomach. Letting off a small sigh, I slid on the heavily-packed battle saddle and bags, stumbling underneath the weight only slightly.

"Minty and Cross Stitch want to head back to Mooscow soon as they can. You can't blame them too much, they haven't really been able to be with each other since he was pulled out..." Tugging the holding straps tight, the pair of wire-supported bits casually bounced in front of me - oh, that's going to get confusing. Featherweight nodded, leaning back against the headboard for a moment and idly fanning himself with one of his wingtips. He let out a long sigh, taking a deep breath of the aroma given off, letting his head fall back to look up at the ceiling, a smile across his muzzle.

"Well, just try to be careful, and come back soon. I'd tag along with, but keeping an eye on Buzzy is a bit more of a full-time job nowadays..." He let off a weak chuckle, stretching for a few moments before sliding himself out of the bed, myself moving forwards with my armory on my back and opening up the old door. The larger stallion let off a laugh as we shuffled out, tapping his hoof against my flank. "Honestly, I'm not sure if you're a pegasus or a tank, now. You said you got that thing from the SCAB? I knew there was heavy armament there, but, goddesses!"

"You have no idea, Featherweight..." Letting off a small laugh, the frigid air of the wasteland met myself, the half-awake pair of unicorns smiling dumbly and stumbling out of the sleeping car on the track parallel. The nippy air certainly seemed to wake them both up quick, if the drunken smiles quickly being replaced with expressions of 'get me out of here' were anything to go by. Both of them being stark naked probably didn't help matters... I couldn't help but let out a snicker. Buzzy groggily followed next, along with Fringe, who seemed just as awake and alert as yesterday - sheesh, didn't he ever sleep? The small green pegasus filly hovered herself inside the caboose, collapsing against Featherweight's back, mumbling incoherently. Fringe let out a large huff of cigar smoke, looking up at the sky for a few moments, playing with the cigar in his mouth once more.

"We ought to get moving if we want to reach Mooscow by sundown. Hopefully the two loons with horns won't be too exhausted from last night..." The power-armored stallion grumbled, rubbing at the sides of his head and trotting aside, chuffing out another cloud of smoke. Minty and Cross Stitch, now both adorned in their barding once more and wearing blushes on their faces, met us both near the snowed-up platform, chuckling and clearing their throats nervously. Fringe looked over them both, shaking his head disapprovingly and looking first towards the fogged-in Pripytrot, then to the east towards Quebuck and Mooscow. "A day's walk, assuming we're not interrupted you should get to Mooscow by sundown. I can take you to Quebuck, but I've got some things back at EQUAD that need taking care of." The mustached stallion trotted forwards, his armored hooves sinking into the fresh snow and smoke flowing around his face in wispy clouds. "Least you seem like you can handle yourselves. Come on, burning daylight."

"A-ahem, yeah, I do have a few projects back in Mooscow I have to get done... including that plushie..." Cross Stitch idly rubbed at the back of his head, a weak smile on his face. Minty, understandably, was less than amused at that revelation. Stuttering, the purple-maned augmented unicorn raised his hooves defensively, shaking them in front of himself as he chuckled sporadically and tried to keep his coltfriend from blowing a gasket... why would I not be surprised if Minty could literally do that? "N-no! I-it's, ah... Minty, she paid two thousand caps for it, in advance! I can't turn down a project like this!" Minty seemed to simmer down slightly, but his cheeks still seemed to be red in anger. Letting off a sigh, he trotted up alongside Fringe, adjusting the plasma rifle he kept on his back alongside his mag-rifle.

"Let's just head to Mooscow. Like he said, burning daylight." Minty glanced back for a moment, before pressing forwards, Fringe walking alongside him. Cross Stitch lingered behind with myself, chewing on his lower lip and watching his breath condensing out into the air. Lifting a foreleg and placing it around his neck, I passed on a small smile, the augmented unicorn matching my eyes for a moment and then following the pair, seeming the faintest bits in better spirits. I glanced back at the caboose, seeing Featherweight in through one of the windows and waving a hoof towards him, the larger stallion smiling and returning the wave cheerfully. The loaded battle saddle clinked loudly as I rushed along to catch up, Cross Stitch staring up at the armory on my back with a certain level of surprise.

"Pardon my asking, but I still want to know why in the name of the goddesses do you have so much... uh, hardware, with you? I mean, the auto-rifles I get, and the grenade one too, to a lesser extent, but..." He stalled for a long moment, looking up and down the length of Kindness dumbfoundedly. As we trotted out of the east gate of Turnpike, I couldn't help but smirk at his expression. "That... thing, it actually fires those striped warheads? Why the hell did Equestria make something that shot Zebra ammunition?!" Oh, Stable 76, you were so goddess-damned crazy, weren't you? I let off a chuckle, idly letting the large launcher sway on my back, looking up at the clear blue plexiglass of the half-pipe guide.

"Hey, when you need to make absolutely sure that whatever's shooting at you will be killed to death in the face, what better way than with a miniature balefire bomb?" Releasing a gleeful cackle, Cross Stitch took a few steps away from myself, looking a little less thrilled to be traveling along with us. Wearing a stupid grin, I let off a sigh, looking over at the concerned unicorn. He sped up in his trotting slightly, pulling up alongside Fringe and still glancing back at myself every now and again. "Oh, c'mon Cross, balefire explosions are pretty!"

"Twintails, rule two for the tank applies to that thing, too." The power-armored stallion glared back at myself, Minty glancing back as well. Rule two... oh, come on, Fringe! It's not like I'd be wasting a 3-inch shell traveling at a couple hundred meters per second on a bloatsprite, it's just a regular balefire egg! Though... oh, fine. "Buck up. Those bears in Quebuck'll sure be in for one hell of a surprise, eh?" He let off a smoky chuckle, peering down the road ahead as the morning sun crested the mountains, only to be shrouded by the incessant cloud cover as the day moved on. Sliding up alongside Minty, I fidgeted with my Pip-buck's radio, tuning back into Hi-fi and Tom. Least it was something to pass the time...

"Welcome back, and good morning Wasteland! You're listening to CONELRAD, 640 and 1240 on your AM radio dial, and we're bringing you all the news and music your listening ears can handle! It's a beautiful day out there in the wasteland, the snowstorms last night brought in another dusting of that tasty, tangy radiation that we all so dearly know and love. Or, well, at least know, anyways - remember kiddies, check your food with a geiger counter before you scarf it down, or prepare up a radaway chaser for yourself afterwards. Take it from Tommy, being ghoulified ain't fun to begin with, much less from the inside out. Cook all foods you can be bothered to in hot water, and be sure to dump the stuff out afterwards, it ain't good for bathing or drinking.

"Anyways, Public Service Announcements out of the way, news time! Old Bertie here has been getting some odd reports of sightings of robots wandering around along the Trotisk-Mooscow highway with old Equestrian Army transport sleds, and armed to the teeth with all manner of energy weapons. No, listeners, it isn't just those Steel Rangers hauling scrap around, these bots mean business, wherever they're coming from. Even Jumper Cables, the mare who runs that factory up past Mooscow, is stumped as far as this is concerned. In a rare chance, our own Tom Neighrer himself went out and interviewed the extremely exhausted equine of engineering. Here's a snippet;" The radio was silent for a moment, before being replaced with the buzz of the RobronCo factory's main office, and Jumper's tired voice - albeit, the latter through a mug of coffee. Goddess-damn, girl, get some sleep!

"We... we at the Sparkplugs' Robotics Restoration factory do not construct self-guiding retrieval robots, much less ones like that built to attack anypony in their way. Who... excuse me..." The less-than-classy sound of a lot of coffee being consumed filled the sound from the speaker, before a few gasping breaths and a shaking of mane. "Sorry. Whoever is reactivating these robots, they want something that's out there. I examined what was left of one of the carcasses that was brought in by one of the Mooscow gate guards, and all I can say is that these are robots built for combat. Explosives and armor-piercing bullets are the best things to use against these models if you have to fight them. We're still trying to pinpoint a manufacturer, but-" Minty's magic flared up around my pip-buck, turning the radio off fully, as he lifted a metallic hoof and dragged me into the snow. I spat out a wad of the freezing white stuff, glancing over at him annoyedly before notcing Fringe likewise laying prone, both of them pulling their rifles off of their backs.

"Two tangoes coming out of Quebuck, right side of the west gate. See 'em?" Blinking a few times, I lifted myself up to peer over the snowbank, trying to glimpse past the flying snow. A pair of dark forms did seem to be out there, walking along at a steady pace but with jerky movements, almost... robotic. Oh no. Minty and Fringe both bretahed light clouds out into the chill air, adjusting themselves as they needed, eyes against their sights. I glanced back up in the direction they were aiming at; it was a stretch, but I might be able to land a balefire egg out that far. Besides, if they didn't manage to take them out... "On my mark... fire."

The pair of rifled resounded in the cold air, sending plumes of snow up from the ground around the muzzles as their projectiles flew out. Fringe's large rifle sent him shuffling in the snow significanytly more than Minty's did, both of them watching quietly as the rounds impacted... and pinged off. Minty levitated up his rifle in disbelief, looking at the pair of pony-like figures as Fringe cycled the bolt and loaded another shell, letting off a growl. "Damn! Get your rifle reloaded and take another shot, they can't be too accurate at this range." The power-armored pegasus' long-barreled anti-tank rifle resounded again, the second shot bouncing with an audible ping off of the forward armor of the robots. Oooh, please please please tell me this is an exception to rule two... "Twintails..."

"Way ahead of you!" With a wide grin and gleeful bounce, I cleared the snowbank we were using for cover, pulling the bit for Kindness into my mouth and settling myself. Let's see, if the launcher is at a 30-degree angle relative to my body, and it can throw a balefire egg from level status at least 25 meters away... each degree of inclination adding an extra meter to range, with targets grouped at 40 meters and closing... travel time of the payload would technically be 5 seconds, with a reload- oh, who am I kidding, one is all it'll take. With a gleeful smile, I bit down on the actuating lever, the wires tautening and pulling the firing mechanism.

The balefire egg left the launcher with a loud resounding of compressed air, causing a small cloud in the frigid wasteland atmosphere as it was allowed to decompress and throw the piston forwards, and subsequently both launch and activate the payload. Seconds turned into minutes as the glowing green ball of fun death arced through the snowy air, landing square between the two robots. The brilliant green flash engulfed them both, the wispy cloud of snow riding the blast wave as it tore through the metal of the robots and sent their parts flying everywhere, quickly arriving to grace my own ears with the thunderous roar and heat pulse of balefire. I wore a stupid grin as I felt myself temporarily lifted by the pulse wave, flailing with my front hooves in the air for a moment before falling back to the ground and watching the snowy small mushrom cloud rising up into the sky, accentuated by the green balefire radiation burning in the head and reflecting off of the permafrost it revealed, the faint clicking of our geiger counters heard for a few seconds as the miniscule amounts of fallout fell out. Dropping the bit from my mouth, I turned back to face the group, wearing a stupid grin.

"Minty, your friend is honest-to-Celestia crazy!!" Cross Stitch gathered himself from the snowbank, shaking it from his mane and moving himself quickly over to his coltfriend. Fringe, meanwhile, swung his long rifle onto his back and leapt up past myself, rushing forwards to what was left of one of the robots. The fragments of mushroom cloud were being wisped away to the north by the higher winds, giving the remains of the stem a small curved shape, the power armored stallion slowing to a trot as he neared a carcass. I moved up alongside him, still swimming in that certain euphoria that came with the detonation of a balefire warhead of any yield. Minty and Cross followed as well, Fringe wrestling with the breastplate of the destroyed robot, tossing it onto the snow opposite, face-up. The two dents from his rifle shots were plainly visible, along with an Equestrian Army symbol and five letters painted underneath it in white. Minty let out an audible gulp, my own eyes going wide, as Fringe trotted up to look at the plate, reading off the letters out loud.

"N E A M O... what the bloody hell's NEAMO?"

Author's Note

As always, thanks for reading along with us! We are slowly but surely pulling into the closing stretch as is - hard to believe we've been writing this for 39 weeks straight as is! Again, this story wouldn't be at all possible with the continued assistance and creative mind of my friend and co-author, Minty Candy; he's as much the author as I am!

Resignation

I could feel my hooves grow sweaty despite the freezing temperatures. “N-NEAMO? No clue.” I said, trying to keep up an expression of denial. Thankfully, Fringe was still inspecting the piece of metal. I glanced over to Twintails, who bit his lower lip a little. Cross looked quizzically over to me and I only shrugged. “Some kind of… brand of robot by those… Sparkplug… guys, maybe?” I forced out, letting off errant chuckles. My mouth was definitely running dry; I gulped, sure that Fringe or Cross would notice something was up. What were NEAMO robots doing way out here? Did the Doc think we were dead again, or something? Fringe let off a grunt, dropping the armor plating into the snow and huffing out a thick smoky cloud, moving forwards.

“Maybe… heard reports about some pre-war facility past that old factory by that name, now that I think of it. They probably just dug up these rusty bots from the snow and fixed 'em up.” I nodded, relieved. The stallion in the soft hat thought for a moment, moving the cigar in his mouth. “Still, they're in surprisingly good condition. Armor's some kind of carbon-fiber alloy, distributes the impact too damn well. Maybe that place was better equipped than Quazar'd thought it to be.” Fringe took another glance back at the robots, readjusting his rifle upon his armor's back. We began to trot away from the robots, though not before I rummaged through their mutilated bodies for a couple spare energy cells, tossing them over to Cross.

He let them fall into his coat pocket as we trudged up a small rise in the road, the tops of the buildings in Quebuck coming well into view. A few ghoul groans and roars echoed up from the ruins, Cross looking a little more anxious. “Uh… maybe we could go around?” Fringe shook his head, glancing back momentarily at Cross with a look that carried both disapproval and a message of 'Why'd I sign up for this?', pressing forwards. Cross pulled out the plasma pistol, holding it at the severely ready and glancing about nervously. Similarly, I pulled out my plasma rifle, Fringe pausing to scan over the area while Twintails readied his saddled guns - have to ask him sometime how the hell he can walk around with all that stuff on his back. We trotted down the other side of the hill towards the damaged thoroughfare running through the ruined structures, some off to the near south more collapsed than others. Twintails did say something about an air burst the first time we went through here, didn't he?

We walked by the dilapidated buildings, Twintails checking around the corners as we slowly worked our way through. Cross screamed as we passed an alley, a couple ghouls leaping out at us from the darkness - man, he screamed like a filly. He fired erratically, Twinails and myself opening up on the small wandering group, the ghouls falling to the ground in a mess of blood and plasma. Fringe jabbed Cross in the side, hissing harshly into his ear. “Keep your bloody mouth shut, or we’re going to have the whole city chewing at our flesh. I didn't ask to lead you back, I'm covering those two.” Cross gave a small squeak of fear, glancing over his shoulder at the both of us, the power armored stallion spinning with a huff and continuing on.

Cross trotted a little closer to the center of the group, still glancing around and pointing his pistol at any little shadow. I guess I can’t blame him, I know I was paranoid when I first came out of the Stable, and those were just fat ugly bugs. “S-so, um, what did you hear about NEAMO?” Cross asked Fringe. My ear twitched a bit, my already high strung nerves tensing up further. Fringe’s eyes ran across another building, checking for any more ghouls, not turning to face my coltfriend either out of annoyance or guard. Appearing satisfied over the road ahead, he took another long draw off his cigar, Twintails and myself continuing to keep our guards up.

“Not much, honestly. What I picked up from the data in our archives, it was a pre-war government facility, some kind of weapon research and storage. Hmh, maybe you’d like to stop by it, Twintails, find some other thing to get yoruself killed about.” He let off a growlish chuckle, ending with a huff, Twintails chuckling a little awkwardly. How have they not noticed something was up with us both yet? I sighed a little, trying to think of a way to keep Fringe separated from us long enough to report back to NEAMO. At least Cross will be safe in Mooscow. We passed by the theatre where we first found Tom, his faded poster blowing a little in the wind.

We were soon heading out of the city, a little bit of excess plasma dripping from the tip of my rifle. The sky grew a little darker as we made our way back to Mooscow, my gaze roaming around for more ghouls or NEAMO robots, Twintails doing the same with an almost gleeful look on his face. The Doc had said he wanted to keep all this stuff low-key until they were able to actually fire off Megaspell Mary... Did somepony else bring back the parts they needed? Or, were we replaced? We continued down the road, something coming into view along the side of it. Wait… was that...

Both Twintails and I rushed over to the crashed wagons, bottles of Sunrise Sarsaparilla and Sparkle Cholera laying in the fallen snow. Oooh, it may be a bit more irradiated, but it’s still ice cold and fizzy! I scooped up a couple bottles, Twintails slipping his own death drink into his saddles... and the tube-thing of his launcher. Blech, isn’t there some better use of those things? I’m sure someone could make a grenade, or mine, or something out of them. Cross peered over the edge of the snow bank, perking up immediately and leaping over to join me as he saw the goldmine of soda. As he gathered up some of his own bottles in his saddlebags, he glanced over to Twintails, pausing for a moment. He leaned over to me, muttering into my ear.

“Um, Minty… are you sure that we can trust this guy? He’s already got some screws loose, and now he’s drinking that sludge?” He snickered a little, myself rolling my eyes, not wanting to start another fight with somepony carrying around an arsenal of balefire eggs at the ready. Fringe picked up a bottle of Sparkle Cola as well as we all climbed out of the ditch, saddlebags heavily laden with ice cold soda. Cross and I popped open the caps with our magic, Twintails biting his own off as we all took a swig. Ooooh, it’s been too long since I’ve had one of these.

I burped, a bit of fizz rushing up my nose as we trotted onwards - ach, that stung. I slipped the cap into my saddlebags, my pip-leg quickly counting up the contents and displaying them onscreen. 18 caps… I’m going to need to find a real job someday, raiding places is surprisingly unprofitable up here. Maybe I can help fix up some sewing machines at Cross’s place, or get into the electronics repair business... My mind wandered as Twintails fired off his Luger, a bloatsprite falling to the ground as another next to it exploded from the charged bolt of energy the J01T5 slammed into it. I really should name this thing... Sparky, maybe. Nah...

"Probably should tell you, I'm only sticking with you until we reach the Mooscow gates. Quazar's been sending out for all knights in the wasteland, hell, the only reason I got a free pass to escort you all here in the first place was because of Paladin Nova's blessing." The power armored stallion grunted idly, taking another sip of the soda while his nub of a cigar sizzled out in the snow. Cross seemed to be a bit relieved - oh, come on Stitchy, it's not like he'd blow your brains out. Twintails looked over to him mid-gulp, seeming a little disheartened, the both of them sharing a fleeting glance before Fringe dropped his head to the ground. "...I can't set hoof in the city limits. Not that they'll fire on sight, but..." He fell silent, Twintails matching, my pegasus friend pressing forth and moving down the road. Fringe followed behind, lighting up a cigar, Cross glancing at myself in a bit of confusion. I don't think I should explain it to him just yet...

The rest of the road was clear, save a couple more bloatsprites and giant roaches (one of which Cross found necessary to shoot about three more times after it died), as we made our way to Mooscow. As the city came into view, Fringe had traded his soft hat for the armor's helmet, Twintails and him having one last moment of goodbye before he parted and turned back. We trotted up to the gate, Bloodbeak sitting vigilant as ever at the post. She waved as we walked past, swooping up to us with a wide, blood-stained smile. “Hey, it’s been a while since I've seen you guys! You wouldn’t have happened to be related to that weird metal monstrosity crawling across the wasteland out Trotisk way, are you?” She leaned against the broken traffic barrier, crossing her forward claws over her chest and holding onto her drum-fed machine gun, smirking. We looked a little sheepish - hell, who wouldn't after walking all day? - myself finally nodding slowly. Bloodbeak laughed. “50 caps to me again. Razor figured you guys were related too, but, well, he still can’t resist a bet.”

“Yeah, that certainly was a weird little adventure of ours...” I was about to mention where we found it, but stopped myself. NEAMO might be sending out robots, but I still think the Doc would prefer if we kept quiet. Bloodbeak sat back in her chair in her makeshift guard booth. “How’s it been around here?” She gave a noncommittal jerk of her head, shrugging a little.

“Isn't much to say, honestly. We’ve been getting a little bit of radio chatter from up north, but it’s mostly been incomprehensible or just that stupid station that broadcasts those random numbers.” She took a sip from a dirty coffee mug, Cross showing a small look of disgust before turning and cracking open another bottle of Sarsaparilla. “I have spotted a couple more robots wandering around, but they’ve been staying away so far. Those things look pretty dangerous from here, I’m not looking forward to if they start come floating through town.” She leaned against the side of the small shack, holding her machine gun tightly. “The town’s fairly well equipped, but if that RobronCo factory or wherever they're coming from keeps pumping them out, we’ll be forced out in less than a week.” I grimaced a little, my interest piqued further on why there was the sudden increase in activity from them.

“We were headed up north again, pretty soon, anyways. We could stop by there and see what’s going on.” I wore a small weak smile, Bloodbeak looking a little more relaxed, nodding. She stood up and opened the door into Mooscow proper, the rest of us all filing in. The streets were mostly empty, the few ponies that were outside walking briskly between their destinations. We walked down the streets, passing by the large church turned museum, rounding a corner. My stomach growled loudly, causing me to blush. “I could go for something to eat, I guess. Anyone else?”

Cross nodded, Twintails starting to speed up his trotting. “Oh, hey, I know where we can go!” We both followed him down the streets, turning down one way and double back a couple times as he tried to remember where he was going. We arrived at a small bakery a few moments later, Twintails heading in and the rest of us filing in behind him. I vaguely remembered picking up some muffins before, I didn’t think Twintails liked them so much. He walked up to the counter, the receptionist smiling widely. “I’ll have… three honey oat bagels.” He tossed his caps onto the counter, the mare behind it ringing it up and sliding the caps into the register with a smile. Huh, I wonder how they grow the plants they need in this weather.

I stepped up to the counter, looking up at the menu. “Um… two chocolate muffins.” The register ringed again, and I was about to toss my money onto the counter when I realized I didn’t have nearly enough caps. “Uhh…” I looked over to the others, guiltily. Cross smiled and tossed the remaining caps onto the counter, resting a hoof gently around my neck. “Eheh, thanks, Stitchy.” The mare behind the counter went into the back to prepare our order, Twintails readjusting his egg launcher... or, grabbing another bottle of that soda.

“Don’t worry about it.” Cross smiled, us both moving over to a nearby table. He let off a small chuckle, looking at myself with a sly wink. “But, I think you owe me a little something later~” I blushed a little, thinking back to his teasing earlier. I looked away, trying to hide my reddening face. The bakery mare quickly returned with our pastries, all of us starting to eat them as we headed out of the shop. We started wandering down the road, not heading in any particular direction for the moment, enjoying the sights; it was definitely more colorful that I remember. Were those new murals or something? I took a bite of muffin, the spongy baked good crumbling in my mouth. Cross started leaded us, bringing us around to a small shop. The sign above read 'Stable Stiching' in surprisingly well crafted lettering.

We entered the building, various fabrics on display, and a few jackets being modeled on some mannequins that were losing their stuffing. “I’ve got an extra guest bed upstairs, if you don’t mind sleeping over.” Wearing a smile, Cross glanced back at Twintails, who let off a small chuckle and wink as he slid by. The royal blue unicorn playfully bumped my rump into his, my blush returning. J-jeez, at least wait until we’re alone, Cross! The door shut with a creak as Twintails filed into the bedroom across from the one Cross pulled me into. “U-uh, goodnight, Twintails!” I said, before the door shut behind us, my coltfriend's magic rummaging through the closet and producing two sets of large stuffed cloth...

Oh boy…

"Good evening North Equestria, and welcome to Neighrer Nightly, the show for all of you late-night owls and very early risers. I'm your host for this segment, the bicentennial Tom Neighrer, here to offer some soothing discussion and otherwise relaxation from those sub-zero nights. Tonight, in this small segment here, we'll be having a discussion concerning a personal experience of mine, namely, what it really felt like in facing the war. Of course, this isn't anything you couldn't learn from asking how a piece of jerky feels about being flash-cooked and then stowed in a freezer for a few hundred years. Where to begin, though, oh where to begin...

"I suppose I could start with the day that all of our Royal Armed Forces up and said 'so long, mom', and collectively went off to render a rather exceptionally large sum of our fellow equine species into an equally large sum of radioactive fallout. I'll be first to admit to the fact that, being a performer, I was otherwise occupied at the time the bombs fell. Matter-of-fact, by the time the stagehands for the show figured to come tell me that we were under attack, I couldn't help but have noticed that by that point many of them were half the stallions they used to be; mostly the front half.

"However, there is a certain blessing in disguise that that theatre wasn't too especially crowded at the time of the attack, a large sum of the audience were likely rather put-off by the act I was following that day. Then again, I suppose I can't blame them too much when they come to be educated and first have to sit through Miss Rarity expressing herself over why she believes Zebras to be the enemy. I'm not much of a fan of stripes either, but surely a use of megaspells in a war on fashion is uncalledfor.

"At any rate, were you to ask anyone else around here what they thought of the war during that time, there were some divided opinions concerning policies suggested and implemented by the princesses. One memorable one, which I wrote a song concerning, actually, was that of our consolidation of forces with our friends in the Griffon territories and burrowed underneath our mountains and hills. Our representatives on the princesses' high court had particularly strong feelings concerning placing equestrian technology, such as conventional cruise missiles and skywagon bomb delivery systems, into the posesion of gryphons and diamond dogs, a certain ministry mare I fondly recall having a particularly expressive rant over the implications of these weapons in the paws of those ruffians. She then went on to firmly restate that, as a lady, she was not whining, she was simply complaining. Heh. You know, I believe I'll take a small break now, rather feel up for listening to some of my old songs, myself. Here's the MLF Lullaby, for some of those listening simply because they couldn't get to sleep..."

"Sleep, baby, sleep, in peace may you slumber.
No danger lurks, your sleep to encumber,
We've got the missiles, peace to determine!
And one of the limbs upon the buttons will be gryphon.

Why shouldn't they have megaspell warheads?
Pinkie says no, but, she's just a sore-head.
I say a bygone, should be a bygone,
Let's make peace, they way we did in Ponyville and Hoofington!"

"Oh, goddesses..." Releasing a long groan and giving my back a good stretch - pretty sure my spine is NOT supposed to sound like my auto-rifles - the light of day shone through the slats in the window blinds, striking me in the face. I get that they haven't been able to be with each other for a long while, and that being each other's special somepony entitles them to some excitement and pleasure every now and again, but... guh, this is why Buzzy and Featherweight's home is better. At least the guest bedrooms aren't conected to the main house. Lazily pulling my barding on and leaving the overloaded battle saddle on the floor, I stepped out and down the stairway, letting off a tired sigh and giving my wings an idle flap.

A passing glance nehind the counter warranted a... rather disturbing sight. I admit, in my tired state, to jumping rather ungracefully upon seeing what I could only describe as a deflated Minty Candy. After the moment of surprise passed - love that adrenaline for waking up in the morning - the seams and stitching along its mane and face took my attention. Damn, Cross Stitch is pretty damn good at what he does... thoughts went back to Minty's Stable entrance, that first night we stepped inside. That little plush. Minty's reaction to it. Gamma Ray. Taking a breath and swallowing through my dry mouth, I managed to move myself through the rest of the small shop, stepping out into the cool air of the wasteland. I'll ask him sometime later, when this whole business with NEAMO is taken care of, and we can just settle down with ourselves. Flicking on the radio as the wasteland sun rose in the far east, Tom's tired voice met my ears; he sounded like he'd been talking for a long while.

"...and, eh, honestly I still can't be asked to possibly understand what was going through the mind of Miss Sparkle when she allowed the production of that ridiculous robotic companion. I mean, quite honestly, why would somepony want such a thing as 'Build-me-up Buttercup'? Asking me, it sounds more like it came from the same area of thought of the ponies who allowed the advertising of that false horn for pegasus and earth pony foals, with realistic vibrating 'magic' sensations. It doesn't take somepony with a doctorate to tell you that those ponies were either overdosed on Mint-als or just plainly ignorant to begin with." There was a pause as the stallion took a sip of something from a cup - coffee, probably. Ooh, that sounded good... "Anyways, yes, there were not a lot of smart ponies in pre-war toy businesses. I, uh, I think I should probably head off for now, the Stable's simulated time cycle just switched over to early morning and Hi-F-f-f-Bert the Turtle is awake! Eheheh, ah, y-yes, so, here's Tom Neighrer signing off, thank you all for joining me for Neighrer Nightly, I'll be back tomorrow night where we'll have a lovely discussion about... uh... fractions, I suppose."

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING, NORTH EQUESTRIAN WASTELAAND!! OW!" The sudden switch from Tom's exhausted, quiet voice over the radio to Hi-Fi's blaring wake-up call was understandably quite jarring. Ooh, come on, I want something other than adrenaline to wake me up some day! Adjusting the volume, some of the residents of the city had begun to move out into the street, Mooscow itself starting to wake up. "You're tuned into CON-EL-RAD radio, six-forty and twelve-forty on your AM band reciever, and you're listening to Bert the Turtle sending a very hearty wake-up call out to all you fine mares and stallions out there. A special shout-out to those mares in metal, stallions in steel, ponies in power armor, all of them out in Pripytrot bravely fighting back whatever it is that's attacking out there. Keep us informed, guys, we want to know whether to pack the hunting rifles or grenade launchers, heh..."

The door opened beside myself, Minty adorned in a rather heavy-looking coat in a soft dark blue with yellow detailings stepping out. I blinked a few times, looking over his new clothes, the augmented unicorn wearing a smile as he moved about and showed it off. "You like? Cross Stitch made it up for me, even has a little pocket for the plush of himself. Really warm and cosy, too~" He let off a light chuckle, the thick fabric shuffling against itself in the air. Giving a glance to the north, he turned back to myself, smiling softly as his breath condensed into the air. Okay, warmness is one practicality box checked, but as I remember stuffing and fabric isn't exactly going to stop bullets. "Well, c'mon. Honestly, I'm looking forwards to putting this whole business with the Doc and Megaspell Mary behind us."

"Where do you think he got the robots, anyways? Those didn't look anything like the ones that were at the RobronCo factory, last time we were there." Idly adjusting the small holster that still held Gamma's Luger, I paused mid-stride, looking at it for a moment. "Hopefully we can figure it out sooner than later. We'll stop by the factory first, maybe pick up something just in case we run into some of them when we press on towards NEAMO. Have a feeling that Jumper cables wouldn't appreciate a balefire egg being thrown at her factory... and my back is starting to kill me." Letting off a small groan and ruffling my wings, Hi-fi's morning broadcast gave way to music, some upbeat orchestral tune. We trotted alongside each other, Minty glancing behind himself and adjusting the contents of one of his new jacket's pockets.

"I had a feeling that those striped weapons might be the death of you sooner or later. Just keep me out of the blast radius." The augmented unicorn wore a smug smirk as we both turned down the main road, headed for the eastern gate. A dark figure flew overhead, landing in a plume of snow outside of the small shack and regaining herself, holding her drum-fed machine gun and stepping inside. Minty idly adjusted the long magnet rifle on his back, the high scrap wall drawing near.

"Hey, it just fires stripe- I mean, it just launches the eggs! It's totally Equestrian in design... unlike that lightning gun you came to love so much~ What was it's name, Ivan?" Letting off a snicker and watching as Minty snapped me a look, his horn flaring up faintly, we soon approached the gate. His magic came to a full flare a moment later, a familiar look in his eyes prompting me to duck as a head-sized ball of fluffy snow flew over my own, encompassed in his teal aura. Sorry Minty, better luck next- ...maybe I should remember things levitated in magic don't apply to the laws of inertia. Wiping and sneezing more snow free of my face, Bloodbeak leaned out of the window of the shack, letting off her own cackle of amusement.

"You two are a cute pair, yanno? Try not to get yourselves too badly beat up... I dunno if you can afford to lose another leg out there, eheh." She gave a smirk from her beak, pulling on a lever inside the shack and opening up the gate with a loud creak. Minty trotted forth with a rather noticeable blush on his face, myself still shaking some ice crystals out of my mane, the gryphon with a Thompson snickering lightly and watching Minty. "Does he know that he shakes his rear when he walks? It's... kinda adorable, really." The unicorn froze where he was, the snow surrounding both myself and bloodbeak glowing teal for a few breif moments, the unmistakable tinkling sound of magic filling the air. I let off a groan, finally brushing the last bits of ice out of my mane - she just had to say something, didn't she?

"Welcome back, all you fine mares and stallions out there in the north equestrian wasteland! You're listening to CONELRAD radio, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM radio reciever, home to news, music, and all that fun jazz. No matter how un-fun it can be at times...

"It's ten in the morning in cloudy, wonderful Mooscow right now, and across the wasteland everypony's waking up to go around with their daily business. Elsewhere, however, in the fine town of Pripytrot, war is going on in full force - some new reports from those ponies in power armor are saying that they're either facing some robots that they'd never seen before, or... Celestia forbid... We at CONELRAD will keep you updated on the situation as fast as we can pull in new reports, there's not a whole lot that we can go on right now but the most dangerous thing anypony can do is start to panic. Whatever is attacking, they're keeping to Pripytrot right now, and the Steel Rangers are making sure of that, so we as a wasteland should not start panicking. Keep your gun close and loaded, and watch out for unfamiliar robots.

Again, I'm not in the business of starting panics. We've been keeping a good wasteland going for the past 19 decades, no reason we should let whatever the fuck's happening there cause everything to break down. Everypony who can fend for themselves, protect your loved ones who can't, and if Celestia is smiling upon us, we'll make it through. Goddesses, this is just like the-*BZZZZRT*"

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a flashing news bulletin from the automated CONELRAD Civil Defense System. The containment structure of the Pripytrot Arcane Reactor has been hit with a large weapon of zebra origin. Damage reports to the reactor itself are unknown, but the readings of outside radiological detectors report a large release of highly lethal radioactive steam from the structure. Those living within Pripytrot are encouraged to evacuate immediately, and retreat to the cities of Quebuck, Trotisk, and Steel Creek.

"The Ministry of Arcane Science would like to remind everypony that a damaged Arcane Reactor in a power station will not ever result in a megaspell-yield explosive detonation.

"We repeat, CONELRAD encourages the evacuation of residents from Pripytrot to the cities of Trotisk, Quebuck, and Steel Creek. Do not seek out your nearest fallout shelter or Stable at this time, this is a localized and sudden Zebra attack upon the city of Pripytrot. The local police department will assist in coordinating evacuation from the city, please pay attention to their directions. Remained tuned to 640-1240 on your AM radio reciever for updates on the spread of fallout.

"This is an alert from the automated CONELRAD Civil Defense System. The containment structure of the Pripytrot Arcane Reactor has been hit with a large weapon of zebra origin. Damage reports to the reactor itself are unknown..."

"What do you mean, of course it'd work! You just need to find enough C4 and synthetic sugar, stick it in a microwave for twelve hours, and then you can extract your very own specialized firelighting agent!" Minty gave a roll of his eyes and shook his head as we moved along, myself rather miffed at his disbelief of my completely scientific explanation. It was all based in fact, I read it in the back of a Bert the Turtle civil defense booklet!... I think. Maybe. It was years ago, I was just a foal at the time. The red brick of the RobronCo factory came into view around the side of the mountain, a rather large collection of destroyed robots piling up in front of the structure. Whoo, business must be booming for Jumper Cables... please let her not be hooked up to a direct caffeine drip.

"Have I ever told you how crazy you are sometimes?" My augmented friend shuffled the thick coat as he pushed open the set of doors leading into the factory, us both suddenly being cheerfully greeted by a small robotic unicorn. What was of particular note, however, was this one seemed to have been purposefully based off of a vaguely familiar mare; where had I seen that face before? And that light purple and pink mane, gah, I know I've seen her somewhere. Maybe Minty might have an idea... or he's going ga-ga over it. Again. Guh.

"Welcome to the Sparkplugs Robotics factory, I'll be your guide for much of the tour. I can't guarantee your safety however, so please try and remember your own mortality." O...kay then, that was almost disturbingly cheerful in delivery. The robot mare smiled, turning herself around and giving us an smiling glance. "My indicators sense an overall reading of 89 percent possible fun levels. Largest percentage from the stallion following... you are invading my personal space." Okay, a robot mare with some sentience, that'll make things easier. Maybe. Biting down hard on Minty's tail - why did it taste like sweat, lust, and cotton stuffing? - I managed to drag him back from the robot mare, who promptly took a few steps away from him with a whirring of servos.

"Sorrymfh, he's a little crazy over robots." Flapping with my wings, the unicorn stallion fell to the floor with a clang of metal. Ooch, sorry Minty... "We're looking for Jumper Cables, is she available?" My augmented friend held his horn with a grimace of pain, stumbling slightly, the small unicorn marebot glancing between us both in mild confusion.

"Perhaps you need your visual receptors checked, I'm not a robot! Jumper Cables is unavailable for interviews due to her current status in her personal bed. She's been asleep for a while now, in fact." My augmented friend gave his head a shake, adjusting his glasses and looking down at the small robot. She took a step away from the teal-maned unicorn, looking up at him uneasily. "I can assist with anything else you may require, so long as it doesn't involve any more invasions of my personal space." I passed a glance over to Minty, and the small glint of a metal port hidden by his shuffled mane. Ugh, well, at least I don't have any explosives on me, and part of me doesn't want to spend the time walking all the way there anyways... worth a shot.

"Could you show us where the spare spark batteries are kept?"

"I can't believe you brought it with us." Letting off a long grunt, I adjusted the incapacitated robotic mare on my back, trotting forwards and sinking into the snowbanks around NEAMO's entrance. The unicorn beside me idly chewed at his lip, making sure not to look over at me, the both of us stepping inside the pre-war facility with heavy steps. Down the stairs, turn right, third hallway down leads to Mary's chamber, and Celestia knows that's where the Doc should be. As much as we really wanted to know what in the name of the goddesses was going on, I couldn't help but let off a small giggle of glee at the sight of the gigantic gun. Nnnh, focus Twintails, you're here and pissed off for a reason... ooh, but it's a gun that fires megaspells! How can I not be excited?! The orange mare with a stetson rolled her eyes, myself bouncing as much as I could with the robot on my back, promptly stopping when that expression of glee was replaced with one of pain as something back there popped quite loudly. Stupid robot...

"Doc? Are you in here? We need to talk to you." Minty trotted around the great chamber, a certain look of determination on his face, myself following after a moment of ensuring my spine wasn't cleft in twain. The ghoulish earth pony climbed up over from the opposite side of the barrel, landing carefully on the maneframe and coming down the stairway, looking both surprised and rather annoyed. My unicorn friend focused eyes on him, his expression darkening, myself trotting up alongside as the Doc reached the lower landing and stepped off of the gun.

"My my, I was almost certain that you two had died when those two zebra warheads detonated. You seem to have an unnerving attraction to causing massive explosions, perhaps you two should step back from Megaspell Mary before you get us all killed." The bicentennial earth pony looked between us, almost condescendingly, before pressing aside and trotting past. "If you hadn't encountered them before, yes those uparmored robots are mine, I grew impatient. I have several hundred more remaining at my disposal, and I will see Megaspell Mary completed this decade... no matter the cost." Well... I guess he had a point on thinking we were both dead, but, geesh. He continued trotting forwards to the doorway, Minty's magic lighting up with a rather vigorous sound and fury. I glanced over in time to watch his large rifle levitate off of his back and fly over to the Doc, the impact of the broad side of it knocking him over and the barrel's tip against the back of his head keeping him pinned to the cold steel floor. My augmented friend charged up to him, tears streaming down his face, the expression wrenched into one of blind fury... oh no.

"You selfish fucking bastard!! You... you cunt! All we've done is help, and after so long you, you just up and throw us the fuck away, like we were trash!?" Okay, this is really freaking me out here Minty, please tone it down before you splatter the Doc's brains on the floor... The augmented unicorn breathed in heaving breaths, sputtering cries escaping his mouth as he kept the long rifle held against the ghoul's head. "We've almost died, so many fucking times, just trying to get all this shit together for you and your stupid fucking cannon, and you don't show us the smallest bit of gratitude? And what for, so you can shoot it at Zebras?! News flash for you, I met a zebra, and he wasn't anything fucking like what my Stable said they were like. So tell me exactly why I shouldn't crush and blow your head right the fuck off!!!" Minty sniffed and kept his teeth clenched tightly, the earth pony ghoul held underneath his rifle's barrel starting to let off a series of low chuckles. His forehooves pulled back one of the sleeves of his coat, revealing a small metallic device attached around... no, implanted in his foreleg.

"Because..." His chuckles grew in volume, Minty starting to pull the rifle off of his head, letting him come back up into a standing position. I think I might recognize that thing, yeah, it was a creation they made during the latter days of the first war to relay and see how many hoofsoldiers were killed in battle, constantly sends out a radio ping as long as the user is alive. But, what was this one pinging to? The Doc brushed himself off, holding up his forehoof with a smug grin on his decomposed face. "This is a Dead Hoof Switch. Equestrian innovation. If I die, this stops sending a signal to the relays on twenty-five high-yield megaspell warheads armed and buried throughout this complex." Did... did he just say... "It was a matter of insurance I had them install. Couldn't let this facility fall into the hooves of the enemy, you know. Thankfully it still recognizes me as alive, despite my... appearance."

Minty dropped the rifle from his aura, it falling with a clang against the ground. Dead Hoof Switch wired up to megaspells... buried... he'd start a whole new nuclear winter if those things went off! The sound of a falling clipboard filled our ears as it echoed throughout the chamber, everyone turning eyes to look at where it came from. Our view settled on the nurse, her tattered mane and coat hanging limply out of an equally ruined jacket, as she stared at the Doc in utter shock. The earth pony ghoul let loose a grunt, readjusting his sleeve and trotting forwards. "What? You think I would have just let Megaspell Mary be overrun by whatever traipsed in? Why are you wearing that jacket anyways, you're supposed to be in your station, tending to... whatever it is you do when I'm not with you. Go try and tape your skin back on, or something."

The mare continued staring on for a few moments, before stiffening what was left of her lips in a determined frown and picking up a pencil with her mouth, scribbling on the fallen clipboard. She glared up at the Doc while writing, Minty sliding his rifle onto his back and taking a wide berth in walking away from the Doc and towards the mare, myself following. With a swift kick, the ghoul nurse sent the clipboard sliding along the floor to the now exceptionally more lethal earth pony, who caught it and read off what was written before staring back up at us three, fury in his face.

"Fine! Go ahead and quit, see exactly how much I care about you! Megaspell Mary is almost finished anyways, and I don't need you anymore than I need them!" The Doc spun himself around, walking up to the cannon in a blind fury, the nurse and Minty both turning down the exit tunnel. I lingered for a few moments more, staring up at the Doc and Megaspell Mary, quietly thinking. No one stallion should be able to hold that much power... especially one like him. No number of megaspell detonations was worth it if it meant aiding that lunatic.

Without a word more, I spun myself around, catching up with Minty and the nurse.

"I am NEVER going to get used to that." I held my head with a hoof as the smell of ozone faded around us, Minty giving his head a shake and the Nurse similarly seeming quite disoriented. Note to self, never let Minty plug himself into a wall socket to teleport EVER again. We had appeared outside of Cross' shop, the day having already moved along to the late evening, the activities of the town winding down. The nurse looked around nervously, pulling out a small notepad from her jacket and pulling the pencil from the ring, scribbling on it and holding it out for myself to view. 'Job?' Oh, right, we did tell her that she could find work in Mooscow... I think I'd rather be safe than sorry. Minty stepped himself inside the shop, myself resting a hoof gently on the nurse's shoulder and looking down the road to the main thoroughfare.

"There's another ghoul that lives here, she's in the basement of the cathedral at the eastern end of the main square. To the right, I think, it's the building that has the weird domes on top of it, can't miss it. You can stay there for the night, and ask her for directions to the hospital in the morning, alright?" Passing on a small smile, the ghoul nurse returned it in kind, nodding softly before drawing myself into a quick hug. After a moment, she released myself, galloping down the street with a parting wave, myself still smiling as I stepped inside the shop, the robot still on my back, Cross looking utterly surprised and Minty... laying on the floor with one hell of a blush on his face, moaning like he was getting a hoofjob from the goddesses themselves. Uh, well, um, okay then. The robotic mare upon my back whined up to life, her eyes flickering on and a musical chord playing from her voicebox before her perpetually cheerful voice came out of it.

"Insert name Sweetie Belle!"

I moaned as I squirmed on the floor, my face growing flushed as my breathing grew heavier. What was… ooooh, that felt good… happening? I could feel my horn sparking from the sensations running through it, before the feeling suddenly began to die down, almost as quickly as it had started. Taking a deep breath, I stood up shakily, my body already dampened between the warmth of the jacket, and the pleasure-wrought sweat. I glanced between Cross and Twintails, both of whom were extremely confused and seeming more than a little disgusted. The small robot filly just stared at me, the apertures of its eyes closing and opening quickly to blink. “What the heck was that all about?” My pegasus friend stepped forwards as I shook my head, trying to regain my bearings. That was definitely something that didn’t need to happen again...

“Ugh… I don’t know…” I said in response, feeling more than a little odd after that sudden onset of pleasure. I shook my head again, still a little shaky. “Let’s just… uh...” I swallowed. “So… um, Cross. We got you a little something.” Letting off a weak chuckle, I smiled as the small robot turned to face Cross, beeping happily and wearing a smile... how did metal move like that? “Top of the line, SWB-07. She’s programmable for pretty much anything.” The robot wandered around the room, her gears and servos whirring as she inspected everything. “I thought she might be able to help out a little here, at least with running errands and the like.” The robot trotted up to Cross, suddenly standing stalk-still before him. A beam of light ran up and down his frame, Cross looking a little worried. This was one weird robot...

“Scanning… Scanning… Scanning…” The robot said before the laser grid shut off, and it's glass pupils returned to their original size. “Adding identification, insert name: Cross Stitch, to civilian archives. Category; friend.” It snapped out of its stupor, smiling back up at Cross, who was looking a little more worried by the minute. What? C'mon Cross Stitch, there’s nothing wrong with her! “Potential fun levels are at 86 percent!” She said gleefully. Cross looked over to me, trying to put on a straight face.

“Uh… thanks! But… um…” He paused, watching as the robot scurried about, gazing at the clothing and cracked wooden flooring. “Maybe… you guys should take her for now, show her around town! I, um, I need to get to work on some jackets. There’s a lot of demand for a coat that’ll actually conserve heat around here." He chuckled a little, moving around to distance himself from the robot. His eyes lit up as he stopped, looking up at myself, his magic flaring up as he glanced to his discarded coat. “Oh, though I could do with a repair on your little toy.” He levitated the plasma pistol out of his pocket, hovering it over to me. I grabbed it in my aura and stuffed it into my saddlebags. “This should be enough for repair, though if the money for the gun and this is able to buy something better, I wouldn’t complain. It’d be nice knowing I have a little more security around here.” He counted out a number of caps from the register and slid them into a small bag. “Honestly, I’d probably do better with a normal gun. Those long laser and plasma lectures of yours kind of went over my head sometimes, Minty.” He chuckled again, and I smiled in return.

He waved as Twintails, uh... Sweetie Belle, right, and myself all headed out of the store. The robot’s eyes flittered about, taking in all of the scenery that it could, the neck motors whirring audibly. We began to make our way towards Razorwing’s shop, myself kicking a can down the dimly-lit street. “I told you she’s a little weird.” Twintails said. I rolled my eyes in response; so Cross wasn’t as enthusiastic about her as I was, she’ll grow on him. We rounded a corner, the beaten up sign of Razor’s store swinging lightly in the breeze.

“Oh, be quiet. I told you she could be more for the security anyway. I don’t want Cross wandering around the wasteland on his own.” Belle’s head turned towards a crow taking flight, when suddenly two beams of red energy shot from her eyes, the crow falling to the ground in a smoking pile of ash. Eeeeeh, okay, may need to fiddle with the hostility settings on her. The bell above the door jingled as we entered the shop, Razor looking up from mopping and giving his wings a gentle ruffle. Sheesh, does he ever do anything besides clean here?

“Hey guys, long time, no see.” He said cheerfully. The robotic filly’s gaze transfixed onto Razor and she started to go through the scanning procedure again. “And, eh, who’s your friend here? Eheh...” He looked down at the laser grid across his chest as Belle finished her scan, immediately turning away from him and scanning the area. “She’s, ah, certainly curious.” He said, watching her stare up at a collection of mines curiously. “Anyways... right, how’ve you two been?” He turned back to us, leaning against his mop.

“We’ve been doing well.” Twintails said as I ran after Belle, stopping her from pulling the pin on a pulse grenade. “We got her up from that old RobronCo factory... accidentally.” Twintails nodded towards Belle as I scooted her towards a safer pile of scrap metal. “I’m just hoping she doesn’t accidentally vaporize us.” I glared at Twintails and he only smirked. “Anything new in stock?” Razor took a small passing glance over his disarmed battle saddle, and pointed him over to a rack of grenades and a few shining, black gems.

I glanced back at Belle, who was just fiddling with a rusted gear, thankfully. Wrapping them in my aura, I lifted out Cross’s pistol and caps, setting them on the counter as Razorwing stepped behind it. “What’ve you got in the way of pistols? Cross Stitch is looking to trade up.” Razorwing looked over the old Stable-issue pistol in disbelief, blinking a few times before pulling one out from under the counter behind him. It looked somewhat similar to Twintails’ pistol in the way the grip was - not looking much like a mouth-fire, that is - but with a much wider and longer barrel, and nothing to call it semi-automatic. The frame was more than a little tarnished, quite a few scratches visible on the handle. He picked up the plasma pistol and examined it with a look of disbelief, shaking his head, setting it down below the counter and punching a couple keys on the cash register.

“Let’s see, ah, I’ll give you 83 caps for that pistol, it's in pretty bad... well, okay, I'm going to level with you, I've seen weapons pulled out of hellhound stomachs that looked less destroyed than that. Anyway, how’s this? Specialized silenced pistol, Welrod it's called, I found it a while ago and I’ve been trying to give it a little more stopping power. It’s more noisy than it would be with it's normal ammunition, but still shouldn’t wake the neighbors. Turns a .45 shot into a smack of a wing, eheh.” I tossed the bag of caps onto the counter, the gryphon digging through it, counting them up before setting them in the register and pulling out a few boxes of the same bullets Twintails sticks in his gun. “Pleasure doing business. Need anything else?” I shook my head, but at that moment Twintails stepped up to the counter with a couple of those large gems, smiling from ear to ear. With an eyeroll, I walked over to Belle, who had secured together a paint gun and nozzle, giggling as the gun fired off a dart at a board hanging on the wall, with an old Ministry of Peace poster on it. The little yellow pegasus in my head fainted as I looked more closely at where the dart went - right between her eyes. Okay, no leaving the robot alone with toys, then!

I scooped up the makeshift gun, setting it back on the shelf and shooting the robot a stern look. Belle looked disappointed, but stood up and followed me over to Twintails as he slid the eggs into his saddlebags. “What’s been going on for you lately?” Razor shrugged, ruffling his wings a bit. Belle stood quietly, but kept taking an interest in Razor’s bladed feathers. She already built some kind of dart gun, now she wants forge some metal wings? I really ought to take a second look at her programming... Razor wheeled his mop bucket back into the closet, dumping off some caps in a safe inside.

“Nothing much, really. Trade’s been up, we’ve been getting a lot of strange news reports from CONELRAD though... probably about you two, now that I think about it, and I lost a bet yesterday.” He chuckled nonchalantly, resting back up against the counter and moving his bladed wings about. The blades creaked as they conformed to his wing edge, Razorwing giving his talons a quick snap. “Actually, a couple days ago, there was a pony that came in looking for a lot of weird scrap stuff, then asked about what was happening out in Pripytrot. She was wearing some sort of uniform underneath a cloak, and she wasn’t that keen on sticking around. My best bet was she’s part of the Steel Rangers, but they usually don’t come out over here.” I raised an eyebrow. Some weird officer asking about a warzone? This didn’t have to do with NEAMO too, did it? Or - Celestia forbid - Nova? “That’s about it though. You guys wouldn’t know the mare, would you?” Twintails and I shook our heads. Razor shrugged and waved goodbye as we headed out of the store, Twintails giggling and shuffling the gems in his saddlebags as I dropped Cross’s new gun and ammo into my own.

Belle trotted along beside us, the clangs of her metal hoofsetps muffled by the crunchy snow. The few ponies we passed in the street that were still awake gave her odd looks, but she paid them no mind. I did have to wonder why nopony's come looking for her yet, though... Jumper Cables didn’t steal her, or rig her with a Balefire Egg, right? I watched the little filly trotting behind us with her mechanical whirring as we moved back to Cross' shop, stepping in through the front door. He passed on a smile as I pulled the new gun out of my saddlebags, giving the unloaded pistol a light flick over to him with my magic. Glancing over at Twintails, I swore he was having a heart attack - what, it's unloaded, isn't it? Cross caught it in his own aura and looked it over, as I placed the ammo for it on the counter beside the cash register. “It’s silenced, so if there’s multiple burglars, they won’t know you took the other down.”

“Thanks.” Cross said, sliding the gun into the front pocket of his jacket and giving a small smile. It faltered teh faintest bits as he looked to Twintails and the robotic filly, the former restraining the latter from disassembling a sering machine. “Good to know I'll have some protection while you're away. Y-yeah, probably is for the best... that robot is way too curious for me to handle.” I glanced over to her, Twintails now trying to keep her from nabbing one of his grenades. “W-well, anyways, it’s already pretty late, I think I’ll head off to bed.” He stepped out from behind the counter, leaning in a little closer and bumping his flank against mine. “Care to join me, peppermint?” He grinned coyly, myself blushing deeply. You don’t need to ask me twice~ Cross turned to Twintails before we headed upstairs, myself catching them both apparently wrestling with each other. “Uh... Minty and I are going to bed, you, um, you might want to shut down that thing before you do the same.”

Twintails nodded, the Sweetie Bot squirming beneath him. “Nnnfh, yeah, night, you two!” I waved and bade goodnight as well, before heading upstairs, Cross grinning widely. We were soon back in his room, stripped down and cuddling up in bed. Cross’s horn flared up as the sets of stuffed cloth floated over to us from the closet, levitating and loving down to our waists. Ooh, tonight was definitely going to be another good night...

I awoke with my hooves wrapped around Cross, our muzzles only inches apart from each other. I gave him a light peck on the nose, and gave a faint giggle as his eyes fluttered open. It was always cute how he did that. “Morning, sweetie~” I threw back the covers and hopped out of bed, Cross doing much the same, giving his back a healthy stretch and kicking off the padding from his back legs, a blush upon his face. I trotted to the closet, pulling out my combat armor, Cross looking over, a look disappointment growing upon his face. “You guys are heading out again already?” I nodded, but gave him another nuzzle. He smiled softly, wrapping a forehoof around my neck and planting his lips upon my own for a moment. “Ooh, at least let me fix your guys breakfast, first. Can't have you heading out to celestia-knows-where on an empty stomach~” He gave a faint giggle, pulling on his jacket.

I trotted myself over to Twintails’ room, knocking a few times. After a few moments, there was an audible grunt from behind it, and he soon showed up to the door, his mane looking quite scraggly and eyes seeming strained. “sheesh, rough night? Cross is making breakfast before we head out, ought to get ready now.” He nodded and rubbed his eyes before closing the door, a loud thump coming from behind it. Crazy pegasus insomniac, I keep telling him that drinking all that radioactive sludge can't be healthy. I trotted down the hall to the kitchen, Cross already pouring some pancake mix into a frying pan.

“Take a seat, this should be done soon.” He said happily. I sat at the small table, Cross flipping the pancake in the air. Twintails soon arrived, sliding into the chair with his loaded battle saddle next to me, as Belle followed behind him. Cross laid out a few plates, sliding all the pancakes onto them. “There we are. Might be a little irradiated, but they should taste fine.” He smiled widely, levitating the pan over to a sinkful of warm water. Twintails and I took a few of the pancakes, as Cross slid into his own chair and grabbed some for himself, the robot looking up curiously with her hooves resting on the table.

We were soon comfortably full with fried batter and butter, myself and Twintails washing the dishes. “Remind me when we come back to make some syrup for those pancakes. I'm thinking, maybe, Sunrise Sarsaparilla-flavored~” I chuckled lightly, drying the pan off. Cross laughed a bit, setting the dishes in the cupboard as Twintails shut off the water and dried his hooves, making a gagging sound. I made a distinct point of smacking him upside the head with a wet sponge before we all trotted back downstairs, myself wearing a smirk. “Well, I guess we’re heading out now.” I hitched up my saddlebags and levitated up my long rifle in my magic, as Belle hopped onto my back again. Still need a bloody name for this thing... Jolts? Cross’s ears lowered a bit as I turned to face him again, but he still wore a smile.

“I’ll see you again soon, some sunny day, maybe.” He trotted up to myself, Twintails snickering lightly, the royal-blue unicorn giving me a hug. I squeezed him tightly before letting go, Cross and Twintails shaking hooves before we all trotted out into the cold. Brr, this armor was better than nothing, but that jacket sure was a lot warmer... Twintails and I began to make our way towards the entrance of Mooscow, Belle grinning widely and leaning on my head.

“The fun levels will be at maximum efficiency!”

"Right... okay, first things first, I don't want to have a paperweight's worth of lead in my ass again, we need to take her back to the factory." Gesturing to the robotic mare on Minty's back, I shuffled about, letting off a slight groan at the weight of all the stuff I was carrying on my back. Okay, maybe I should find somewhere to put all these... hundred and fifty... goddesses, did I really take that much? Could've sworn my pip-buck responded with a cheeky beep after I'd thought that... guh. I need to get more sleep. The robot- uh, Sweetie Belle... oh hell, I'm just going to call her Sweetie Bot, looked over at myself quizzically, sliding off Minty's back and hopping into the snowy street with a thud and light, odd, monotoned scream.

"Please don't take me back there, all the other ponies there treat me funny. You both are extremely more likely candidates for inducing fun, anyways!" She bounced along in the snow, her leg servos whirring loudly, her mannerisms even managing to draw a confused look from Minty. I shot him a smirk of 'told you so', drawing an eyeroll out of him as we followed behind her, the small robotic filly garnering quite a bit of attention from passers-by and other ponies who were just starting to wake up themselves. Minty tugged at his combat armor again, grumbling and seeming to try and get the kevlar tighter around his body - c'mon, he gets a new jacket and suddenly everything isn't warm enough? Sheesh. The robot paused at the end of the street, looking around what was left of the large city with a grin. "Mooscow. Sensors indicate many sentient life forms within the brick walls, including Sweetie Belle!"

"Right, sure, sure... Uh, Sweetie? Look, we kind of have to go back to the factory, just to see if it's okay for you to stick with us, alright?" Minty trotted up to the small filly, resting his metallic hoof gently against the side of her head. The filly, um, 'blinked' I guess, looking up at him wide-eyed and cheery. My unicorn friend chewed at his lip, the robot refocusing. "It isn't that we want to take you back and leave you there, but... we don't really own you, yet. Well, I mean, we need to adopt you, or, uh, something... Twintails, what's a word for owning a sentient lifeform in the form of a robot?" Blinking a few times, I shrugged in response, the filly scanning over Minty's face for a moment, her smile fading.

"What am I, a dictionary? Come on, let's see how much this Sweetie Bot is going to cost us... Gfh... I hope she takes scrap as payment..." I shuffled myself along towards the eastern gate, the both of them getting up and following alongside, the ferromagnetic filly giving my own face a quick scan. Her smile seemed to drop further, as her eyes blinked again, a brown blur carrying a familiar gun landing with a large plume of white snow outside the gate box. Taking a chance glance down at Sweetie Bot, I immediately regretted that decision - oooh, stop giving me that face!

"Sensors indicate raised levels of annoyance. Please don't aim your weapons at me and threaten to disassemble me for spare parts." Was... was that actually fear in her voice? Goddesses, what were they doing at that factory? Bloodbeak smiled that coy smile she always wore, watching as we three approached the eastern gate. She let off a chuckle, leaning forwards out of the booth and getting a better look at the robot filly that trotted beneath us both. Her eyes projected that green film again, prompting Bloodbeak to jump backwards and go for her .45 Automatic, before the filly finished her scan and bore a smile again. "Insert new civilian archive, Mooscow, Bloodbeak. Occupation; Gatekeeper. Elevated levels of iron within face feathers imply carnivoristic attitude, and the high levels of dopamine suggest tha-tha-tha-... error, system restart..."

"Uh... either one of you mind explaining what the actual fuck that thing is?" The gryphon set down her gun, Minty rubbing at the back of his head as the filly's head whirred down to a resting position on the servos, the light from the eyes fading. Bloodbeak stood silent for a few moments, seeming to mouth a few words before suddenly lunging from out of the gate booth's window and grabbing myself by the duster. Ack, well, this was... something else. There was a certain look in her eye I've come to associate with the smell of cigars and heavy machine gun caliber powder charges. "What the fuck can that do? How much would it know, and can it tell that to -anyone-?" Blinking a few times, I shook my head, starting to feel the least bit panicked as the gryphon's talons dug deeper holes into the fabric. "If that thing says anything about... fuck... j-just forget it. Keep it out of my sight. Taking it up to the old RobronCo Factory for something? Memory wipe, I hope?" Bloodbeak finally dropped myself, letting me stumble backwards as she moved to the lever inside the booth and opened up the outer wall doors.

"S-something like that, yeah. We'll, uh, we'll be out of your feathers..." Minty levitated the robotic filly up onto his back, stepping through the outer gates, myself following and looking down at my barding. Oh, damnit, now it's got holes in it... buh, they're not too bad. Just through the outer flap-things anyways. The gates shut behind us both, the filly making some odd electronical noises from her mouth as she, uh, rebooted, I suppose. My augmented friend glanced back at her for a moment, then over to myself, the morning sun sliding behind the clouds above. "What do you think that was about? She said something about Dopamine... isn't that the chemical that causes pleasure, or something?"

"Uh... maybe. I never really paid attention in biology class." Shrugging idly, we pressed on in a certain silence, the whirring of Sweetie's servos filling the air for the moment. The icy wasteland air blew a stark chill against my face as I glanced towards the north, a plume of wispy snow stinging my eyes momentarily. My loaded battle saddle responded in kind with my jerking moments with a cacaphony of jingles, prompting a smug glance back from Minty as he kept his goop rifle and that electro-sniper levitated at his sides. Stupid unicorns with their stupid magic. Let's see how well he can levitate things with a snowball on that horn... "Mintythinkfast!"

"Wha-?" The ball of ice and fluff impacted with a rather satisfying thwack against my augmented friend's head, drawing a giggle from myself as he wrestled to use his regular hoof to brush his face clear. It was a long walk to the factory anyways, we needed something to lighten the mood. Sweetie Bot glanced between us curiously, a smile forming on her own face as she flailed her forehooves in the air happily with a whirr of motors. Minty, meanwhile, took care in setting his two rifles up onto his back before turning his magic and attention back to me; in other words, gave me another chance to send a snowball his way. Oh, that was such a fun sound~

"Fun levels rising! Initiate program snowball fight!" A response of three cold balls of snow smacking me in the face set myself into a flurry of laughter, Minty similarly joining in after a moment, the highway leading through towards the turnoff for the RobronCo factory turning into a small battleground. Snowballs began flying haphazardly, myself diving for one snowed-in ditch while Minty moved for the other side of the road, both of us laughing madly. There was an odd crunching sound a ways back, the barrage between myself and the white unicorn kept up in full force, not slowing until we both noticed the sky beginning to turn darker. I managed in one last toss that fell short, before we both found ourselves carpet-bombed by a veritable boxcar-load of snow from above - oh, this is going to be cold...

After a few moments of dodging and eventually being thoroughly pummeled by the snow bombardment, I shook myself off, flopping over as the heavy balefire egg launcher mounted at my side bid me to. Still clearing my face from some of the snow, I jumped a little at being gretted by the robotic filly's grinning stare, herself bouncing happily in the snow for a few moments as we all regrouped. In a small state of disbelief, I looked over the battleground that was the road; there were snow-packed mini-craters everywhere around, and even some... uh... were... were those actually bomb tails? Out of curiousness, I worked one of the sculptures free from the snow, finding myself in disbelief as I stared down at the packed-snow sculpture of a half-size fifty-kilo bomb. The robotic filly let off a groan of disappointment, sliding up alongside myself and likewise staring at the casing.

"89% detonation rate, carpet bombardment effective but a count of 7 ordinance pieces left undetonated." She stepped up to the snow bomb, resting a robotic hoof on the packed casing as I took a few steps away from the explosive snow. What kind of filly are we dealing with here?... Sweetie Bot moved back, levitating the bomb up in her magic and grinning widely, myself glancing over at Minty. Nope, yep, he's just as worried as I am. "Initiating manual detonation sequence!" Wait, what!? The little unicorn filly had all of the bombs levitated now, hanging detonator-first above the road, lifting them an inch before slamming them all against the packed asphalt.

You know, I think I'm starting to really hate robotic foals.

"Hello North Equestria, you're listening to CONELRAD radio on your AM band reciever, reporting coverage of the Pripytrot reactor disaster and battleground. Bert the Turtle is currently occupied and has asked me to fill in for him, but he would like to thank the sick and pregnant residents of Mooscow for evacuating calmly to Stable 92 in accordance with the automated warning system alerts. Radiation is a real danger - you don't have to ask me to learn that - especially to those with open sores or other ailments. If you wish to take extra steps to prevent ghoulification for yourself, any form of face mask that covers the muzzle and mouth thoroughly will lessen exposure to stray radioactive particles. Many forms of fallout are not dangerous so long as they remain outside of your body, hence why the washing and boiling of food is heavily encouraged. Take it from an old act like me, becoming a ghoul isn't fun, and it's certainly not a pretty process.

"The cloud from the reactor, according to these weather charts I'd done up, will likely be spreading over Quebuck in the next day or so, and continuing on to dissapate across the farther north and the Snowdrop test range. Anypony living out near Quebuck or the outskirts of, uh, Turnpike are encouraged to remain indoors and refrain from actvity that might result in open wounds unless absolutely necessary. That includes the act of love, if any of you were wondering - sorry folks. Look on the bright side, the depravation help builds the anticipation! Eheh... heh... ah... Anyways. Bert the Turtle will resume with his normal broadcasting in a few hours, so please keep your dials tuned in and be conscious about your radition dosage. This is Tom Neighrer, signing off - be safe, everyone."

"A lonely electron, with nuthin' to do,
pairs up with a neutron for a cocktail or two,
Arcane magic kisses, survived by a few,
they had a - megaspell blast.

Said the electron to the neutron,
'you sure can be dense,
with this much attraction, there's no civil defense.
Let go of that energy, no need to be tense,
give me that - megaspell blast."

"Welcome to RobronCo factory one-eight-three-three-four, established two centuries ago for the production of wartime emergency protection robotics and now under new management. How may I be of assistance today?" The regular secretarial robots patrolled in the factory atrium, Sweetie Bot making herself comfortable on my back. To say that my spine will resemble a boomerang once all this crazy stuff is over would be an understatement. The robot filly tried to hide herself from the sight of the robots, seeming to squeeze my neck in fear - my errant gagging got her to loosen up her grip just in time for me to not pass out. Stupid robots... "You appear to be in posession of RobronCo/Sparkplug property, are you here for returns or wish to locate a sales associate?"

"Sales associate, thank you. Specifically, might we be able to discuss this robot with an employee named Jumper Cables?" Minty wore a smile as he spoke to the secretarial robot, acting just like he were chatting with a normal pony. I let off a little snicker - normal. Right. Normal is about as weird as you can get in these parts. The secretarial mare thought for a moment... would thought be the right word? Processed, maybe? Whatever the word is, a moment later she had nodded and turned towards a nearby elevator, pausing in front of it as we both moved to the doors. An electrical spark erupted from her chest, connecting with the panel, the elevator letting out a ding before arriving and allowing us all aboard. Sweetie Bot let off a worried whine, moving herself closer against my neck as we began to ascend up to the main office.

"Hope that she's not too expensive, I'm not sure if Jumper Cables is as much an afficionado of Sparkle-Cola as I am..." Sweetie Bot shuffled on my back, Minty letting off a small laugh. With a robotic thud, the small filly fell off of myself - oooh, boy that felt relaxing to not be carrying her around anymore - righting herself up onto her hooves and moving to hide between my tails. I glanced over at my augmented friend, who was shaking his head and stifling his snickers. "What?"

"If she was drinking that stuff when she fixed this one up, I'm not surprised they were trying to destroy it. Probably has some circuitry wired to short somewhere, miracle it works at all..." Oh, so Sparkle-Cola makes you stupid, huh? Holding a hoof against my forehead and shaking it in disbelief, Minty kept up his laughter as the elevator released another ding, coming to rest on the top floor. So I have to deal with two immature robots, huh? Great.

"You know, I think I recall seeing one of the doctors working on fixing your augmentations with a bottle of Sparkle-Cola in hoof. I did remember reading somewhere that radiation was supposed to energize pleasure centers - hey, maybe that's why you suddenly burst into orgasm last night~" I let off my own light snicker at Minty's silence, trotting forwards and pressing through the large ornate doors, opening up to the expansive office and a heavily snoring mare surrounded by coffee mugs and empty bottles of Sparkle-Cola. Hey, maybe she is just as much a Sparkle-hound as I am. The large portrait of the dashing stallion in front of the giant robotic hoof stared down from the wall, myself and Sweetie Bot stepping up to the sleeping Jumper Cables as she continued to snore in her chair. "Uh... Jumper Cables?..."

"My sensors detected an extreme level of exhaustion in her body, so I administered a mild dragon tranquilizer to help her fall asleep!" The robotic filly bounced on her hooves, grinning widely and looking up at myself. I returned in kind by allowing my jaw to hit the floor. "Of course... that was a few days ago... ooh, ooh, I know how to wake her up!" With a smile she jumped up onto the desk, aiming her horn at the sleeping earth pony mare, Minty coming up alongside myself just in time to glance worryingly between Sweetie Bot and Jumper Cables. "Initiating reboot!"

The smell of ozone filled the air for a fleeting moment before a bolt of electricity jumped from the robotic filly's horn and met Jumper Cables' body. Both myself and Minty shared a cringe as the mare shuddered involuntarily, gasping for air in the moments following the electric alarm clock surprise. Sweetie Bot stood herself back up, wearing a smile, the mare in the chair brushing down her staticed mane and regaining herself, albeit slowly. She looked around the room, myself trotting forwards up to the desk. "Jumper Cables? Are you alright?"

"Uhm, y-yeah, I think so... what the hell is that doing up here!? I thought I had it disabled!" The earth pony reeled backwards from the desk, staring at the grinning filly atop it, looking around haphazardly and grabbing one of the discarded Sparkle-Cola bottles defensively. Oh, this is going swimmingly, isn't it? In a wide arc, she moved behind Minty, still watching the robot filly as the servos whirred to move its own head. O...kay, after about 90 degrees in either direction a rotating head starts to get kind of creepy. "G-get away from that thing! Celestia knows who programmed it, I just want it gone!"

"Eheh, funny you should mention that..." Minty rubbed at the back of his head, wearing a sheepish grin, turning himself to face the defensive mare. Weak chuckles escaped him as he glanced back at the robot for a moment, letting off a slight groan. "We, um... well, yesterday when we stopped by, I may have -accidentally- teleported out with her. We're here to, uh, well..." My augmented friend chewed at his lip slightly, myself sliding over to Sweetie Bot and pulling her off of the desk. "How much would you want for her?"

"Y-you actually... you want to... for..." Dropping the glass soda bottle, Jumper Cables stuttered for a few moments, leaning herself up against the wall and placing a hoof to her temple, rubbing it gently. She let off a small groan as Sweetie Bot made herself comfortable on my back, and I felt my spine starting to stretch in ways it wasn't meant to again. The earth pony mare chuckled, shaking her head, looking over at the both of us. "Please, in the name of the goddesses, just take her. That's payment enough."

"Uh... okay, then." Myself and Minty shared a faintly confused glance towards one another, Sweetie Bot watching from her perch atop my back. Jumper Cables made her way back around behind her desk, looking around for a moment and pulling out a bottle of Sparkle-Cola with a strange red labeling on it. A different flavor of Sparkle-Cola? That actually GLOWS?! Why didn't we have any of that in my Stable? She popped open the cap, one of her robots hovering over with a few small cups as well, herself still chuckling weakly through her teeth and shaking her head in disbelief.

"You wanna know the funniest part of all this? That... thing was supposed to be the hundredth robot we sold out. Was saving this stuff for that occasion. You boys like Sparkle-Cola?" With a rather eager smile upon my face, I nodded quite profusely, chuckling and taking a glance over at Minty. He shuffled upon his hooves faintly, looking at the glowing bottle of soda and the three cups set out. I gave him an idle poke in the side, smiling over at him.

"C'mon, not even once? Cross doesn't have to know~ Who knows, this stuff might even taste more like your Sunrise Sarsaparswilla than Sparkle-Cola, hah!" Chuckling lightly, I smiled and watched as the bottle was poured out into the three glasses, the drink still visibly glowing even outside of the bottle. reaching my foreleg out for the cup nearest mine, the geiger counter in my Pip-buck clicked faintly - ooh, probably just contamination from the bombs, nothing to fret about. It's Sparkle-Cola, after all! Jumper Cables picked up her own small glass of the drink, Minty begrudgingly encompassing the third glass in his magic. That's the spirit, you Sunrise convert.

"To having one less headache around here." Jumper Cables let off a chuckle, us all gently clinking the glasses together before taking a collective sip. Mmmm, what was that taste? Carrots? No... potatoes? Ew, no. Apples? Beets? Guh. I'm supposed to be a Sparkle-Cola connoisseur, and I can't even figure out what the heck this stuff tastes like? Oh, whatever, it tasted great! With a few more small sips the glowing drink was resting comfortably inside my stomach, Jumper Cables likewise having pulled the mostly emptied bottle out to take a glance at the contents. A third empty glass was levitated over and set down near the other two, my gaze turning to Minty in surprise. He glanced nervously between us both, wiping a bit of the glowing soda from his muzzle.

"W-what? It was... I drank it without gagging, alright?" Oh, it was cute when he blushed. The earth pony mare blinked a few times, setting the glass bottle down on her desk and looking at the label again. Sparkle-Cola RAD? Sparkle-Cola RAD... I'll have to remember what these things look like. That stuff was tasty, and it already glowed in the dark! I smell a new night light for me~

"Hey, um, you guys ever heard of this stuff called Strontium 90 before?" She spun the bottle about, myself and Minty leaning in to get a better look at the ingredients list. Radishes, of course! So that's what that taste was. Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, all that lovely stuff, and... huh, whaddayaknow, it did contain Strontium 90. Aw, that's a cute little trefoil they have printed right next to it~ Is that what made this stuff glow? Neat!

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember reading about that somewhere... the reactor's safety manual! Strontium 90 was one of the possible isotopes released in case of reactor containment failure. Mostly harmless, outside your bladder glowing like a lightbulb if ingested in large quantity." The light smile I had on my face faded as I got a good look at both Jumper cables and Minty's expressions, the former wearing one fo shock and disbelief and the latter... "Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't gag! Like I said, it's harmless as long as you don't mind your pee glowing!"

"Evacuation of stomachs may be encouraged." With a moment's pause as Jumper Cables slid herself out of her chair, the pair of them were soon racing towards the exit door, Minty following close behind Jumper and leaving me standing alone in the large office. Sweetie Bot glanced at myself with a cock of her head, her eyes blinking. "Aren't you going to relieve your stomach of the isotope too?"

"Everypony's a critic..."

"You're evil sometimes, you- you know that?" After having recollected Minty and bidding Jumper Cabes farewell - at least it was nice to see her awake for once - we set off back towards Mooscow, the day having gone into late evening. My augmented friend found it necessary to lecture me about why he hated Sparkle-Cola, again, while finishing off his third bottle of Sunrise as we trotted along. He was on his seventh now. Slow down you soda hog, you're going to have more soda than stomach in you if you keep this up. "We are NOT telling Cross Stitch about any of that, alright? Far as he's concerned, we just-"

"We just went up to legally get Sweetie Bot, yeah, yeah, you've said it twenty times already." Responding with an eyeroll, the gates of Mooscow soon came into clear view, Bloodbeak amusing herself by walking along the top edge of the steel wall on her back legs. The gryphon glanced over at us, giving her wings a flap and landing on the other side of the wall, the doors opening with a creak a few moments later, permitting us inside. The gryphon rested against the outer wall of the shack, lazily holding her Tommy Gun and eyeing the robot filly that trotted between us both.

"So, we're not going to have any issues with that thing, right? I-... how much of that stuff have you drank already?" Bloodbeak caught herself mid-sentence as Minty cracked open another bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla and began gulping it down. Following her gaze, I was more than a little surprised myself - stomachs aren't usually supposed to be bloated like that, I mean, unless you're a pegasus who had a rubber plug stuck in your behind after a meal specifically designed to entice gas production... something which I wouldn't know anything about! Eheheh, ah, um... anyways. The gryphon stifled a snicker, watching Minty gulping down the eighth bottle, his suit visibly rounded and stretched by the sheer amount of soda in his stomach. "You look like a water balloon. Ease up on that stuff, sheesh!"

"It's been a long day. We'll, uh, we'll see you tomorrow, probably. C'mon, Minty, Cross Stitch probably wants to hear the good news, or, uh, something..." Chuckling weakly, I egged the drinking unicorn on, his hooves beginning to move along in the snow towards the cathedral and clothing shop. He had levitated out another bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla already, still gulping down the last one greedily as he walked along, a certain groaning coming from him through the glass bottle. Hey, he did this to himself... but that doesn't make it any more healthy. By the time we stepped up to the turnoff to the street, and Minty tapped into his ninth bottle, I'd noticed that we were light one pony - well, robotic filly - and turned myself around in time to see Sweetie Bot trotting happily up to us. Good, one less thing to worry about. Binge-drinking unicorns were enough...

"Bloodbeak is a very strange gryphon. She doesn't even keep her machine gun fully loaded." Just as I was about to ask the ferromagnetic filly just how she knew that, Minty dropped the bottle he was working on, falling against the window of the clothing shop and letting off a quite loud belch. His head slumped forwards, the royal blue unicorn inside rushing out with a concerned look on his face and glancing between us three. He let off a sigh as his eyes met the half-empty bottle laying in the snow, his aura encompassing Minty and levitating the unicorn into the shop, myself and Sweetie following behind.

"Let me guess, he ate something that really didn't agree with him. Again." Heading up the stairs, Cross set Minty down carefully inside their bedroom, leaving the door opened a crack. The look on his face seemed to be a mix of annoyance and disappointment, shaking his head side-to-side as he set himself down behind the counter and rubbed at his temples. "He did this all the time in the Stable. I'm just glad he never developed a taste for alcohol, or I'm sure he'd try drowning foul tastes out with that too. He'll be feeling it in the morning... what did you guys find, anyways?"

"Uh, well... Jumper Cables, the mare that got Sweetie Bot working in the first place, she had this special bottle of Sparkle-Cola she was saving for the sale of her hundredth robot... And..." I let off a weak chuckle, rubbing at the back of my head as Cross Stitch looked on in surprise. Had a feeling he probably wouldn't take this well... but how was I supposed to know Minty did this before!? "H-he seemed to enjoy it at first, though! He only had a small cup of the stuff. Kept it down just fine, until Jumper Cables asked about this one ingredient in it. Strontium 90... reactor byproduct. Made the soda glow." Gnawing at my lip, Cross Stitch's jaw fell open, the unicorn at a loss for words and simply stuttering for the moment. "I think he vomited most of the stuff out, though."

"Hold it. Back up. What in the name of the goddesses do you mean by 'reactor byproduct'?" The augmented unicorn leaned himself against the counter, looking at myself with concern in his eyes. Sweetie Bot had moved to examining some of the items of clothing on display in the shop, shuffling them around idly, Cross Stitch still trying to make sense of what'd happened. "You mean, like an arcane reactor? Like the one that's been blown open in Pripytrot?"

"Kind of... wait, what!? When'd that happen?!" A reactor disaster, yeah, that was probably a LOT more dangerous and worthy of note than Minty overindulging himself on soda. Pripytrot was close to Turnpike, too... oh, goddesses, please tell me that Featherweight and Buzzy are safe. A balefire bomb going off near the ground was one thing, since those aren't entirely meant to cause radiation. A reactor exploding, however, that was a whole different kind of bad news... "Oh, goddesses, Featherweight and Buzzy..."

"It's been all over the news since yesterday, Neighrer said that the cloud was supposed to be passing over Quebuck for the most part. Hasn't reached Mooscow yet, but I'm heading into that Stable everypony at the hospital's gone to when it does." Okay, Quebuck, so a few bears will be irradiated. That I can live with. That was more than a little relief... "I really just hope that that'll knock some sense into whoever's fighting out there that maybe they should cool it down. Swear that you can hear the war going on on cooler nights." The unicorn let off a sigh, looking over at a pile of fabric on a counter behind the main one. It looked like Minty's new jacket, but some sectons seemed a bit more rigid than it was before. Encompassing it in his magic, Cross levitated it over, holding it up. "After seeing how many ponies come in here asking for bullet hole repairs or some kind of armoring for their clothes, I figured that maybe I should try and focus on that. Still looks fashionable, right?"

"Uh... I guess so. You're asking the wrong pony about fashion." I let off a weak chuckle, Cross glancing over my old duster and bulletproof vest and giving a bemused grin in agreement. He set down the jacket, the sound of a certain unicorn letting off a belch and rushing over to a different room upstairs prompting a small grimace from him. "Ah... he going to be alright?"

"As long as he doesn't burst like a balloon, I think he'll be okay. I'm a bit more worried about my poor bathroom." Cross gave off a weak chuckle, followed by a sigh, leaning on the counter and resting his head against his hoof. Sweetie Bot trotted upstairs, both myself and Cross watching her as she went. "So, she still sticking around, then?"

"For a while, yeah. Until we find something to do with her... are you sure you don't want her to help protect your shop? She's great at waking ponies up." With a halfhearted chuckle, I watched as Cross returned a grin, shuffling out from behind the counter and heading over to a doorway.

"I'll get some dinner going. Don't think Minty would be much in the mood for food... I'll get you when it's ready." With a nod, I trotted up the stairs, following the small robotic filly inside the guest bedroom. My back practically sighed with relief as I set the saddle down, myself taking a few moments to stretch and relax, setting myself down on the bed and emptying my saddlebags out onto the floor. Yeah, that was a LOT of Sparkle-Cola... I should find a fridge for it. Time to organize...

"You're listening to CONELRAD, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM radio dial. I'm Bert the Turtle bidding you all out there in the frigid wasteland a very good night, and now I'd like to turn the program over to our very own Tom Neighrer, for Neighrer Nightly. But first, one last song from the Bert the Turtle collection, Vera Lynn going out to all those who have family in Pripytrot fighting for the rest of us, reminding us all that no matter what there's always going to be the chance that We'll Meet Again."

"Hey, Twintails?" A faint knocking came at my door as I rested in the bed, listening to the soft tune coming out of my Pip-Buck's speaker. Cross Stitch stepped inside the room, drawing my attention and prompting me to sit up on the soft cushions. The unicorn gave off a small smile, myself turning down the volume.

"Hey, Cross. Minty still recovering?"

"Yeah, he's getting a bit better. Just sleeping it off now. Hey, there was one thing that he mentioned to me the other night... I just wanted to make sure with you that I got everything right." His horn flared up as he looked behind himself to his back, standing in the doorway and levitating out a small plush figurine around the same size as Minty's own, lime-green mane done up in a small ponytail, and tail thinning and frayed. The plush unicorn's cool blue coat was covered from the waist up with a miniature Stable jacket, the number 34 sewn in gold on the back, the radioactive trefoil with the odd blue 'y' intersecting it prominently shown on her flank. It... it looked just like her...

Cross set the plush down in my hooves, my eyes starting to blur around the edges as I stared at the small plush figure. The unicorn opened up the door behind himself, passing on a small smile and trotting out afterwards. The door shut with a quiet click as I slid down in the bed, letting off a small whimper and cuddling the plush of Gamma Ray against my bare chest, feeling the stuffed cotton mane brushing against my chin and the little hooves spreading as if it were hugging me. The quieted radio sounded out clear in my ears as I layed down, Vera's voice still singing out.

"So will you please say hello,
to the folks that I know, tell them,
'I won't be long'.

They'll be happy to know, that
as you saw me go,
I was sing-ing this song,

We'll meet again,
don't know where,
don't know when!

But I know we'll meet again, some sun-ny, day!"

We'll meet again, Gamma. Some sunny day...

Author's Note

Thanks for reading, as always! It's really hard to believe we've been working on this for 43 weeks straight so far - it's been a fun run for us, hopefully it's been just as fun to read for you! We're slowly but surely drawing things to a close - hopefully - and we plan to keep going strong! As always, this story would only be half-written without the aid of my friend, co-author and co-editor Minty Candy - he's as much the author as I am!

~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

Scavenging

I groaned as I woke up, my stomach aching and gurgling a little. Rolling over in bed, Cross cuddled up to me in his sleep, releasing a soft sigh. I gently slid his hooves off of me, but gave him a little nuzzle before I climbed out of bed. Oog, drinking all that soda was not a good idea... stupid Twintails, making me drink that radioactive sludge. Managing to make my way to the bathroom just in time, the effect of all the soda started to kick in. Oh, Celestia, it’s glowing. I quickly washed my hooves clear and left, really not needing the image of a shining, illuminated toilet bowl now in my head. As I entered our bedroom, I found Cross sitting up in the bed, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. He glanced over to myself, wearing a soft smile. “Morning, Minty. You feeling any better?”

I shrugged a little, grimacing a bit. “I still feel a little bloated, but at least now I don’t feel like I’m going to burst.” I smiled a little, trying to lighten the mood. He shook his head, but still smiled as he slid out of bed and walked up to me, giving me a light peck on the cheek. I blushed and returned the gesture, the royal blue stallion giggling lightly and levitating his jacket off the bedpost. He made way to the kitchen as I went to wake up Twintails, tapping on the closed door. The golden pegasus came to the door quickly, his eyes stained a little red and mane in a mess. “T-Twintails! Are you alright?” He nodded, and I noticed a little plushie laying on his pillow.

“Yeah, I’m... I'm fine.” He sniffed, rubbing at his eyes and looking both a little embarrassed and... happy. “Thanks… by the way.” He smiled softly, motioning to the plushie. I gave a small smile in return before he turned around and moved to nudge Sweetie awake. Her eyes began to glow as her motors hummed softly, the robotic filly stretching before standing up, grinning widely at both of us. Why exactly does she need to stretch? We all trotted down the hall towards the kitchen, finding Cross boiling some water on the stove, some bowls already set out.

“’Fraid it’s only oatmeal today, though I think I have some sugar somewhere in the cupboard, maybe...” His horn lit up as one of the cupboards opened up and a pack of brown sugar levitated onto the counter, next to a pack of oats. I began to pour the oats into the three bowls as Twintails sat down, Sweetie hopping up on one of the chairs. Cross poured the hot water into each bowl, grabbing and extra spoon and offering us each some sugar. After putting several spoonfuls of sugar into my bowl (as per my request), he placed the pack in the cupboard, tossing the spoon in the sink. Cross chuckled as he sat down. “You sure that cutie mark isn’t incorrect, Minty? You’re going to get yourself sick again if you keep eating that much sugar!”

I rolled my eyes, swallowing the gummy mixture. “I thought you said you liked sweet ponies~” I said, sticking my tongue out a little. Cross chuckled and Twintails groaned a bit. “Oh hush, I’m sure your banter with Featherweight is no worse.” I said to him, to which he replied with a reddening face and a splotch of oatmeal to my muzzle. I licked it off, giggling as Twintails smirked. I swallowed, turning back to Cross. “I heard about the weather reports last night. If you’re planning on heading out to the Stable for now, we can take you there.”

Cross nodded. “Sounds good. Oh! I also modified you jacket last night, it should be a little more bulletproof now.” I grinned. A fluffy jacket that also stops bullets? Goodbye, frostbite! We soon finished up and washed the bowls, heading back to our rooms to gear up. Cross slid open his closet, levitating out the new jacket. I slipped it on, feeling the tough fabric padding my body. Bending my legs, the material accommodated my movements comfortably. Pulling the belt tight, the soft cotton of the collar brushed up against my neck. “How is it?” Cross asked.

I walked around in the jacket idly, taking long strides and adjusting the leg covering my pip-leg. It was a little more restrictive, but I think I can live with that if it means more heat and less bullets flying through my chest. “A lot better than my old armor, and it doesn’t smell of Old Colt… ehehe… ech.” My laugh faded as I thought back to that night. Ew... really wishing that I hadn't, right now. Cross slipped on his own jacket, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Nevermind.” I said, folding up my old winterized armor and setting it on the closet shelf. He slipped his pistol into his saddlebags, along with a few health potions and sewing materials. I transferred the contents of my old saddlebags to my new ones, though most of that was more Sunrise Sarsaparilla. After that last binge, it may be a long while before I drink any of that again.

Cross and I walked downstairs, Twintails and Sweetie already there. We all left Cross’s house, pausing for a moment as he locked the door, and began to head out of town. Cross grunted a bit as Sweetie hopped onto his back, leaning into his jacket. “How far away is this Stable, anyways? I mean, must be close for them to move everypony from the hospital, right?” We turned down the street toward the giant oak doors, a few other ponies also bundled up and laden with supplies for the trek to Stable 92.

“Not too far. It’s a bit off the road though, the terrain will get a little rough.” We passed through the doors as Bloodbeak held them open for the crowd. “I sure hope nopony was planning on raiding this place anytime soon. There’s going to be nopony in town to stop them, at this rate.” He said, looking around at the others. We traveled along with the group, hanging back a bit due to some odd looks they were giving Sweetie. She’s an android, alright? You’ve seen robots before! Granted, probably not ones that can make snow explode like bombs. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how she did that...

We turned off the main road as we came to a crudely made sign pointing the way to Stable 92. I shivered a bit as we stepped into the deeper snow, it having taken on a grayer-than-usual color. If there was one thing my new coat could do with, it would be boots. At least Cross had the foresight to add some pants to the armored redesign. We trotted up to the small wooden storm door leading into Stable 92’s tunnels, my stomach suddenly clenching up. My mind flashed back to running through Stable 76’s tunnels, finding the broken door and Cross’s body…

I took a shuddering breath, gulping a bit. Cross and Twintails stopped, both looking worried. Cross stepped up to me, his ears lowered. “Minty… are you going to be alright?” I looked into his eyes, remembering seeing him lying on the ground, barely breathing. He wrapped a hoof around me, squeezing me a little. “It’s ok… look, I… I don’t really want to go in either, but…” He inhaled slowly, trying to find the right words. “I’m going to be a lot safer there than in town. Like Twintails said, if anyone wanted to raid the place, there’d be no one to stop them. I… I really don’t want to go in… that night… the blast… I…” He squeezed me again, and I felt a few tears fall from his face. “But I need to. If I don’t, someone might…” He sniffed, grabbing a hold of me, pushing his face into my mane. I pulled him close, giving him a few nuzzles. I felt my own eyes water as I hugged him. “Minty, please… I- I know it’s going to sound stupid, I know you wouldn’t but…” He looked into my eyes, tears falling down his face. “Don’t leave me in there. Promise you’ll come get me again.”

I sniffed, tears beginning to stream down my face. “I-I will. I’ll escort you out personally.” I smiled, Cross unable to help but do so as well. I squeezed him again before we broke the hug, Twintails and Sweetie waiting for us. I wiped my eyes dry, and as I did, I saw Twintails blink a bit of water out of his eyes as well, placing a hoof against the outside of his duster near his chest. We all made our way through the wooden door, the darkness of the cave leaving us blind for a moment. The tip of Sweetie’s horn flipped up, a small light appearing out of it, illuminating the area. We made our way to the open Stable door, Tom standing at the controls. Sweetie’s horn flipped off as Tom counted up the entering ponies, making a few tallies on a clipboard. We walked up the steps toward him as he set the clipboard aside.

“Hey boys, it’s been a while. You bringing in more audience members for me?” He chuckled, starting down the Stable’s hallway. We followed him, myself needing to pull Sweetie away from trying to head down to the reactor level. Tom looked down at her. “Who is that? Or, um, ‘what’ is that, I suppose...” Sweetie looked at him grumpily. I guess she was getting sick of ponies referring to her as “what”. We turned into a side room laden with recording devices and radios, Hi-Fi visible through a pane of thick glass, checking over several pieces of equipment while sporting an overmare's jumpsuit. Getting into the spirit of things, huh?

“I am to be referred to as quotation mark, Sweetie Belle, end quotation mark.” Sweetie said, her voice changing to a very low, even more so robotic voice for ‘quotation mark’. Tom’s muscles visibly contracted into a confused look, but he didn’t say anything. “I have downloaded reports of these Stables from RobronCo’s terminals. Stable 92 was a control Stable, aside from access to a larger supply of radio broadcasting equipment than normal Stables, correct?” Tom just stood, looking rather confused.

“U-uh, sure, I suppose?” He finally said. “Well, I guess it’s nice to know we haven’t been sitting in a Stable that was designed to self destruct after 300 years.” My stomach clenched again. Don’t say something like that! Tom suddenly smacked himself in the face, turning to Cross. “Where are my manners? I’m Tom Neigher.” He said, putting out a hoof to shake Cross’s, who did so, albeit a little reluctantly. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended. Only a mother could love a face like this. And now I’m a ghoul, I think she’d scream even louder.” He chuckled again. “Anyway, I’m guessing you weren’t at the last evacuation? The one right after that Kinetic Bombardment a few weeks ago. Can't believe Luna approved such a thing...”

Cross’s ears lowered slightly. “No, I... I was…” His voiced trailed off, and Tom’s expression grew worried, realizing he’d touched upon something sensitive. “I- I’m Cross Stitch. Minty and Twintails didn’t say they knew anypony here.” He turned to look through the glass, Hi-Fi looking up and waving to us before setting the tube she was fiddling with down. Cross thought for a few moments, looking back to Tom, the expression on his face brightening before a dawn of comprehension crossed it. “You're... you're Tom Neighrer, you're on that late-night talkshow! Eheh, ah, sorry, I guess I just use the radio more for background noise than I thought.”

Hi-Fi stepped out of the equipment room, smiling widely. “Hey, guys, what took you so long? You said you’d be back soon!” She turned to Cross and Sweeite “Ooh, and you’ve brought some company! Well, other than those taking refuge here.” She shook both of their hooves, giving Sweetie a pat on her metallic mane. “I'm Hi-Fi the, uh, Overmare of this place, I guess. It's a new position for me, I haven't really got much experience with it. More an engineer, to the single most dashing - hell, only voice on the radio in this icebox, Bert the Turtle!”

Yeah, only radio show host aside from Tom, that ghoul near Topatow, and Nikolai too, if you consider numbers a show. I snickered to myself, Twintails speaking up. “It’s nice to see you again. Anything interesting happening to you tw- uh, three lately?” Hi-Fi shrugged, tilting her head a little. Sweetie hopped up onto a desk, taking an interest in one of the busted up radios.

“Not much around here, aside from the lockdowns and show overrides, though from the sound of it you two have been having plenty of adventures!” She smiled, us beginning to move down the hallways again. “Rescuing some Pre-war mare from her own factory, getting abducted by the Steel Rangers, and we haven’t had confirmation, but I’m willing to bet this whole Stable that you two had something to do with that metal beast leaving tracks all across the wasteland.” She laughed as Twintails and I looked a little sheepish. “I'm convinced you two are going to end up blowing yourselves and half of the Wastes up if you keep at this. But, hey, if it’s the half that’s mostly populated with raiders and Hellhounds, I won’t be complaining.”

Sweetie hopped out of the doorway, catching up to us. “By my calculations, if we are to reach City Name: Turnpike by nightfall, with your average walking speed and probability of becoming stuck in Quebuck traffic, we must leave immediately.” From the doorway, the radio she’d been fiddling with sparked a bit, a couple of the tubes laying beside it. I let off a small sigh, looking to Cross - do we really have to go now? Almost as if she read my mind, Sweetie nodded, walking towards the door.

I faced Cross, my gut never having fully relaxed after we entered. He looked just as worried as I felt, both of us standing a little awkwardly for a moment. I reached up and hugged him, giving him a soft kiss. “Stay safe, alright? I’ll be back for you.” He nodded, giving me another hug before we let each other go, Twintails following me out of the room. We stepped into the entrance chamber, the large, steel cog still rolled to the side, waiting for more ponies. We walked through the large door, both of us turning to look back in. I could feel my eyes begin to water, Twintails sniffing as he rubbed his own dry. What would have happened if we’d stayed in our Stables?

I wiped my eyes clean, walking to the door control. I stared at the switch, thinking of the door rolling shut, sealing Cross in… sealing us out… Twintails looked up at me, trying to hide his damp eyes. He didn’t say anything, but his expression did. I gulped a bit of air, trying to hold back tears. A light aura covered the switch as Tom pulled it down, watching us both from the inside. Alarms began to blare, lights flashing as the cog was rolled to its original position. The metal screeched against itself, air hissing as the door slid shut. The cave was unnaturally quiet, Both Twintails and I still staring at the door, Sweetie waiting halfway through the tunnel with her lit horn. I turned to Twintails, whose eyes were red and puffy, tears sliding down his face. I wrapped my hooves around him, starting to feel tears fall down my own face again. We stood there for a moment before I broke the hug, both of us wiping our faces dry. Sweetie turned and trotted through the tunnels, Twintails and myself following closely behind.

What could have happened...

I fired off a few shots from my plasma rifle at some bloatsprites, Twintails firing off a round into a giant cockroach. Reloading my rifle as Twintails and I slid down the snow bank, we both trotted forth towards the soda carts. I can’t believe I already went through 20 bottles in just a few days... I kicked aside the bloatsprite corpse, fishing through the cart for undamaged bottles. I scooped up a few loose caps as well, slipping them into my coin pouch - suppose I could sell off all those energy cells too now, seeing how I already sold the pistol; it’d add a little weight to my purse. I dropped a few bottles into my saddlebags, popping the cap off of one and taking a swig. Ooh, that’s good stuff. Maybe not as nice as that RAD stuff tasted, but this won’t require my stomach being pumped... sheesh, don’t let Twintails here you think like this, or you’ll never live it down. Don't you tell him either, you pink-maned pegasus.

Twintails and I trotted back up to the road, Sweetie levitating a bottle of Sparkle Cola in her aura. “What is your fascination with these beverages? They lack any marketed carbonation and would easily have expired years ago.” I rolled my eyes, taking another sip of sarsaparilla. Yeah, yeah, ‘you’ll rot your teeth out’ and all that. I think being a little on the gummy side is the least of my concerns out here.

“Hey, you were the one always sticking your horn into the outlets at Cross’s, maybe you’ve got a problem too.” Twintails chuckled. Sweetie pouted as we continued down the road. “Don’t tell me you and Minty have already been sharing ideas. The last thing we need is both of you breaking into an old factory to get drunk off the generators.” Said the atomophiliac pegasus.

We walked down the street, the still deep grey clouds rolling over us. “Those outlets are for recharging purposes only!” Sweetie said. “If I were to overload my circuitry, I would be required to travel back to the RobronCo facility for maintenance. Or explode. Neither of which are appealing options.” As we walked, a large shape appeared in the distance, lumbering back and forth slowly with two ponies trotting alongside it. Ooh, another merchant, maybe they've got some extra MF Cells.

“She’s got you there, Twintails. Besides, electricity’s got to be at least twelve times better than any cup of coffee in the morning.” I smirked, the pegasus rolling his eyes and cracking open another bottle of that regular Sparkle-Swilla. The merchants drew closer as we trotted down the road, their pack… cow… thing, coming into clearer view.

"Hey there boys! Need anything?" The merchant waved at us as we trotted up, smiling politely. She was wearing some weird mask over her muzzle that covered a good portion of her lower face, and the goggles with it covered the rest. Ooh, a pair of those would be nice for bad weather...

“What’ve you got for sale?” She flipped open one of the packs on her cow, digging out a few guns, a knife and some miscellaneous items. Twintails looked through the other bag as I inspected the contents. “What’ll you give me for these energy cells?” I asked, pulling out my small horde of them. She looked them over, checking to be sure they were still charged.

“I’ll give you two caps apiece.” She said, counting out the cells and giving me the respective caps. I quickly counted up those. 218 caps, now I can actually pay for stuff! She walked over to Twintails, who was inspecting some breathing masks. He tossed aside his empty bottle of Sparkle-Cola, an idea sparking into my head. I turned to Sweetie, who was fiddling with a couple busted up 10 millimeter pistols, trying to repair one. I bent down, lowering my voice so Twintails wouldn’t hear.

“Sweetie… do you remember what exactly was in that Sparkle Cola RAD?” I asked. She continued to work on the pistols, starting to spout out a whole list of ingredients. Radishes, sugar, Strontium 90… my mind flashed back to chemistry class, when Pepper almost burned her mane off. It was the radioactivity unit, she accidentally dropped some of the cleaner into the beaker of Barium isotope… A devious grin crossed my face. “What reacts well with Strontium?” Sweetie looked up at me, a little confused. Don’t look at me like that, you were the one making the dart gun out of a paint gun and toy car.

Sweetie shrugged, starting to draw out diagrams in the snow. “Strontium Peroxide may explode with friction and accelerates other combustible materials. Burning may also create noxious and volatile gasses.” I nodded, following along in her equations. “Peroxide can be found in bleaches and other cleaning chemicals. Combine this with a flammable material and it may produce a large explosion.” I looked back over at the assembled junk before me, scanning it for anything useful. My eyes landed upon a box of Abraxo and a bottle of Turpentine. I scooped them up. Alright, if I pour these into the bottle and light a fuse…

The merchant came back over as I scuffed up the equations Sweetie was writing in the snow. “Uh, how much for these two things?” She looked more than a little confused, glancing between the cleaning solutions levitated in my magic and myself. Yeah, probably not too many ponies actually worried about using these for their intended purpose and keeping things cleaned. She shrugged, saying 12 caps would suffice. I gave her the money and slipped the items into my saddlebags as Twintails trotted back to our side of the cow. “Ready to go?” He nodded and I scooped up Sweetie onto my back.

We began to trot back down the road as the merchant gathered her things, placing them into the packs on the cows. He handed me one of the breathing masks, stowing the other in his saddlebags. “Here. It’ll be fastest if we can cut right through ground zero in Quebuck; these should help with the radiation a little bit. Cleaned her out of Radaway and Rad-X too, eheh...” I placed mine into my own saddlebags, raising an eyebrow to Twintails.

“It hasn’t taken that long before... Oh, Celestia, don’t tell me you just want to go wandering into ground zero of a nuclear blast! That’s a terrible idea!” I let my face fall into my hoof, shaking my head. Twintails tried to refute my theory, but I was concentrating more on hw crazy this pegasus I was wandering with really was. “Oh, whatever, let’s just hope there aren’t any glowing Hell Hounds lurking around there. Might be good for salvage.” We trotted down the road, the large buildings of Quebuck soon coming into view on the horizon. Sweetie stood up on my back, leaning on my head to get a better view. Ach, that hurts.

We came to the edge of the city, walking between the smaller houses towards the center. Sweetie hopped off of my back, running this way and that, eager to look at everything. I pulled out Jolts, Twintails readying his assortment of guns. I really hope he knows which bit goes to which weapon, I don't want to be vaporized in a balefire egg blast... My Pip-Buck began to tick a little faster, the reading in the upper part of my vision showing a steady dose of a few rad per second as we approached the downtown area. I removed the breathing mask from my saddlebags and pulled it over my face, Twintails doing the same. I fiddled with the straps a bit, trying to get the mask to be a little comfortable, but to little avail.

We followed Sweetie, who ran into one of the smaller buildings in the city. The flickering lights illuminated the cubicles as I trotted to a spacious office within, Twintails having busied himself with reading through some of the terminals. I scanned the room, my eyes falling upon a safe embedded into the wall. I stepped up to it, pulling out my screwdriver and pins as I did. I slide the bit of metal into the lock, using the screwdriver for leverage. Alright, a little left… maybe right… after a few busted picks, the safe swung open to reveal a large pile of bits, along with one stuck in a plaque. I pulled it out, reading “First Bit made at Watt’s Wiring.” I scooped up the bits and slid them, along with the plaque, into my saddlebags. Maybe I’ll find someone willing to buy it.

I trotted back out of the office, Twintails and Sweetie trotting up to me. “Hehe, I bet you can’t guess what I got.” Twintails snickered, pulling out two bottles of Sparkle Cola RAD. My ear twitched a bit. I hadn’t expected to be able to test this out so soon. “Whoever left these in the staff refrigerator wasn’t very bright. I’m surprised somepony didn’t take them already! Oooh, I bet being in the radiation zone made these all the more tasty~” He handed one to me, putting his away. I debated drinking it… it really hadn’t tasted that ba- no, no, you don’t want to be vomiting again, not to mention needing to take off the mask in this place to do it. Let alone in front of Twintails... I slipped it into my saddlebags, feeling it land next to the cleaner and the turpentine. “And if you’re not going to drink it, at least give it to me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find something to do it.” Drink, use in a grenade, same thing, right? We left the building, continuing down the road towards the center of town. As we did, the roads became more and more broken down, rubble piling up on either side. On building leaned precariously over, its foundation cracked in various places. We heard a loud roar, Sweetie giving a squeak of fright and jumping onto Twintails. A Hell Hound came around the corner, sniffing the air. Twintails and I jumped behind a pile of rubble, holding our breath in fear. The Hound stomped closer, still sniffing out in the air. Twintails tried to maneuver himself, adjusting Kindness and fiddling with a Balefire Egg. I felt the soda bottles clink around in my saddlebags, the Hound walking closer... Well, now’s a good a time as any to test this out, I suppose, before Twintails tries to fire that thing at point-blank range.

I pulled out the cola, Abraxo, and turpentine, popping the cap off of the bottle. Twintails looked over his shoulder at me, sighting in on the Hell Hound. “What the hell? This isn’t the time, Minty!” He hissed, but went silent as I poured half of the cola onto the ground. Oh, I'm so glad he wasn't strangling me over that. “What are you-?” The Hound roared again, leaving both of our ears ringing as he went back to aiming himself. I dumped the abraxo and turpentine into the bottle, which fizzed a little as the chemicals mixed and reacted. I looked around for a fuse, my eyes only landing on the cloak of my coat. Ooh, Cross wouldn’t like this... I tore off a strip at the bottom of my cloak, stuffing it into the bottle as a makeshift fuse.Sweetie’s eyes widened as she realized what I was doing. Her horn flipped back, a small flame appearing at the tip. How many functions does this thing have?

I poured the last of the turpentine onto the cloth and placed the end of it at the flame. The soaked coat quickly caught fire and I hurled the makeshift grenade over the rubble. The Hell Hound followed it, the bottle smashing apart on the concrete. The mixture exploded into a ball of purple flames, sticking to the Hound's fur and setting it alight. The Hound howled in pain as the flames quickly leaped across the fur on its body, sending it into a panic. It ran down the street, but soon stumbled and fell into a heap, groaning as it died.

We all stepped out from behind the rubble, Twintails looking aghast. “Wha- but- How in the name of the goddesses did you do that with -soda-!?” Twintails sputtered through the gas mask. I couldn’t help but grin as we trotted through the road, Sweetie giggling excitedly at the prospect of more Sparkle Grenades. Twintails pouted, looking up at the launcher on his back before glaring at me. “I thought I was the mad bomber here!” With a laugh, I un-holstered Jolts, sliding in a few new MF cells.

“I guess you’re just rubbing off on me~”

"I... you... hmph. Fine, just don't waste so much of it next time. Alright?" Staring down at the glowing puddle of soda draining away in the snowy slush, I grimaced and slid the breathing mask back on. Okay, note to self, when going to fire either... well, any of my weapons, try to breathe as little as physically possible. Stupid unicorn inventions, didn't they ever think that maybe somepony needed to fire a gun whilist in the center of a balefire detonation!? Or, wait, uh... okay, maybe they have a point. Guh, fuck it. "At LEAST let me drink it!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you glowing like a night light will be GREAT for stealth. Come on, no sense crying over spilled soda. I'm sure that we'll find more of it somewhere in here." Minty kept his goop-gun and mag-rifle at the ready, myself glancing at Sweetie Bot for a moment before following behind. The wire-supported bits clinked against the mask's filter as I walked along, drawing a small groan of annoyance from myself. I can handle a little bit of radiation, damnit! Then again, ground zero balefire explosions tend to have a little bit more than a little bit of radiation... and hell, I just want the bragging rights. The mare in my head gave off a look that distinctly screamed out the words 'are you crazy?!'. Or, maybe, 'are y'all crazy!?'. Hard to tell.

"I keep telling you guys, it only makes your pee glow! Would have to drink a lot more than a bottle or two to notice any visible glow." I let off a small huff behind the breathing mask, Sweetie Bot's servos whirring as she gazed up at the architecture. The buildings were getting taller, and the elevated rail platforms began to appear running through the center of the streets. We fell silent for a good while as we stepped further into the city, even Sweetie Bot seeming to quiet down as we walked. The blast shadows grew more distinct and sharper, every now and again illiciting a gasp or other quiet sound from one of us. Some of the sights were plainly chilling...

Minty came to a stop, looking down an alleyway that we were passing by. Sweetie Bot moved closer to it, doing that weird scanning thing with her eyes, myself finally catching up from sightseeing all the remnants of ponies vaporized into the facades. The air really did seem unnaturally colder around here - even Minty seemed to be shivering the tiniest bit under his new jacket. Sweetie finished with her scan, and the sight down the dark alley... well, at least most of whoever that was was contained inside his hazard suit. Oh goddesses, the faceplate was covered in blood...

"Identifying deceased as scavenger 'Lucky Strike'. Gore splatter suggests high explosive-laden rocket to the chest. Probability of accident - 22%" Okay, was it just me, or did her voice seem a little bit more... fuzzy, than usual? Oh, nevermind, more important stuff to focus on right now... like keeping that breakfast down. Stop looking at it you idiot! Turning to face the road and holding a hoof against the breathing mask, I swallowed the taste of bile down, momentarily contemplating following it with that Sparkle-Cola RAD if only to get the taste out of my mouth. The 2 Rads/sec that the mask was preventing from reaching my inner everything, however, dissuaded me from it. Maybe there's a basement or fallout shelter somewhere deeper inside the city...

"Check please. W-well, at least it looks like it was... Sweetie! What are you doing!?" Minty's screams caught my attention in time to see the robotic filly bounding through the bloodied snow with a smile across her muzzle, the gore being kicked up by her gallop more than a little gut-wrenching, to say the least. She skidded to a stop just in front of the mutilated stallion, searching over the remains and levitating off his saddlebags just as I was about to take a lovely little nap in this irradiated snowbank for a while. The glass clinking sound that the bags made as she triumphantly trotted out with them, however, certainly caught my attention, as well as Minty's. Bottles of soda?

"Sensors detected a sum of seven bottles of Sparkle-Cola RAD and five charged micro-fusion cells inside." The robotic filly kept that smile upon her face as her ozone-smelling magic levitated out the items she described, as well as a crumpled and bloodied piece of paper. Oh good goddesses above, I wanted to salivate and vomit at the same time... ahem. Minty seemed to choke back his gag reflex as he slid the cells and three of the bottles into his saddlebags, Sweetie Bot moving the remaining four and the note over to my own. Holding it in my hoof - at a safe distance from myself - I began to read it over. Written in pen, hah, really now...

"'Dated 20th December, caught word of SC-RAD goldmine inside Quebuck. Untouched distribution center near QGZ, bought a new Rad suit and a shitton of Radaway to explore it. Looks like Lucky Strike found his namesake...'" Taking an Idle glance up at the explosives-torn figure whom held the note, and seeing the suit he wore, I couldn't help but let off a dry chuckle. Oh irony, thou art a heartless bitch. Glancing back to the letter, it took me a moment to figure out what the acronyms meant, Minty keeping Sweetie Bot from playing in the poor guy's remains anymore.

"SC-RAD... Sparkle-Cola RAD! A Sparkle-Cola RAD goldmine, and this... that poor guy found it! Oooh, this is just too good to be true, imagine all that glowing soda lined up in crates, ready to be shipped out to everywhere!" I bounced on my hooves giddily, Minty and Sweetie Bot both looking at myself in a bit of confusion. Oh, now if only that guy made a map for us to follow back...

"Hold up, Twintails, you do see what happened to that guy, right? I don't know about you, but I'd really rather not wind up with my insides across a building wall. We don't even have any idea where this QGZ-place is!" Minty gestured madly in the air, Sweetie Bot enjoying herself as she was levitated in his magic. Okay, he did have a point, QGZ was kind of stumping me... but it apparently didn't stump him for nearly as long, if that groan of annoyance and hoof to the face meant anything. "Quebuck Ground Zero... oh, Celestia, fuck me." Yay for convenient excuses! Oh, if only Minty could see the grin I had on behind this mask...

"Ooh, ooh, sensors also discovered a metal plate in the street. Opportunity for snow sled is high!" The robotic filly's magic flared up again, dislodging a snow-covered metal sheet from the bloodied snow in the alleyway. The patch of snow that it lifted - other than showing just how much of a difference in color blood has from snow - was flipped over and landed, showing a fine cake of distinctly greyer snow below the blood layer than the top layer. One could only guess where that could've come from... what was going on in Pripytrot, anyways? "Anomaly on plating, letters without recognizable word pattern!" Turning my attention to the thick metallic plate that the robotic filly levitated in her magic, the four surviving letters upon the front of the metal plate froze both Minty and myself solid.

E A M O.

"S-Sweetie, can you remove those letters in any way?" Minty fidgeted, moving himself over to me, sharing a very worried look. NEAMO retrieval robots... they had rockets with them, too? Goddesses above, was this guy even armed with anything to begin with!? And they did... they... fuck me with an enriched strontium fuel rod, thank Celestia we quit working with that ass. Sweetie Bot was busy laser-etching the painted-on letters off, grinning widely as she dropped the now-clean plate into the snow and jumping onto it giddily, sliding for a few feet down the thoroughfare. Minty rested a hoof upon my shoulder, looking over to myself. "Doc needs to be stopped. You're always going on about those balefire bombs and megaspells, do you think you could disarm the ones around NEAMO without killing us?"

"I..." Now THAT made me really wish I could crack open one of those Sparkle-Cola RADs right now. Disarm a megaspell? Let alone twenty-five of them... "I don't know, Minty. I just like watching the explosions, I guess, maybe, if I had an idea of what we were facing there... I just don't know." My mouth was all kinds of dry. I wasn't an ordinance specialist, damnit! I just liked watching explosions! Why did I have to be the one to call on for everything that had to do with balefire and megaspells!? Minty took a step backwards, myself turning and moving a hoof against my head, rubbing at my temples slowly. As I regained myself, my vision settled on the horrific display down the alleyway. I let off a sigh, putting on a stern face and turning to face Minty. "But I do know that somepony's going to have to do something. For better or worse, the Doc needs to die, before more ponies like him do."

Minty released a clouded breath through the facemask, nodding once and then turning to continue moving along down the road, myself following behind. Sweete Bot had sped on along, playing around one of the pillars for the elevated railway, sliding down the embankment of snow on the retrieval robot's breastplate like, well, a foal. It'd almost have been cute, if there weren't distinct shadows of ponies and structures vaporized into the facades of the buildings just to her left and in full view of both of us. A filly's laughter in this sort of place was just... creepy.

"Good afternoon wasteland, you're listening to CONELRAD Radio, 640-1240 on your AM band reciever, and this is Bert the Turtle tantilizing your tense and tired ears! Lot's been happening out there in the icebox lately, so let's get on to the new news, eh? To start things off, I'd like to extend my thanks to all the lovely Stallions and Mares of Mooscow that have taken up residence with myself, my assistant Hi-fi, and Tom in this hole in the ground we call a home. Tom told me that the weather reports say that Mooscow and Quebuck are going to be getting a nice dusting of radiation and fallout from the Pripytrot reactor over the next few days, so I certainly hope that everyone's comfortable down here. You'll be here for a while...

"In other news, everypony remembers that report of a gigantic metal beast rolling across the wasteland I made a while ago, right? Well, as it turns out, it's in control of the Steel Rangers, and they just rolled it over outside Turnpike to help with whatever's going on in Pripytrot! To everypony living out that way hearing exceptionally larger booms every night, don't be worried, that's just the sound of that thing's gun making the wasteland a little bit safer for everypony around here. Word of advice - leave the Steel Rangers alone, kiddies, they're not in a particularly enjoyable mood nowadays and I don't think I need to remind you that they have guns that can blow you in half. If you approach one, please be bringing a smarter gift for them than a bullet.

"And finally, the activity of robots from out RobronCo-ways has laxed off in the past few days, much to the relief of everypony living in Mooscow and the owner of the factory herself. We do plan on getting a follow-up interview from her eventually, and we would like to remind anypony that discovers a destroyed robot between Mooscow and Quebuck should bring it to the Sparkplugs' RobronCo factory for a lump sum of caps and to help figure out where the hell these things are coming from. Less destroyed the better.

"Anyways, that's the mid-day news reports for all you pony popsicles up there in post-apocalyptia, and you're tuned into CONELRAD Radio, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM band reciever. Up next is a sampler from Tom, one of the recording's he's made right here in fine Stable 92 to a captivated audience. Or, well, captive audience, anyways..."

"Used to be that when somepony was planning a trip or going abroad, back when there was an 'abroad' to go to - any establishments that may be out there in the wasteland posing a fine selection of 'broads' don't count, thank you - they would be told by their friends or the guidebooks to not drink the water. With the state of things nowadays, however, assuming somepony or someone from a less-destroyed section of the planet were to visit our fine wondrful crapsaccharine Equestrian wasteland, they may wish to heed this warning here.

If you visit Equestrian city,
you will find it very pretty!
Just two things of which you must beware;
don't drink the water and DON'T breathe the air!

Pollution, pollution,
we've got smog and sewage and mud!
Turn on your tap,
and get cold irradiated crud!"

"Goddesses, the storm's bringing a lot of radiation with it..." I exhaled a breath, stuffing the anti-radiation pill into my mouth and quickly following it with a pair of packets of Radaway, draining both swiftly and discarding the packages into the snow, snapping the mask back over my muzzle. If we could find somewhere in this damn place that wasn't irradiated, it'd be a miracle. Minty was doing much the same, practically stuffing himself with the medecine with his magic, Sweetie Bot watching us both curiously. I gave my head a shake, looking along the road that led towards the crater and impact zone.

"I'm holding you responsible if I come out of this sterile." Minty shook his head idly, looking around the area and keeping his goop rifle and mag-rifle at the ready. Stupid unicorns with their stupid magic... my Pip-buck made an odd sound of static, the way it did when it picked up a new station. Blinkibg a few times, I looked down at the screen, resting my rear in the irradiated topsnow and scrolling through to the stations. U72-BV6? Was that... no, Nikolai's Station was deactivated, right? Or, was that supposed to be when we went back after the air base... oh goddesses, we never went back after the air base! Okay, don't panic, Minty and Cross haven't been vomiting their guts out, I'm sure that it's fine. But this station, though... Glancing up at Minty, I flicked onto the station, a stallion's voice playing through the speakers.

"H-hello, is anypony alive out there? I-I'm, uh, I'm Quickscope, a weapons repairpony. Goddesses... T-there's a, a lot of explosions and, and rumbling going on outside. Please, somepony, please get this message and come get me, or at least my daughter. W-we're in a closed-off section of the sewer, intersection of South 12 and East 17. P-please, I-I'm begging you come save my daughter..." The speaker crackled loudly, Minty grimacing and grabbing at his head, a deep rumble and sound like something exploding coming from somwhere in the city. Sweetie Bot blinked a few times, her eyes refocusing and scanning in a wide arc around the decaying buildings.

"Sensors indicate only a few friendly sentient lifeforms within the city, including Sweetie Belle." Sheesh, was the radiation actually messing with her voicebox? She sounded a lot more fuzzy than she usually did... "I would proceed with caution. City map says that the sewer we are looking for are further down the street, Sparkle-Cola plant upon the cusp of the cratering zone."

"Minty, do you think that the message is recent? I mean, why would a city need a weapons repairpony? It's on the way, anyways." I blinked a few times, looking over to my augmented friend. He thought for a few moments, then moved to make sure his mag and goop rifles were fully loaded, giving a nod to myself in response. Okay, detour while we try and escort this poor guy and his daughter out of this place before the fallout from the reactor gets to be too bad. Here's praying to the goddesses that we get there before they're ghoulified and feral... I slowed in my trotting as we headed for the sewer grate. Of all the things I've killed so far in this wasteland... a feral ghoul filly...

Luna above, please let us not be too late.

Sweetie Bot reached the sewer grate ahead of us, the radiation in this area having fallen to only a few clicks every few seconds. Her ozone-smelling magic lifted the heavy metallic plate free from underneath the snow and fallout, casting it aside. The thick smell of sewage met us both through the breathing masks, myself gagging for a few moments before taking a breath and catching myself. 200-year-old sewage was bad, but vomiting in these things was probably a lot worse. Taking a breath and swallowing a gulp of air, I leaned myself over the hatch, looking around inside the darkness. Minty likewise met myself, his rifles levitated at the ready nearby as he peered down.

"Hello? Anypony there? We got your signal, and, uh..." Minty let himself trail off momentarily, looking up to me. "They could be asleep, or something. Have the distress call on repeat." He leaned himself back, my own self glancing up at the large form of Kindness upon my back, and the pair of auto rifles either side. Well... Minty'll have his guns, and I think it's safe enough in there for me to use my Luger without getting too much radiation... I took a breath, undoing the latches of my battle saddle and setting it down in the snow, sliding myself over the hole in the road. My rear hooves found purchase on an old rusted ladder, letting me lower myself down into the darkness with some sense of ease. Goddesses, the smell was even worse down here... "See anything?"

"Just sewer. Sweetie, are you sure this is the right... wait, I think that's a lantern down that way." Peering through the murky darkness, the faint flicker of a portable lantern shone in an alcove down the line, a small wall of sandbags and collapsed rubble further down being lit up by it every now and again. Minty slid himself down the ladder, his horn offering a small bit of illumination in the tunnel as we pushed forth. The recording played back again, myself flicking off the radio as to not cause too much interference, sliding my breathing mask off with a hoof. The water - if it could be called that - was stagnant, but it didn't really stink as much as the stuff near the hole cover. The geiger counter silent, Minty did the same, both of us nearing the small alcove that held the flickering lantern. "Hello? We're here to-"

I've seen bomb shadows before; those were haunting. I've seen ghouls like Greasy, who kept on doing what they knew for all the years after the bombs dropped. There were a lot of skeletons in the theatre where we found Tom, it was almost morbidly comical to see all those former ponies in fancy dress sitting in their seats or crushed on the floor. But... in the alcove that held the lantern and radio transmitter... I stood and stared for a long while, trying to comprehend the sight before me. Against the wall was a stallion's skeleton, an old degraded battle saddle mounting a shotgun having fallen into it's lap, the bit completely destroyed, along with the entire front of the skeleton's skull. Nearby was another pony skeleton, this one surrounded by several needle syringes. It looked like it was just sleeping. It was smaller.

It was holding a small plush toy.

Minty stumbled backwards as he rounded the corner, myself still frozen by the sight, jaw having fallen slightly open as I breathed in the musty, stagnant air and kept looking at the scene inside the alcove. The radio buzzed with static softly, constantly repeating a message over and over again, a cry for help out to nopony in particular. The air was chilling to the bone. Minty was retching up the breakfast we had both had, adding to the liquefied waste still in the pipe. In a bit of a trance, I guess, I found myself starting to move over to the radio at the back of the alcove. Minty's retching stopped, himself releasing a weak groan as he regained himself, looking up at me from the corner. "Twintails! What are you..."

With a click, the radio went silent, my pip-buck releasing a faint buzz of a radio signal having been lost. The air in the sewer was quiet, almost peaceful, as I carefully stepped around the smaller skeleton surrounded by needles, stepping back to the main walkway and staring at Minty. A small gust of wind found it's way inside the sewer, making both of our counters click with the radiation it carried along. Minty righted himself, moving around to climb up out of the hole, his energy weapons moving first as he fitted the breathing mask back on. I did much the same, following behind closely, Sweetie Bot staring at us both curiously as we stood back on the city street, myself sliding my battle saddle back on in a daze. She moved to the hole, peering down into it for a moment before turning her view back to us.

"The radio signal went silent. Were the ponies unable to be helped?" That fuzzy, robotic voice was almost muffled in my ears, Minty shaking his head back and forth in response to Sweetie Bot. The robotic filly's ozonic magic levitated the metal cover back in place, a gust of wind blowing some loose snow and fallout over it, already beginning to re-bury the entrance. Re-bury those ponies.

The road to the impact point, save for the muted sounds of the geiger counters playing their endless clicking melody at each new gust of wind, was silent.

"It's not just me that thinks everything is glowing green around here, right?" Climbing over another pile of rubble and working our way through a fallen structure, the air was certainly far more luminescent than further out in the city. The click of our geiger counters was almost steady, the little red triangle ever so slowly creeping up the bar in our vision as we pressed forth. Minty paused for a moment as he dug through a desk that'd fallen over in the collapse of the building, myself reaching a fire escape door at the end of the hallway. I threw my weight against it, the heavy door not budging - locked? Sheesh, what kind of place locks the fire escapes? Oh, no worries, a shot from Kindness and we'll be... dead. Releasing a small sigh, I looked up at the tactical balefire egg launcher on my back, resting against what was once the floor of the building.

"Ah, Minty? Think you could pick this?" My augmented friend looked up from behind the desk, myself shoving against the door again. Might need a bit more than just the lock picked, in retrospect... "Or, well, something? Don't want to risk blasting this place down on us." Releasing a weak chuckle, I stepped aside, Sweetie Bot clambering over the desk Minty was cleaning out. Her voice had just been getting fuzzier and fuzzier as we neared the center - of all the things I know radiation does, screwing royally with electronics wasn't particularly one of them. At least she's still moving on her own.

"Think I can get through it... might want to duck." There was a clatter of rubble as my augmented friend lifted the desk he was going through from the debris on the wall, holding it at about the height of the doorway. Blinking a few times, it took a moment for me to work out what he meant... which was just about enough time for me to dive for cover as the heavy metal desk plowed through the doorway and landed out in the snow, both of our geiger counters clicking faster with a renewed blast of heavily irradiated air. Ooh, if we could get out of this without turning into ghouls, that'd be great...

We stepped through the now-opened doorway, looking out across a massive circular field of debris and vaporized buildings that surrounded a shallow, still-glowing central crater. Pausing for a moment to take in the sight, a rather morbid chuckle escaped myself, leaning against the heavily bent landing of what was once a fire escape. "So, this is what a balefire bomb impact crater looks like. I honestly didn't expect it to be so... flat." Slowly we eased ourselves along the rubble, scanning about every now and again, Minty with his goop guns still at the ready and myself... still griping about not being able to use my battle saddle. Even my EFS was a little fuzzy as we neared the crater as close as we dared to, the heat from the heavily irradiated site able to be felt almost two centuries after it had been created. Explains the lack of snow here, I suppose...

"Okay, calling it now, this place takes the cake for freaky. I keep seeing friendly bars around here... oh, please don't let them be ghouls..." Minty gulped audibly, us all slowly working our way around the rim of the destruction zone and sliding onto what seemed like a nearby road. For all I could tell, it was just another section of rubble - the map on my pip-buck was way too fuzzy around here. We pressed on, myself unable to keep in a slight giggle as a massive fallen familiar soda bottle appeared in our path. Certainly looked like it was Sparkle-Cola alright...

"If there are ghouls here, they have a great taste in soda~" Playfully sticking a tongue out at Minty - and finding that breathing masks do not taste good - he rolled his eyes, stepping over a piece of rebar and concrete. The building that formerly had the large soda bottle atop it still proudly advertised the brand-new Sparkle-Cola RAD, the few intact skywagons parked in the lot nearby all bearing the Sparkle-Cola logo, if heavily weathered. Oooh, this was almost as good as finding the TOG! I couldn't stop giggling like an idiot as we moved inside, myself hovering above and checking in the backs of the skywagons. Every now and again, through the slats of the crates, the faint glimmer of irradiated light could be seen; ooh, the note was right! I was wearinga really stupid grin as I hovered myself back over to Minty, seeing them checking out the back of one of the wagons. "If we can get one of these things loaded with RAD, I think I might be able to fly it and us out of here. These things have lifting matrices in 'em, made to be pulled by pegasi."

"Alright, alright, cool your wings. Sooner we can get out of here, the better, I'd say..." Minty looked around the area, myself giggling madly and making way to the main loading docks. Oooh, please please pleeease let this really be a Sparkle-Cola RAD goldmine... Wrestling with the steel bay door, it eventually yielded with a loud groan of metal, sliding upwards enough for myself to squeeze underneath with Kindness. The squee I let off when I caught sight of the multiple shelves of shipping crates all labeled with 'Sparkle-Cola RAD' probably could have been a little toned down... oh, fuck it, just look at all that Sparkle-Cola! Forget a night light, I could light the entirety of Mooscow with this stuff! Carefully I pulled one of the crates off of it's shelves, popping open the lid and being met with a glow that almost made me have to shield my eyes - jackpot!

"Minty! Sweetie! Gimmie a hoof over here!" Wearing a wide grin, I began to slide some of the crates out of the shipping area, leaving them on the dock. Hehehehe, so much Sparkle-Cola RAD, kept completely cold, this was so awesome~ Six or seven crates out, Minty and Sweetie had begun loading them into the back of one of the less-destroyed wagons, every now and again the bottles clinking as they were loaded. Sweetie's mouth still buzzed with static every now and again, myself still working on getting every last box that I could out and ready to be carried off. Giggling as I pushed the last box that I could find that wore the Sparkle-Cola RAD label out underneath the door, I finally worked myself back out, looking over the haul. Ten crates with twenty bottles of soda per crate... "We are loaded!"

"I know! Just think of all the grenades I can make with this stuff~" Minty let off a snicker, looking at myself coyly, climbing up into the back of the cart alongside Sweetie. Undoing the latches on my battle saddle, I let the loaded thing rest carefully in some empty space between them, Minty pulling the back hatch up and fixing it in place. My augmented friend shuffled to the front of the cart as I fitted myself into the harness, adjusting and tugging at it with my hooves so it'd rest better around me. "So, uh, you think you can manage this? I mean, I'm not even sure if this thing'll actually work..."

"Oh, of course it will! It's a Sparkle-Cola certified carrying vehicle, and it wasn't too badly affected by the bomb!" Giggling gleefully, I spread my wings wide, flapping a few times. The wind picked myself up and started tugging at the harness, talismans and circuitry underneath the wagon kicking into gear and starting to levitate it into the air, albeit slowly. Better than pulling it on the wheels, at least. Grunting and straining, and flapping, we began to move along, myself still wearing that stupid grin underneath my breathing mask. "Aw yeah, we are scott free!"

I have lost count of the days I have wandered Equestria with War Mare. They number in the tens of thousands. It is miraculous that she still functional, and I am still sane. Saving ponies probably has helped me with that; it gives me some purpose in my life. Something to keep moving and living for. Something like my husband.

I have stopped inside the city of Quebuck. The warring parties in Pripytrot ignored my arrival, and assistance. They all wore old Equestrian powered armor, upon both sides. I did not stay to discover what they were fighting over. I am glad that I didn't. War Mare is groaning enough attempting to traverse the ruins of Quebuck. Hopefully her engine will be able to hold out long enough for me to reach the nearest military installation. Sunrise Castle had the equipment for servicing tanks at one point; I pray to Celestia above they still do.

-RT

"How was I supposed to know this thing wasn't fully charged when we left!? Ow..." Letting off a groan, my hooves dug into the snow, Minty and Sweetie Bot trotting alongside behind me. We'd at least gotten free of the heavily irradiated areas and could take off the masks, and Sweetie Bot was back to being coherent once again. The old wheels and axles of the cart groaned as I pulled it through the thick snow and new fallout, parallel ruts left behind us as they dug in deeply. "At least the soda's fine. We didn't lose any crates, did we?"

"For the hundredth time, all the soda is there, Twintails. I don't have any Abraxo or turpentine left, so you don't have to worry." Minty rolled his eyes, the sound of his magic pulling a glass bottle out from his saddlebags and uncapping it catching in my ears. "Besides, you know I won't drink that stuff. Far as I'm concerned it's just... mmm... just a few hundred gallons of incendiary grenade fuel." Rolling my eyes, I glanced behind at the pile of loaded crates, catching glimpses of their manes as they moved along either side. Sweetie Bot's trotting sped up, her eyes doing that weird scanning thing again. Don't tell me I'm going to be critisized for my tastes in soda by both of them now...

"Sensors indicate FRIEND; Minty Candy is ingesting irradiated material containing Strontium 90. Data also indicates his lies are as white as his coat!" My augmented friend choked and coughed, myself coming to a full stop in the street and turning to look at the side where Minty was trotting. Places in the snow in front of him glowed with a familiar hue, melting through and making my pip-buck's geiger counter faintly click faster. That was... he... he actually liked this stuff? A sly grin came across my face as my augmented friend stepped into view, his magic levitating something behind him and a blush on his face. Oh, this was just too good...

"You... you like Sparkle-Cola RAD, don't you, Minty?~" Faint snickers escaped myself, Sweetie Bot looking smug as Minty shot her an embarassed and furious look. He chewed at his lower lip, really trying hard to not let it on, his face as red as the radishes on the crates. Oh, he was so cute when he blushed~

"I-I do not! I was pouring one of the bottles out so I could make a few more grenades, she's the liar here!" Minty pointed a hoof accusingly at Sweetie Bot, who reeled in disgust and anger. I rolled my eyes over, letting off a sigh. If they start bickering...

"Sweetie Belle is not a liar! You are the one who has swallowed radioactive isotopes! I can see it in your stomach!" Oh, to think that we would've gotten out of here without any fighting. I let off a long sigh, listening to the both of them starting to go back and forth like a pair of foals. Goddesses, what I'd give for a bottle for myself right now... There was a dull thudding sound from a road further down the one we were on, followed by a thick black plume of smoke. I blinked a few times, watching as it rose up into the sky, and hearing faint, raspy screaming. Oh, that can't be good, not at all. Digging my hooves into the snow and flapping my wings, the wheels of the cart groaned and squeaked in protest, rolling forwards and slowly leaving the sounds of fighting between Minty and Sweetie Bot behind. I don't want another pair of skeletons...

The thick smoke and hiss of snow turning into steam drew closer as I rounded a corner off the road, the wagon still in tow and cargo shaking and clinking loudly. That was definitely a mare screaming, but... were those actually words she was saying? Oh, please don't let her be absolutely insane... I peeled around another corner, skidding to a stop as the source of the plume was found. An earth pony mare was hastily shoveling snow into and onto the back of a white-painted tracked vehicle, large metal turret glinting in the fading light. Another kind of tank? Uh...

"Chto? Kto ty?!" The mare dropped her shovel, staring at myself. What did she just say? 'Stow coat-keys'? What? She leapt up onto the back of the tank, her old jacket shaking in the small breeze that blew down the city street, myself simply tring to make sense of what was going on. She syared at myself for a moment, before her eyes went wide and she dove back into the tank, reappearing a moment later with a gun that somewhat resembled Bloodbeak's Thompson with the drum-type barrel. "Derzhis' podal'she ot moyego tanka!" Still not understanding a word of what she was saying, the several bursts of machine gun fire she aimed in my general direction I picked up perfectly. Undoing the harness and diving for the corner, I nearly threw myself right into Minty, Sweetie Bot taking a moment to stop herself as her momentum carried her sliding out into the firing zone. A few bullets pinged off of her mane, herself turning her head to face directly at where the tank was. Interestingly enough, the volley of gunfire stopped; maybe she was reloading?

"Mare of the Ministries... w-wait! I am a friend!" The voice finally changed to a language that we understood, both myself and Minty breathing heavily and looking out at the robotic filly. Sweetie Bot sat down on her haunches, her eyes doing that weird scanning thing again, my augmented friend keeping both of his rifles at the ready. "I-I am so sorry for shooting at you Miss Belle, I didn't realize that you were traveling with an entourage... p-please don't take my tank away, War Mare is all I have left!" O...kay, mare with a tank was completely bonkers. Sweetie Bot finished her scanning, myself and Minty peeking around the corner at the silently weeping mare.

"Scaning complete. Added sentient life form 'Rolling Tracks' under list FRIEND." The robotic filly blinked a few times, us all now looking at the ghoulified mare before us. Her blue coat was ragged and torn, decaying, her brown, curly mane and tail thinning. She wore a faded, yellow jacket, her tired eyes being revealed as she lifted herself from the snow, wiping them off. "I don't think that I have the power to take your tank away if it makes you feel better." The earth pony mare - Rolling Tracks, Sweetie Bot called her? - blinked a few times, recovering herself and looking over our small group, very confused.

"You aren't... who are you ponies?"

I simply stood still in the snow, my Geiger counter giving off a few ticks. I really should just give up the notion of ever having a relatively normal day right now. “Well, we’re… prospectors, I guess.” What with the recent arguments with The Doc and his new robotic employees, I suppose it’s safe to say we’re not working for him at the moment. “We were just scouting the area, seeing if there was anything valuable.” Rolling Tracks still looked a little confused. She looked back to Sweetie, who only stared back up at her.

Rolling Tracks shook her head, looking between us three, and then over to the cart. “Are you sure you are here for… goods?” She asked, in her thick accent. What language was she talking before? I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere. “This is not a good place for treasure hunting, unless you were planning on being eaten by Hell Hounds as well. From the state of things I had seen while passing through Pripytrot, little seems of worth so far up here, even pony life...” She appeared to be more than a little suspicious as I gulped audibly. I did not need to get into a fight with a pony that drives a tank... “Where did you find her?” She pointed to Sweetie.

“We… uh… bought her.” Twintails responded, both myself and him regretting that he'd said that as Rolling Tracks’ eyes widened in horror. “N-No, no! She’s not a filly! Well, sort of, not, but,” Twintails stammered, trying to calm her down. “She’s an android, a robot!” He seemed to fall back, waving his hooves in the air defensively. Okay, starting to see the downside of super-realistic robots... Rolling Tracks just looked even more confused, taking a few steps backwards. Sweetie waved a hoof, her motors whirring rather loudly as her aperture eyes blinked. The ghoul mare stopped stepping away, but still looked between us all, thoroughly confused and worried. “What did you say about her being a Ministry mare?”

Rolling Tracks took a deep breath, trying to relax. “Miss Belle was the younger sister of one of the Mares of the Ministries, and a founder of Stable-Tec. I had never heard about her transferring intelligence into an android.” She took a step forward to get a closer look at Sweetie, her centuries-old eyes blinking as she examined her. "Bogini vyshe, who did you, ah, 'buy' her from?” She continued to examine Sweetie, muttering little exclamations of amazement all the while.

“There’s an old RobronCo facility northeast of here. I don’t really know if they built her or found her, there wasn’t any other model like her there, and the mare running the building was happy to just get rid of her.” As Rolling Tracks stepped back I began to think of what she said about an intelligence transfer. That… wouldn’t happen to work with a chunk of surgically removed augmented brain, would it? I could feel my gut writhe in disgust, my flanks clenching together to cover myself. I really hope I’m wrong about that. “Say, what are you doing here, anyways? You said you came through pripytrot, right?” She immediately became a little more nervous, clearly hesitant to answer.

She scuffed the ground with her hoof, digging a small hole through the gray topsnow and revealing the whiter fluff beneath. “I was driving through, looking for the Sunrise Castle Air Base. War Mare needs some replacement parts. However, from the looks of things she needed them sooner than later...” Twintails raised an eyebrow. Sunrise Castle... she means that glowing crater in the ground where we found our tank, right? “If you happened to have any scrap metal on yourselves, that would be most fantastic.”

"U-uh... Oh, wait, I know!" Twintails wore a small smile, digging through his saddlebags for a moment and producing a weird tube of... something. It looked like toothpaste and was half used up, my pegasus friend trotting up to Rolling Tracks and smiling, nodding with the tube in his mouth. She followed behind him, looking back at myself in confusion, my own response being to shrug and follow as well. The tank before us wasn't nearly as big or boxy as the one we'd pulled from the SCAB, but that certainly didn't make it any less imposing, the strange cryllic words on the turret assumedly reading out the name of the tank... War Mare, right?

"Sumasshedshiy zhivushchiye na poverkhnosti pegas..." She shook her head in disbelief, watching as Twintails started to squeeze the tube out into the hatches in the tank's back. the snow she was shoveling earlier had melted to water, Twintails humming happily as he worked, Sweetie Bot stepping up alongside. Rolling Tracks stopped, looking over to myself for a moment. "Where were you two heading with so much soda?"

“Well, we were eventually heading out to EQUAD, but we were planning on stopping in Turnpike for the night. If you really don’t mind, I'm sure your tank has enough power to pull a simple wooden cart, right?” Well, that could've been delivered smoother, but it was worth asking. Sooner we get there, sooner I can find something to wash down the taste of that Sparkle-Cola RAD... like more Sparkle-Cola RAD. Damnit, brain, what good are you!? Twintails smiled and trotted back towards us, the mostly emptied tube dropping into his saddlebags as Rolling Tracks stepped up to examine his work. My pegasus friend then latched himself back to the cart, grunting with the effort of dragging it forwards through the snow, the rotten wood creaking in protest.

"Selestiya i Luna vyshe, her motors look good as new! What is that stuff?" She blinked in surprise, Twintails looking smug as he could while dragging the cart along behind him. Rolling Tracks appeared dumbfounded, blinking a few more times and climbing up onto the back of her tank, unhooking a length of cable and tossing it down. "By all means, it is the least I can do."

Sweetie hopped up onto the treads, inspecting the barrel of the gun idly. After affixing the cable to some latches on the front of the wagon, I followed suit, scooping her up and climbing onto the turret, sliding down the hatch behind Rolling Tracks. Okay, think I like the other tank more, this one is pretty cramped... She continued past the gunner’s seat towards the lower body. Twintails climbed in after us, pulling the hatch closed and latching it behind, hanging back in the turret. Rolling Tracks sat down in the driver’s seat, sliding open a narrow view port in front of herself. I sat down into the seat beside Tracks with Sweetie on my lap, struggling to keep her from touching what appeared to be a very deadly machine gun mounted in a metal ball. There was a loud screech of metal as the turret rotated, Twintails releasing a quick giggle.

“Oy, stop messing around up there! Do you know how easy it is for her to break in her old age?!” I chuckled a bit. You’ve just asked the impossible from Twintails: Leave something that shoots high explosive death alone. The screeching immediately stopped, followed by a quick apology. Tracks fiddled with a few dials, checking the internal compass and pulling out a faded map of Quebuck covered with scrawled edits. “Alright, unless you want to turn back and go all the way around inside the city, I would get ready to fire that machine gun so we don’t get ghouls and Hell Hounds swarming War Mare.” She pulled a lever, the engines rumbling to life behind us. “And, please, tell your friend not to shoot that gun. I only have a few shells left and I doubt I will find any more until I reach Sunrise Castle.”

She leaned forwards in the seat, her back hoof pressing upon a pedal and making the tank begin to trundle forward. Sweetie stepped off my lap and climbed up to the gunner’s seat to get a closer look at the cannon's breech. I leaned forward, squinting through the machine gun’s port, looking around the area. Nothing appeared at first, the tank slowly rolling forward, proceeding down the roads towards the edge of town. My horn lit up as I pulled back the charging lever, right, the belt in the gun feeding a new round. A small pack of ghouls ran out from between two buildings, turning towards us before giving their raspy shout. I turned the gun in their direction, grunting a bit with the effort. Alright, this thing has a lot less maneuverability than I thought. Pulling the trigger, the box mounted underneath fed the gun as I opened fire towards the group. The snow burst around them as the bullets struck, a few ghouls going down.

I heard the hatch fly open again and the sound of Twintails firing off his own grenade rifle. The grenades blasted up the snow and sent the ghouls flying to the ground in a heap of blood. Twintails cheered as he shut the hatch again, giggling and looking through his saddlebags for more rounds. I shook my head, looking back through the gun sight - he is absolutely mad. Tracks pulled a few more levers, turning the tank down the road, the setting sun now shining through the view ports. “Alright, we’re near the edge of town, then it’s a straight shot to the Turnpike.” The engines rumbled as we plowed ahead, the cart’s creaking wheels barely audible.

I shielded my eyes from the glare of the sun, turning to face Tracks a bit. “So… where exactly did you find this tank, anyways?” I asked, trying to make idle chatter. “It’s not like these are just strewn about everywhere, it’d take a really competent fighter to be able to recover one from a pre-war facility single hoofedly.” Tracks looked suddenly uncomfortable, shifting a little in her seat.

“I had bought War Mare after my husband was lost at Shattered Hoof Ridge. The mare of the Ministry of Wartime Technology personally responded to my letter and sent me her, along with a crew.” There was the faintest waver in her voice as she spoke, still peering through her small driver's hatch. “They… they did not survive when Stalliongrad was struck.” She looked sullen, releasing small shuddering breaths and wiping her eyes with her old yellow coat. I tried to apologize for bringing up the subject, but she waved me away. “No, no, it’s fine, I just… memories are more painful when you have had time to think about them.” I nodded, silent, leaning back into my chair as the tank rumbled on.

The engines died down as we approached a small turn off to the packed snow, the walls of the Turnpike barely visible in the distance. Tracks pulled a few levers and turned a crank to close the view ports. I climbed out of the chair, twisting my neck and hearing it crack audibly, resonating in the small space - ouch. Climbing up the ladder, Twintails flipped open the hatch and led us out. Tracks, being the last one out, shut the hatch behind her. We trotted to the back of the tank as I used my magic to undo the cable tying it to the back as Twintails immediately went to inspect the boxes, checking to make sure none of them had been damaged. I rolled my eyes, turning back to Tracks. “Thanks for the lift."

“Nyet problem,” She said, smiling again. “I should thank you both. I would have died had I tried walking to Sunrise Castle. Perhaps we shall meet each other again, like that old song goes. Do svidaniya!" She smiled, gathering the cable from the cart and coiling it back up on her tank. Waving a hoof and wearing a smile, she disappeared back inside the turret hatch, the engines whirring to life again. Twintails and myself both watched as it trundled off across the Snowdrop test range, my pegasus friend already latched to the cart.

“Huh." Not really able to think of any other way of describing our encounter with her, I felt that would be enough. Twintails shrugged idly, Sweetie Bot clambering up the tower of crates and looking down at us both. With the light from the sun being fast to fade, we pushed forth towards Turnpike, Sweetie Bot humming a faint tune.

We soon passed through the gates and continued on towards the familiar old railyard, unhitching Twintails and beginning to unload the cart. I carried several crates of soda in my magic, Twintails hefting some on his back, knocking and adjusting himself as we stood on the platform of the caboose. Featherweight looked on in surprise as he answered the door, holding it open for us as we stepped inside with our loads, being careful not to spill the contents. The sun was nearly completely below the horizon, casting long shadows inside the small railcar. “Haven’t seen you two in a while! How’ve you been?” He smiled, us both setting down the crates. He blinked a few times, looking them over, a smile crossing his muzzle. “What’s with the soda? You looking to really be my cuddly little balloon tonight, Twinnie?~” Well, that certainly made him blush!

“Ohoho, just you wait. Y'know that stew you made up awhile back, that glowing bottle of soda you used? Apparently that stuff is so good, even Minty likes it!” I glared at him as he chuckled. “We’ve been doing pretty good too. Blowing up buildings, buying robots, trying to stop spontaneous orgasms, nothing out of the ordinary.” I resisted the urge to kick him. Hard. Between his flanks. Featherweight’s eyebrow raised as Buzzy took to chatting with Sweetie Bot. “Anyways, how’ve you two been? Keeping safe from the fallout?” We sat down at the table as I pulled out a Sunrise Sarsaparilla, taking a swig.

“We’ve been doing well too. Heard about a large encampment of Hell Hounds north of here, so we’ve been taking a few bombing runs to clear them out. We’ll be sticking closer to town with that radiation storm coming through, though. We’ve tried giving that area a fly-by to see what’s going on, but whoever’s there now aren’t exactly friendly to visitors..." The large stallion pulled a small box down from a shelf, setting it on the table nearby. “I have some leftover Hell Hound meat, if you guys are hungry.” He smiled, pulling out several large steaks from the metal box. My stomach rumbled loudly in response, as Featherweight chuckled and slid the steaks into the oven.

Buzzy and Sweetie continued to chat, Sweetie starting to draw diagrams in the snow. “6 fluid ounces of Sparkle Cola RAD, along with 2 ounces of Abraxo…” I grimaced, watching them. Putting those two foals together doesn’t seem as pleasing an idea now... They bounced ideas off of each other as Featherweight heated up the steaks, setting out plates and utensils. The food was soon done, and he slid the steaming slabs of meat onto the plates. I immediately took a bite, the somewhat metallic tasting meat burning my tongue a bit. Eh, I was hungry enough to eat anything at this point.

Twintails pulled out a couple bottles of RAD, tossing one to Featherweight. He looked over the glowing bottle, grinning and letting off a light chuckle, undoing the cap and taking a healthy sip of it. Healthy sip, yeah, maybe that wasn't exactly the best wording... We ate in silence, aside from the occasional chatter from the fillies. I levitated the dishes over to the sink once we’d finished, Twintails’ and my own belly slightly more distended than normal. Featherweight went to scrubbing the dishes as Sweetie yawned, revealing a small speaker near the back of her throat.

I too stretched a bit, suddenly feeling a lot more tired. “Nnnyagh, I suppose we’ll be heading off to bed. Thanks for the dinner, nice seeing you!” Featherweight nodded as Twintails picked up Sweetie, laying her on his back. I tossed my empty soda bottle in the trash as we made for the door. Buzzy zipped in front of myself, stopping me in my tracks.

“Hang on there metal-horn, you can stay here!” I looked over at Twintails, who snickered and smiled, sliding up near Featherweight. “We've got plenty of space in the other cars, so you won't have to use the floor or share a bed, an-” Featherweight chuckled and stepped between her and us, only for her to hop onto his back, still chatting and smiling towards Sweetie Bot. “We’ve got blankets and stuff, if you guys don’t mind!”

Twintails nodded, Sweetie’s head bobbing as she tried to stay awake. Ooh, we better find her some batteries soon before she shuts down completely... I nodded as well, picking up Sweetie in my magic and heading into the guest railcars, Twintails proceeding into Featherweight’s room. Featherweight whispered something in Twintails’ ears, his face immediately turning red as his ears flopped back and his tails curled between his haunches. Lucky bugger...

Buzzy followed me into the guest railcar as well, dragging a smaller mattress off her bed frame behind her. “Featherweight doesn't want me being in the same room as 'em at night. Promise me you won’t be doing anything in here with Sweetie Bot...” She said, jokingly. I nodded, chuckling a bit. She threw her blanket over herself as Sweetie plugged herself into the wall, myself slipping into bed, not bothering to take off my jacket. “Did you really find some way to make that RAD stuff explode? I mean, it’s great, I wouldn’t want to waste it like that, but it’s cool anyway!” Buzzy said at a mile a minute. I nodded groggily as she continued to talk, clearly hyped up from the soda. This is going to be a long night…

I awoke to Buzzy muttering in her sleep, Sweetie still “sleeping”, a small green light slowly flashing on her ear. I rolled over in bed, checking my Pip-Buck for the time. 8:39… yeah, I guess I better get up. I yawned as I got out of bed, making sure to step over Buzzy as I unplugged Sweetie. She gave off a little jingle as she stood up. “Good morning, Minty!” I smiled in return as she poked at Buzzy, who snorted and woke up. She rubbed her eyes idly, following us across the platforms and into the kitchen area. Sweetie lit the small lamp hanging from the ceiling, her head lulling down every now and then as she tried to stay awake, myself going to knock on the door to Featherweight’s room.

He and Twintails soon entered the kitchen as well, both looking like they’d really had a good night’s sleep. Featherweight opened up the cupboard, pulling out several cans of tomato soup. He began to pour them into a pot, lighting the stove. “We are -not- giving any more of that soda to Buzzy.” I growled at Twintails. Buzzy hopped up onto the seat opposite me before flopping down onto the table, snoring.

Featherweight carried over a few bowls of soup, placing them in front of us. He nudged Buzzy, but she only snored again. I woke up a little more as I drank down the soup, feeling the hot mixture warm me up from the inside out. Featherweight and Twintails ate a little more slowly, chatting a bit. “You guys heading back out soon?” Twintails nodded, eating another spoonful of soup.

“Yeah, we ought to head out as soon as we can. We need to get back to EQUAD again, Minty thinks his augmentations are triggering his pleasure centers by accident.” Featherweight nodded and ate some more soup. “It’s going to be a bit of a pain trying to get all the way there with that soda, though. Could you hang on to it till we get back?” Featherweight looked over to the still sleeping Buzzy, Sweetie poking at her in a vain attempt to awaken her.

“I think I can find a place for it in one of the old sheds. Y'know, somewhere that little miss photon here won't get into it.” I chuckled a bit. Yeah, we don’t need Buzzy taking after Jumper Cables. Twintails sighed a bit, shrugging. We finished up and placed our dishes in the sink, Featherweight scooping up Buzzy to put her back to bed. “Thanks for stopping by, hope we’ll see each other again soon. Especially you, Twinnie, you still deserve a nice big Feather-bed one of these days~”

We gave our farewells and gathered up a few crates' worth of the soda for ourselves, turning to leave. Sweetie followed after us, carrying her own crate in a field of magic. How exactly can robotics do that? I made a note to ask Jumper Cables for her schematics the next time we stopped at the factory as we walked through the passenger car gate and made way for Trotisk. “As valuable as this stuff is, if we get attacked by a pack of Hell Hounds, don’t expect me to try and protect it.” Twintails rolled his eyes as he opened a new bottle, his loaded battle saddle clinking in the cool air.

“Oh come on, between Kindness and that mag-rifle of yours, we’ll be fine!” We began to trot down the road, the sun casting long shadows to our front. Twintails' soda caused his geiger counter to click lightly - I'm surprised that stuff is still kind of drinkable after being so close to ground zero for so long. “And don’t forget Sweetie Bot!” We continued down the road, myself flipping on my Pip-Buck’s radio, Hi-Fi’s voice as Bert the Turtle coming in with a crackle of static.

“-And that’s why you should never use a toaster as a hair drier. Weather reports indicate the recent radiation storm is going to last longer than was initially suspected, whatever happened to blow open the reactor in Pripytrot’s left it still leaking into the air. I’d refrain from buying any water from any merchants foolish enough to go wandering around there right now - then again, not many merchants coming out of that warzone, anyways. So, stay bundled up and keep those breathing masks on, and remember: the best course of action for a fifth hoof growing out of your stomach is NOT a bullet to the brain.” There was a moment of silence before the sound of a needle dropping onto a record was heard, and a song started up.

"Heartaches by the number,
Troubles by the score,
Every day you love me less,
Each day I love you more.

Yes, I've got heartaches by the number,
A love that I can't win,
But the day that I stop counting,
That's the day my world will end!"

The bell above the door rang as Twintails, Sweetie and myself entered the Plasma Spaz. Flash Bang was busying herself taking stock of all the weapons around the shop, as Sugar fixed up a rather appealing multiplas rifle on the counter. Sugar set aside the gun, along with her various tools, smiling when she saw us. “Hey guys! Oh, right, Greasy and Nikki probably want to see you. C'mon!” Sugar turned to head upstairs as Flash Bang placed her clipboard on a shelf. We followed her up into the living room, which was now strewn with various bits of technology, the walls lined with weapons and inventions, both Nikolai and Greasy tinkering at a table in the middle. Neither of them looked up, too engrossed in their work. “Greasy, Nikolai, quit your building for a second and look who came around to visit!”

Nikolai looked up, his expression brightening. “Hello!” He said cheerfully, Greasy still fiddling with the pile of talismans and metal. Flash gently swatted her on the back of the head with her wing. She looked over, irritated, but grinned widely when she saw us. Nikolai chuckled lightly. “Things have gotten pretty messy around here, as you can see. Try not to step on anything.” Sweetie trotted up to the table, examining all the various devices laying on top of it. “Oh, and who’s this?”

After going through the explanation of buying Sweetie for what felt like the fiftieth time, we sat down on the dusty couch, pushing a few laser pistols out of the way. Greasy stared intently at Sweetie, examining her various joints and features, paying deft attention to her horn. “Good gracious, first you bring me your Ferromagnetic Rifle, now her! Imagine all the possibilities with this kind of technology.” Sweetie politely complied with Greasy’s requests, showing off various functions from data storage to energy cell production. “And… would you happen to have any weapon capabilities?” Greasy asked. I let off a small whimper, looking over at the robotic filly. No live fire demonstrations, no live-fire demonstrations...

Sweetie nodded, grinning, and began to spout off an incredible list of various dangerous sounding abilities, ranging from crafting of rifles to full out missile silo software compatibility. I yanked her away from Greasy, covering her mouth. “Hahaha, yeah, that’s… uh… that’s not… um…” I stammered, Greasy looking both impressed and horrified, and Twintails likewise all the more intrigued about her. “Magnetic Rifle! Yeah, you said you might have something for this, right?” I placed Jolts onto Greasy’s table, scooting Sweetie Belle a little further away.

Greasy focused back on the rifle, picking it up and examining it. “Oh, right! Let’s see…” She looked through the scope, shifting her leg around to rest on the metallic butt of the gun. “I should be able to fit on an electromagnetic pulse generator to the pin box, it’ll be a lot more powerful against power armor and robots, then. Even cyborgs like Hell Hounds, maybe..." I nodded, grinning widely. She set down the gun and pulled over a small box with a few loose wires. “This might take a while. You sure you’re okay leaving this here for a bit?”

"Oh, sure! Take what time you need, we're not in a hurry." I smiled lightly, turning to Nikolai as Twintails and Flash chatted. “Much new around here?” He shook his head as we headed back downstairs with a few of the crafted weapons. Sweetie examined the various grenades on the shelves as Flash returned to stockpiling, still talking to Twintails. Nikolai cleared some space on the display tables, laying down the large tesla cannon and smaller guns around it.

“We’ve mostly just been building more weapons, and experimenting on others. Business has shot up since we’ve arrived, according to Sugar.” He smiled, letting off a small chuckle. “Flash has been looking around for old units of power armor, I’ve been hoping to modify a set of my own. What’re you guys doing back here, anyway?”

I didn’t feel like sharing the previous… experiences I’d been having, so I concocted a lie quickly. “We’re just heading back to EQUAD, stopping to see if they had anything new for us. Maybe I can convince them to give you a set of power armor when we’re there, I mean, my cousin is a paladin there, after all.” Nikolai smiled and thanked me. Twintails trotted over to us, carrying Sweetie on his back.

“Ready to head out?” I nodded, and we bade Nikolai and Flash farewell, turning to head out the door. The wind whipped at our manes as I buried my face into my jacket a bit, the sun having started it's slow ascent and shortened our shadows. We began to trot through the streets towards EQUAD as dirty snow began to blow down off the rooftops.

“I really hope I’m wrong about what’s been going on.” I muttered to myself idly, shuddering. Celestia above, please let me be wrong about it...

Author's Note

We swear that we're wrapping things up! There isn't too much left of the story, and what there is left is definitely going to be one hell of a ride, we assure you!

As always, the story would only be half-written without my co-author, co-editor, and friend Minty Candy. He's responsible for at least half those 200,000 words we've written so far! Thanks for reading for so long, we hope the ride's been entertaining so far!

~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

The Seige of Pripytrot

"So, will, you please say hello, to the folks that I know, tell them - I won't be long! They'll be happy to know, that as you saw me go, I was sing-ing this song! We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when!..." The cool radioactive soda dribbled out of the bottle, settling in my stomach with it's tasty fizziness as the last notes played. Dropping the empty bottle and pulling Kindness' firing bit into my mouth, I grinned widely, a few bloatsprites minding their own business by a hellhound corpse. "...but I know we'll meet again, shome shunny, daaaay!"

The compressed air in the chamber sent the balefire egg flying through the air, the bloatsprites having time to turn and see what made that noise before the organ-ripping shockwave from the balefire egg detonating behind them liquefied their organs and otherwise rendered them a pair of bloatsprite corpses. I let off a cackle as the initial flash faded and a cute little mushroom cloud rose in it's place, pulling another bottle of the delicious glowing soda from my saddlebags and uncapping it, taking a whiff of the lovely scent of radioactive radishes. Clamping the bottle in my mouth and taking a moment to re-arm Kindness, the sound of a magic aura encompassing the bottle and lifting it caught my attention long enough to nearly inhale a good bit of the soda, coughing it back out and dryly swallowing what I could. Ew.

"I think you've had enough there. I can practically see your bladder glowing through your pants..." Minty let off a sigh and recapped the bottle, sliding it into his own saddlebags. C'mon, I only had two of them!... in the last hour. Five if we're counting from when we left Trotisk. My unicorn friend trotted past, shaking his head and holding a hoof against his face. "I didn't think somepony could get drunk off of soda."

"Says the pony who binges and winds up with a Sarsaparswilla-induced hangover." The balefire egg launcher at my side let off a pleasant click as it reloaded, the egg held firm on the firing piston, myself returning to a standing position. Minty responded in kind by throwing a snowball at my face. Sweetie Bot's eyes flickered, a smile crossing her face as her magic flared for a moment, before Minty shot her a stern look. "Pweh, well, hey, you did make yourself drink it! C'mon, at least let me finish that bottle before we get there."

"Aheh, yeah, no. Last thing I need is you nearly killing yourself by drinking all that radioactive stuff at once, I'm not dragging you to EQUAD so you can be healed and do it again. Besides, need I remind you that you're drinking perfectly good incendiary grenade fuel?" He glanced back at myself with a sly smirk, myself responding with an outstretched tongue, the radio reception out here fuzzing in and out. We crested a small hill looking out at the road leading towards EQUAD and what remained of Steel Creek, only spotting two Steel Rangers at checkpoints along the road. From the looks of things, they didn't even have any guns chambered in caliber bigger than point-three-o. Nasty, but light compared to what they usually carry. Was Pripytrot really that bad?

"Need I remind you it's perfectly good incendiary grenade fuel that you happen to enjoy drinking, too?" Releasing a small snicker, I turned my radio off - if Nikolai's station was still active, I didn't want to be the one to have to haul Minty around again - and started down the hill. We managed to get close enough to the checkpoint that the ranger there was focused on us, watching with intent and their machine gun idly tracking us as we moved forth. As we drew closer, however, Minty suddenly came to a full stop in his tracks, his eyes beginning to flutter as he bit at his lower lip. Okay, calm down Twintails, it isn't the station this time. He's just having another orgasm.

"Memory records this as the second occurrence of this type. Should we be seeking assistance?" Sweetie Bot watched on with a certain... unnerving fascination, her irises refocusing every now and again as Minty worked through his episode, his back legs failing him as he fell and began grinding against the snow. I couldn't help but let off a little chuckle, watching this grown stallion acting like he'd just hit puberty again and desperately needed some time alone with an old PlayColt magazine... which I shall always admit to reading for the articles! Those soft, curvy articles... The steel ranger approached us, machine gun raised towards the sky.

"Uh... is he going to be alright?..." The mare inside the power armor gestured down at the writhing stallion, snapping her vision towards him as he released a moan of pleasured exhaustion and layed in the snow, belly-down, for a few moments. Shrugging in response, Sweetie Bot trotted over to him, looking at him behind his fogged-up glasses, myself approaching the ranger.

"We think his augmentations might be on the fritz, shorting out in his brain's pleasure center. He's cousin to Paladin Nova, we came here when they did some doctoring about with his mind. Figured coming back would be our best shot to figuring it out..." My augmented friend wiped his face free of the sweat, getting back up to his hooves and stumbling slightly. He blinked a few times, glancing down at his underbelly and then squeezing his flanks together, a bright blush upon his face. Releasing a light snicker, I shook my head, the ranger glancing between us before bringing a hoof to cover her visor and slowly shake her own helmeted head back and forth. Minty caught himself, clearing his throat, biting at his lower lip lightly.

"T-they have washrooms there, right?"

Minty having been escorted off to where they did the laundry, I found myself idly waiting with Sweetie Bot outside of Elder Quazar's office. Man, this took me back... puh. You can talk and talk and talk all you want, some ponies just can't be convinced that you have no intention of building any kind of bomb and shouldn't be sent to reactor maintenance. Thank you Gamma Ray... Gamma Ray... it feels like it's been ages since I saw her for the last time. Oh, don't get yourself worked up right now you stupid pegasus, you've got a friend who probably needs some kind of brain surgery or something. Blinking some tears from my eyes, I rubbed them dry in time to catch the sight of the midnight blue unicorn with a deep-teal mane sprouting white strands trotting out, rubbing a hoof against her temple. "So many of our best... when will this battle be won?..."

"Elder Quazar?" She jumped slightly, spinning herself around in alarm before catching sight of both myself and Sweetie Bot, releasing a small sigh of relief. She adjusted her mane and robes, looking back towards myself as I stood myself up from the bench. "S-sorry to startle you. I, uh, I take it that things are pretty bad out... nevermind." The look in her eyes showed one level of stress I'd never seen before. I bit at my lip, the Elder releasing a small sigh and leaning up against the wall opposite, holding a hoof against her head.

"I'm sorry to hear that something has been malfunctioning with Minty's... my nephew's augmentations, after the surgery. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long for us to remedy the issue. I was just about to ask Nova if she knew anything of it..." She shook her head idly, taking a breath and pushing herself off of the wall, beginning to trot down the hallway. Myself and Sweetie followed, Quazar trotting slowly and easily about the myriad of other rangers and knights running about the hallways of the complex. She glanced back at myself, looking for a short while. "I have been curious, how do you know Knight Fringe? He had taken quite an interest in you two, enough that he seemed to have abandoned us shortly before the situation in Pripytrot began."

"Kn-knight Fringe? Uh..." Well, if that wasn't a hell of a loaded question. Of all ponies, at least she had to have known that he was a pegasus, but... if she didn't... "He, um, he said that... that he was just following orders from Nova to protect us. At first, anyways..." We passed through a corridor with windows upon one side, overlooking a series of desks in front of a massive curved screen displaying an old map of Equestria, as well as that of zebra lands. From the looks of things below, however, it was doubling as an overflow area for the wounded soldiers from Pripytrot... at least, those who came back, anyways. "He told me that he'd killed my mother, Wildfire, under orders. I guess he just felt he had to make up for it, maybe."

"That... that does explain a few things." Her voice faintly trembled, as if she felt some pang of regret for it herself. It was the Enclave to blame, not her... but, maybe it wasn't the 'orders' part that made her react in such a way. She took a breath, regaining herself, heading down a flight of stairs deeper into the facility. "You are just about eighteen years old, right? I accepted Moral Fringe into the Steel Rangers about four years ago... he was quite remorseful for his actions when it came to discussing his past." We turned down a corridor, passing a massive steel cylinder housing a ridiculously large spring. "I must say, he is quite adept at hiding his feathers when the need arises, isn't he?"

I nodded faintly, a pair of medical ponies carrying a wounded knight rushing past, his mane already starting to fall out and skin beginning to peel. Quazar released a small sigh, stopping in front of a door reminiscent of the ones in the Stable, watching as the medical ponies turned down the hallway past us. "The reactor being destroyed complicated things, to say the least. We are somewhat lucky that those who do become ghouls do not have to worry as much about fighting further inside the radiation zone, but only a few have actually turned as such..." The door opened to reveal a small living and kitchen area, the few branching doorways extending to two bedrooms and a bathroom. The Elder approached the door in the center, her magic activating a panel to the side, the doorway opening with a hiss of hydraulics. "Paladin Nova, your cousin and his friend are here to-"

The sight before us would've stopped anypony with a brain in their tracks, myself still trying to comprehend what my eyes were seeing. Okay, let's break things down; first off, Nova was completely stark-naked, and she apparently had a cutie mark of a star exploding... I think. Second, by Celestia, Cross Stitch did an amazing job with detailing that plushie of Minty, it really looked just like him, albeit with seams running down his face and mane staying completely still as it was pressed into the pillows on the bed. Third, I really don't know how to feel about seeing Minty... plush being rutted by a mare. And fourth, which I really didn't want to believe was true... that mare just happened to be his second cousin. A line of drool stuck from her mouth to the Minty plush's horn as she lifted her head, blinking a few times, panting. "Oh... Mom... hi."

Quazar was silent for quite some time, myself and Sweetie still looking on in disbelief and quiet contemplation, respectively. She stood herself up straight, glaring firmly at the stunned Nova on the bed, the plush still between her flanks. "Nova. Your cousin is here complaining about his augmentations activating his pleasure centers within his brain without warning." Well, that turned her one hell of a shade of red. She stared on for a few moments, her pupils small, unable to form coherent words as Quazar took a step back from the door. "Make yourself presentable."

"Mom, I-I can ex-"

"Paladin Nova. Get your robes on and meet us in the main conference room. Now." Okay, even I jumped as her voice went stern like that. Nova pulled herself off of the plush, her head hung in shame, slowly trotting over to where her red robes were discarded upon the floor. Sweetie Bot blinked a few times, getting herself back onto her hooves and starting to trot behind the Elder slowly, myself taking pause to look back through the doorway. Nova was practically left on the verge of tears... okay, I know it is SO weird and creepy that she's attracted to her cousin... second cousin, whatever... but, I don't know, it wasn't hurting anypony. Isn't like she'd -actually- sleep with Minty.

...right?

"I don't believe I have to explain why we're here right now. I'm quite sorry for any inconvenience my daughter's actions have caused you, Minty, she acted of her own accord." We were gathered in a large conference room, a long oval-shaped table in the center with the end Quazar currently was sitting at overlooking the same large room that I had seen from the hallway earlier. The big board that displayed a map of Equestria flickered every so often, some screens to the side displaying static video feed or scrolling text that was almost unreadable from this distance. Nova sat to Quazar's right, her head still hung over the table, mane fallen over her eyes. Minty scratched at his head idly, Sweetie Bot beside him, adjusting his glasses for a moment before looking over at Quazar.

"I'm sorry, I'm still a little lost. We came here because my augmentations were shorting a bit, why does it feel like Nova's being convicted of a crime or something?" He rested his hooves lightly upon the table, gesturing towards his cousin across from him. I kept my lip bit - did not want to blow the surprise in store too early. Quazar released a sigh, adjusting herself in the chair and brushing some of her mane from her eyes.

"Paladin Nova, as it would seem, placed a part of your conscious mind inside the body of a... plushie, she had bought. Considering the scribes operating the wash facilities reported you suddenly began acting as if..." She paused for a moment, a faint blush appearing upon her face. Nova's own face, behind her mane, cringed tighter. Quazar cleared her throat, tapping her forehooves together in front of her face. "Regardless, any prior incidents that have happened are due to that. Nova, do you have anything that you would like to add in your defense?"

The poor mare that sat across from us sputtered for a few moments, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked up at the dumbfounded face of her cousin. Yeah... I'm just going to try and not let the fact that for the past few nights she's practically been sleeping with him get to me too much. That is really goddess-damned creepy... Nova caught herself, using the sleeve of her robe to wipe her eyes lightly, opening them with sorrow upon her face. Poor girl...

"I... I swear that I- I didn't realize..." Minty only blinked, his expression of disbelief softening slightly as Nova fell to tears for a few moments again. She recovered herself, her breathing faintly ragged. "P-please, forgive me. You don't know what it's like down here every day... a mare can get lonely." She sniffled, silently sobbing and hiding her face behind her mane again. Minty sat for a few moments, jaw agape still, his non-augmented leg moving to his head and pushing his mane up. I gently nudged his augmented leg with my own hoof, catching his attention for a moment and nodding towards Nova. She was breaking down to tears again.

"You... you just stuck a bit of my brain inside the plushie Cross made, without knowing what it'd do? What made you think that was a good idea?!" Nova's sobbing increased, Minty blinking for a moment before biting at his lip and tapping his hooves on the table, dropping his head slightly. What a fun family reunion, isn't this? Quazar watched on sternly, Nova starting to recover herself. "L-look. It's creepy, but... uh... Nova? I-I'm not angry over it. You can... uhm, you can keep the plushie, just... take my brain out of it." Minty released a sigh, looking between Nova and Quazar. Nova sniffled lightly, rubbing her eyes and brushing her mane back, while Quazar sat herself up in the chair.

"Her continued possession of the plush is up for debate, but the removal of the traces of your conscience from it will be performed without question. I'll have what scribes and doctors that aren't tending to our injured get on reversing it immediately. Nova?" The teal-green mare raised her head, looking up at her mother. The elder mare's expression softened slightly, Quazar releasing a soft, quiet sigh. "Just don't let me see it again. You're dismissed."

The mare across from Minty wore a smile, rubbing her strained eyes and sliding herself off of the chair. We followed behind, my unicorn friend trotting up alongside Nova, the both of them seeming to chat as we moved towards the large entrance door. Myself and Sweetie Bot fell back, letting them chat about what they needed, before I felt the familiar sensation of magic tugging at my tails. Ow. I glanced behind, catching a rather weary Quazar trotting closer, moving out of the way of a group of rangers also heading out.

"Twintails, was it? I... I have some news you may want to hear." She moved a few strands of her mane aside, taking slow breaths. Sweetie Belle glanced between us curiously, catching the Elder's attention for a moment before she turned back to face myself. I blinked a few times, watching her; we brought a robotic, sentient filly into Steel Rangers HQ, and they left her alone? What -was- going on in Pripytrot... Quazar released a sigh, looking at myself with her weary eyes. "The most recent platoon that arrived in Pripytrot included Knight Fringe. He seemed to be the most knowledgable one of any of us on Major General Mosquito and General Titchbreeze, I was trying my hardest to keep him from being on the front lines at first because of his tactical knowledge, but..." She released a long sigh, leaning against the wall. The exhaustion was very apparent in her voice as she continued.

"You have to understand, we've never had to deal with a war like this before, and it's taken it's toll upon everypony. From what he's told me of Mosquito and Titchbreeze, I have a feeling he may be off to enact some personal vendetta or something against them when he finds them... You and Minty know him, could get through to him." She stepped close, resting a hoof upon my shoulder. Glancing quickly over the armory I had on myself, she nodded faintly. "I don't want to send either of you off to do this, but at the same time I don't wish to lose such a valuable knight off on a revenge-fueled rampage. Please, if you feel that you can find him, bring him back..."

"Twintails, Sweetie! C'mon, the light's fading out." Minty called down the hallway towards us, Nova still with him as they stood at the doorway. Fringe, he could take care of himself, I don't know why she was worrying so much. But, on a second glance, that look in her eyes, that longing... maybe it wasn't just because he knew so much about the enemy. I nodded firmly in response, Quazar sniffling lightly and wearing a faint smile, turning and heading back into the bunker complex as myself and Sweetie Bot continued to the entrance. Nova pushed open the heavy door, the crisp air of the wasteland greeting us again. She shuffled on her hooves as we passed through, a faint blush on her face.

"M-Minty! Wait, I, um, I just wanted to say..." My augmented friend paused, turning to face his cousin as she stepped up to us, wearing a smile and looking at him for a moment. He tilted his head, blinking a few times, Nova letting off a giggle and... kissing him smack on the lips. Well, um, okay then. She broke it after a second, letting off a small squee of delight and skipping happily back inside the bunker, the heavy door shutting behind her. Minty stood frozen stiff for a good few moments, jaw agape, the color in his cheeks a very vibrant red. He released a sigh, stumbling onto his back legs and falling backwards into the snow, eyes still wide and staring up at the roof. I stepped over to him, glancing over at the door in confusion, then down to the shocked unicorn.

"Well, um... Well." I scratched at the back of my head, blinking for a few moments in confusion. This was one weird wasteland.

"Welcome back all you pony popsicles out there, you're listening to Bert the Turtle on CONELRAD, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM-band radio! Providing full coverage of what the Steel Rangers are doing out in Pripytrot, when we aren't playing music, at least! For those just tuning in, we've got an interesting selection for you this evening, I managed to convince our own Tom Neighrer to continue his performance for all the mares and stallions of Mooscow. I tell ya, two centuries and the stallion still hasn't lost his touch with those ivory keys, or those brilliant songs! I'ma tune the program into him, see what else he's got playing. Tom?"

"Thank you Bertie, I'm just glad to be back being the one holding the audience members captive. Anyways, this one is one I had done up in the wake of the development of weaponized megaspells, as we all know wartime is a great time for artists and musicians... most of them, anyways... because it gives us so much material to work with in writing cheerful, uplifting songs about how fun it is to charge off in the face of our foes and win. Because that's how every war ends, right? Eheh, at any rate, here's the song that some of our fine stallions and mares serving with the big toys may have sung when all of Equus was temporarily turned into the testing grounds for all of the megaspells and balefire weapons from both sides."

"So long, mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb!
So don't wait up for me.

But while you swelter,
down there in your shelter,
You can see me, on your TV!

While we're attacking frontally,
Watch Brinkley and Huntally,
describing contrapuntally,
the cities we have lost!

No need for you
to miss a minute
of the balefire holocaust, yeah!"

The little bell above the doorway to the plasma spaz rang as we shuffled our way inside, Nikolai sitting behind the counter and reading through an old textbook. He glanced up from his pages, setting the book aside and wearing a smile, Sweetie Bot moving to look at some of the different goop guns and laser things. Huh, they sold flamethrowers here too? Ooh, a flare gun, that might be useful... maybe. I just like things that go boom and make pretty lights. Nikolai let off a small chuckle, looking over at the stairway, Minty following his gaze.

"You've got some good timing, Greasy said that she ought to have the modifications to your coil rifle done. From what I last saw, you're really in for a treat. C'mon, let's see how she's getting along." The zebra let off a light chuckle, trotting forth towards the stairway as Minty followed behind. Sweetie Bot was busying herself with a pile of those empty cells Minty's rifle used - Jolts, right? - while I shuffled about between the aisles with my armory on my back. Huh, forty-millimeter plasma grenades? Neat.

"Success!" Sweetie's voice perked up from where she was working catching my attention as she suddenly levitated a few of the cells that she was messing with earlier over, fitting them into my saddlebags. She kept one out, wearing a wide smile. "Recycling and overcharging microfusion cells in the right manner produces a small improvised explosive. The fun factor has increased exponentially!" Improvised explosive... did she just turn a pile of spent cartridges into small bombs? And stuck them into my saddlebags!? Dropping the bags to the floor, the four or so explosives she had made rolled off of the top, Sweetie Bot gathering them together as I stuffed the few bottles of Sparkle-Cola RAD and normal Sparkle-Cola back in.

"Oh, come on! I thought I was supposed to be the one making all the explosives!" Letting off a small huff of annoyance, the unicorn filly levitated the grenades in a slowly rotating ring above her head, myself leaning back against a shelf and crossing my forelegs over my chest. Minty, Greasy, and Nikolai all trotted down the stairs a few moments later, my unicorn friend keeping his rifle levitated out. He was wearing a wide grin, myself getting up onto my hooves and looking over the coil gun. Were those just extra cells on the stock, or something?

"Hehee, oh, I can't thank you enough, Greasy. How did you figure out that recycler system, anyway? It's brilliant!" He giggled, looking over the device on the stock of the rifle with me. It really did just look like a pair of the cells stuck in some kind of metal case with a few extra wires attached. So, this actually recycled the cells, or something? The ghoulified pegasus stepped over, wearing a wide smile.

"It was one of Rusty's old designs, I never could get that darn thing working while I was stuck in the bunker but Nikolai here finally helped me with what it was missing. Just needed a back-charge arrestor to keep it from exploding, eheh..." She rubbed at the back of her mane, looking down at the device and flicking it on. It hummed and glowed faintly, Minty letting off a small cackle. "Should be able to recharge the cells to full every twenty minutes, or give fresh cells a little extra kick if needed. Just switch it off if you aren't recharging or firing, otherwise... yeah, just remember to turn it off."

"Right. Had to go through two of the earlier models because... eheh... it kind of slipped my mind. Oh! Twintails, speaking of things that slipped my mind, Flash-Bang and Sugar Rush left these behind. Didn't say where they went off to in such a hurry, though..." Nikolai pulled a metal box out of the back of the shop, hefting it up onto the counter and pushing it over. I glanced at Minty for a moment, stepping up and undoing the latches. A small box of forty-mil grenade shell casings... no, they had plugs and charges. What kind of grenades were these? Minty glanced in as well, rummaging about and pulling free a boxy-looking laser gun...thing. Least it was the size of a pistol. A note fell from it, myself catching and reading it off aloud.

"Minty and Twintails, we're heading into Pripytrot after Fringe. If either of us come get you, things have gone really bad, and we need your help. Put these forty millimeter slugs and dragon's breath shells, and my recycler pistol to good use. -Sugar Rush & Flash-Bang." Minty was examining the pistol idly, turning his view back to myself as I read off the letter. I took a small gulp, folding it back up and looking to the small case inside the box, sliding it into my saddlebags and looking between Nikolai and Greasy. They looked as surprised as myself, Minty fitting the new pistol under his jacket and glancing about the room.

"Fringe was sent off to Pripytrot? Huh, could've sworn he went there after he broke off with us." My augmented friend adjusted his glasses idly, blinking a few times and looking at myself. Oh, why didn't I tell him while we were walking here... oh, right, because he was trying to get the taste of Nova out of his mouth. The thought drew a small snicker from me, the expression on my face going back to one of dismay a moment later, Minty confused. "What? Something wrong?"

"Fringe wasn't supposed to go to Pripytrot. Quazar pulled me back to chat while we were leaving, she asked me if we could try and get him before he was killed going after Titchbreeze and Mosquito. Or worse..." Nikolai and Greasy looked to each other, jaws fallen, worry clear upon their faces. The zebra bit at his lower lip, brushing some of his mane from his eyes and shifting uneasily on his hooves. Okay, that's a few red flags going up that they know something...

"W-we didn't realize that was who was attacking Pripytrot... Sugar Rush and Flash-Bang, they were afraid that it was ponies going by those names. Grand Pegasus Enclave. I've only heard stories from Dead Air's station about them, and they were never pleasant..." Nikolai looked to the metal box, and over to us both. "If they are attacking Pripytrot, then I would not doubt Flash-Bang or Sugar Rush coming back to get you... good luck to you. You will need it." Myself and Minty shared a glance, surprise, worry, fear, uncertainty, all upon both our faces. Enclave... and they were the same ones that had the thing that destroyed Minty's stable. My augmented friend seemed to remember that fact, his face gaining back a bit of color, stiffening his lips.

"Minty, it's getting late. We should go back to Featherweight and Buzzy's, sleep the night, and then we'll go off to get them, whether they come and find us or not." Resting a hoof upon his shoulder, I looked up at him, his eyes firm. He nodded faintly, looking to Nikolai and Greasy and thanking them again, stepping for the door. Sweetie Bot followed behind him, the five grenades still levitated in her magic, myself looking back towards the zebra and pegasus ghoul. "Keep yourselves safe. We'll bring back Sugar Rush and Flash-Bang. Goodnight." The crisp evening chill of the wasteland air felt all the colder as we moved down the street, heading with the sun behind us towards the small town down the road. Our radios were silent, and over the sound of Sweetie Bot walking, you could almost hear the war going on.

Neither of us knew what tomorrow would bring with it.

The night was dark. I was cuddled up snug in the blankets with Featherweight, the large, dreamy stallion's body keeping us both warm while the storm pelted outside. I couldn't get myself to sleep - whenever I tried, I'd dream, and they'd snap me out of it. The sounds of my Stable after the bomb. Gamma Ray buried in the snow and ice. A stallion's body hanging from a parachute. A mare with a bullet hole in her forehead. A small skeleton holding a plush toy. Minty and myself, vaporized in balefire. That last one had me frightened - it seemed so real. The heat pulse, setting our coats and barding alike on fire. The blast wave, tearing skin and muscle from bone and rupturing internal organs. We became dust, and it moved so slowly... I felt everything.

There was a sudden thud and knocking at the doors that made me jump. Featherweight snapped himself awake, getting himself upright and wrapping his forelegs around me, rubbing a hoof gently through my mane. The knocking continued, and we both got ourselves up, stepping for the doorway. I glanced at my pip-buck - four in the morning. Featherweight passed through the kitchen area, opening up the door. The exhausted eyes of Sugar Rush met us both, focusing on myself. My breath caught in my throat for a moment. Featherweight blinked a few times, stepping aside, Sugar Rush moving inside and letting him close the door behind her. She placed a hoof on my shoulder, looking into my eyes. I saw fear and uncertainty in hers.

"Twintails... it's gone bad."

I jumped out of bed at the sudden loud knocking, Buzzy sitting up in bed as Sweetie booted up. I pulled the laser pistol out from the folds of my jacket, flipping off the safety as the tubes on the recharger bit began to glow. Opening the door slightly, I caught Twintails and Featherweight talking with Sugar Rush. I immediately pushed the door open, all three turning to face me. “Would somepony explain what’s going on? I thought you and Flash Bang were in Pripytrot.” I placed the pistol back in my coat pocket, Sweetie and Buzzy stepping out from behind me.

“Things aren’t going as smoothly as we’d hoped. Titchbreese and Mossie aren't giving it their all just yet, but they're pushing out as much as they dare to try and break through Pripytrot.” She gulped, trying to calm herself. I couldn't imagine that an easy task... “And… we’ve picked up bits of their radio chatter. Mossie's been pushing to authorize more orbital strikes, and they’re preparing to use those to attack our lines. It... you don't want to know what happens when that falls on a bunch of ponies in the open.” Featherweight helped her over to a chair, letting her sit down. “Flash-Bang is helping to organize the attacks with some of the knights. Fringe was the new head of the sniping squad, but he’s been missing for days. We’re still not sure if he’s been captured, or deserted, or…” Her eyes were welling up as she spoke. She wiped them dry as I walked up and tried to comfort her. “I’m sorry, it’s just… this has been going on for so long… I could recognize a few of the markings the troops on the other side were wearing.”

“It... it’s going to be alright.” I gave her a hug. “I’m sure Fringe is fine… we will find him.” She sniffed again before returning the hug. We broke it and she stood up. “I take it we need to head out now?” She nodded, her horn lighting up as she drew her laser RCW. Twintails rubbed his eyes groggily, looking like he hadn’t slept at all, before he returned to Featherweight’s room for his weapons and saddle. Featherweight watched him as he clumsily opened the door, giving a long yawn.

“I could help you guys get there. I don’t trust Twintails trying to fly like that... he's been having a bad night.” Sugar looked nervous, staring up at the larger stallion. “Don’t worry, me and Buzzy have a little thing we've been saving for a rainy day, or hellhound rampage. Picked it up from the SCAB before it was... ah, well, another abandoned wasteland place. C'mon." The large stallion stood himself up, stepping over towards the doorway, the rest of us following behind him. He moved over to an old railshed nearby, opening up the doors with a creak, Buzzy moving inside with him. After a moment of waiting, they pulled a viscious-looking skywagon out of the shed, a pair of gun barrels twice the size of the ones Featherweight usually had sticking out of the sides, Buzzy's head poking out of a circular cage-thing mounted halfway along the wagon's length. That sight certainly would wake Twintails up.

"Buzzy and I have flown near Pripytrot before, we know what the conditions are like. We actually were going to try and offer some assistance, but we couldn't get any of those rangers convinced we could do more than just be a liability.” Sugar still looked concerned, but agreed, for the moment. Seriously, if they were turning down help like this... those guns look as big as Twintails' grenade launcher! Twintails himself soon joined us, shifting his saddlebags around and staring in awe at the attack wagon. We headed out of the railyard, Turnpike barely lit by the soft flickering lamps placed here and there. Sweetie and myself climbed into the back of the skywagon, giving me a good chance to glance at where Buzzy was sitting. A machine gun turret!? Goddesses, this was practically a warship. Twintails prepared to take off, but Featherweight stopped him. “Come on Twinnie, you’re not fit to fly. You’re going to fall asleep and crash into the snow before we even get there, hop on.” Twintails sighed and did so, leaning into me a bit. His head bobbed as he tried to stay awake. “Alright Sugar, you’re up.”

Sugar shook her head, grinning, looking back as there was a flash of brass as Greasy’s mechanical wings flared on either side of her. “Greasy built these into my armor before we headed out, lets me get around a heck of a lot faster without burning out my horn.” Buzzy blinked a few times, hovering out and up onto Sugar, admiring the sharp bladed wings. Featherweight shrugged before they both took off, Buzzy returning to her spot in the turret. I leaned a bit over the side of the wagon, watching as the ground flew by beneath us. I quickly sat straight back up, shivering and looking at the floor of the wagon. I’m never going to get used to flying. The wind whipped at our manes as we flew along through the air, Buzzy's turret falling below and whirring as she operated the motors. “We need to find the road once we get closer to the city. Orders are to shoot at anything not entering through the main gates.” She shouted over the wind. “It’d probably be best if we land a ways back from the gate too. We don’t need them mistaking us for Enclave scouts.” Featherweight nodded, and both of them flew a little closer to the ground.

I scanned the snow beneath us, levitating out my plasma rifle as Jolts bounced against my back, still slung over my shoulders. Twintails was holding me tightly; I couldn’t tell if he’d actually managed to fall back to sleep or not. “What exactly’s been going on in Pripytrot, anyways?” I made a note to ask somepony once we arrived there for a more detailed explanation, I didn’t want to go stumbling into a war zone completely blind. Sugar looked over to me, Buzzy scanning the ground with her turret, looking for any threats. Past the blinding snow, a low thump was heard to the west, a pair of parallel tracks cutting through the snowbanks and small hills. Must be the tank.

“At the moment, we have control of the northernmost entrance to the city. Most of the rest of it's been barricaded, though we suspect the Enclave must have some sort of entrance around the south end for shipments. We haven't been letting any of their vertibucks get through.” The wind buffeted us again, the snow swirling around us as the moon shone through the clouds overhead. “It’s relatively safe around the gate and a few of the outposts surrounding it, barring the background radiation, but anything past the outskirts of the city go bad fast. Both sides have dug trenches and set up heavy automatic weapons posts. They’ve got more hardware to bring in than we do, but that tank you found keeps us a bit more unpredictable. Anything past the trenches is a mystery, though judging by the reactor’s failure and maps of the area before that, it’s likely they’ve got control of a megaspell missile silo. Empty, we would imagine… and hope.”

In the distance I could see a large collection of buildings looming. Sugar motioned to Featherweight and they began to descend. Every now and then there were flashes of lasers and plasma, a couple cracks of bullets or a rocket being launched up, but otherwise it was surprisingly quiet. We touched down, Sweetie and I sliding off of the battlewagon as Twintails more of stumbled off. “Are you going to be alright?” I asked, looking concerned. He nodded, rubbing his eyes again, while Buzzy hopped up out of teh turret and stood on the front of the wagon.

“We’ll head back to the Turnpike for now. If you need any air support, though, we’ll be ready and waiting.” He spread his wings, Buzzy hovering over and tapping on his shoulder a few times, holding what looked like a pair of binoculars with a radio strapped to it. "O-oh, right, eheh, use this to spot and mark the targets, and call us in. Got forty mil heavy autocannons with thirty high explosive phosphorous shells each, and two balefire impact bombs. Will need about ten minutes to reload each time though, but we'll try and linger as much as we can while we're there." Buzzy gave the designator-thing over to Twintails before hovering back to the turret, them both taking off in a slow pattern, quickly lost in the dark sky.

Sugar turned down the road towards Trotisk. “Alright, keep your weapons down. These guards aren’t going to ask questions if we look hostile.” She began to head down the road as Twintails, Sweetie, and myself followed. Her wings folded in as we approached the gate, a few ponies in power armor stationed on either side of it watching us. Sugar trotted up to one of them, handing over several papers she pulled from her armor. “Initiate Sugar Rush escorting notable civilian assets, Minty Candy and Twintails, along with a repair droid.” The guard looked over the papers before glancing back up at our group. His gaze lingered on Sweetie before he looked back down, stamping the papers and giving them back to Sugar.

“Alright, you’re clear.” He unlocked the gate, the hinges squeaking as the swung open. We followed Sugar down the broken up road, my Geiger counter starting to tick more often. Sugar lead us into a small building which was filled with beds, a few medics darting back and forth. The building was clearly not meant to be a barrack, several office desks were crammed in the corners, the space between the top bunks and the ceiling being almost non existent.

Sugar led us down a hallway to a smaller office with only four beds occupying it. She pulled a few blankets off the top of some filing cabinets, tossing them to us. “Alright, you guys can get some sleep for now, things shouldn’t be heating up for the rest of the night.” I swung my saddle bags off and slid them under one of the bunks, Twintails doing much the same with his saddle. “I’m going to find Flash and see what our plan is for the next day. Breakfast’s at O seven hundred, you’ll want to show up early before it cools off.” She trotted out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Twintails climbed into a bed, throwing the blanket over him and turning to face the wall. I flipped the lights off as Sweetie plugged herself in and I lay down to finish sleeping, setting the alarm on my Pip-Buck. Every now and then the silence was broken by the sound of artillery fire and the occasional power armored pony trotting by our room. I reached into my saddlebags, pulling out the tiny plushie of Cross Stitch. I cuddled him in the dark, rolling myself over and trying to fall asleep.

"Good evening wasteland, welcome back to Neighrer Nightly. I'm your host Tom Neighrer, and we are giving you twenty-four hour coverage of the growing situation in Pripytrot. This recent news comes from a pair of ponies who had passed by Pripytrot only a few hours ago, a more clear update on the combat situation. As it stands... Enclave forces are in a perpetual stalemate with the Steel Rangers. The battle currently underway, I found, very much so mirrored what defined the first few stages of the war that led to Equestria becoming what it is today. It also reminded me of a song I had once heard from a fellow composer, a more traditional, hopeful song of what may have happened on remote stretches of the front lines, but for propaganda purposes had had most of it's mention destroyed and removed by the Ministry of Image. By some miracle, however, we here in Stable 92 have a surviving copy of the song, which we wish to share with all those brave souls who are risking their lives on the front lines, just as those who had made the greatest sacrifice in the war before... Sorry, I, uh, I need a moment. This song is Hearth's Warming in the Trenches."

"My name is Virtuous Oath, I come from Ponyville,
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Canterlot and Glyphmark, and Hollow Shades to here
I fought for princess and country I love dear.
'Twas Hearth's Warming in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen ridge Shattered Hoof was still, no Hearth's Warming song was sung,
Our families back in Ponyville were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious foals so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young Zebra voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon one by one each Zebra voice joined in in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Hearth's Warming brought us respite from the war."

My leg buzzed as my Pip-Buck beeped loudly, cold light of morning streaming in through the shattered windows. I wrestled my metal leg still before I was able to press the button to turn the alarm off, laying bed for a while more, the sound of gunfire and artillery echoing through the air. I looked over to Twintails, who was awake, staring distantly ahead at the wall opposite him. I climbed out of bed, scooping up my Cross plushie from the floor and slipping him into my saddlebags. Twintails rolled out of bed as well, rubbing his eyes and yawning. His mane was disheveled and there were large bags under his eyes. “Are you okay?” He tried nodding, but his head just flopped about. “Twintails... Twintails, what’s wrong?” I stepped closer to him, Sweetie finally having finished booting herself up.

Twintails released a shuddering sigh before saying anything. “I don’t know… I… I think what’s been going on is just starting to really get to me. All the ponies that died… this war… Fringe… Gamma…” He started to cry, turning his head away from me. “I don’t want to think of what I’d do if I lost anypony else… That anytime you could be killed because I blundered into something I should’ve left alone…” I pulled Twintails into a hug, squeezing him tightly.

“No, no… I’m not going to die, Twintails. Neither of us will. It’s not your fault at all that those other ponies died, or that Fringe went missing.” I gave him another squeeze. “We’re going to be okay, Twintails.” We hugged for a while longer, Twintails still sniffing a bit. I waited until he broke the hug, letting him wipe his eyes clear. “Come on, we should get something to eat.” I said quietly. He nodded and grabbed his gear. We followed a few Steel Pony soldiers down the hallway towards the mess hall, the scent of a bitter stew wafting through the air as we got close. We stepped into line behind the soldiers and were given a couple bowlfuls of a thick soup. We sat down and began to eat, myself watching Twintails, wishing I was able to do more to help cheer him up.

Sugar and Flash sat down beside us at the long table, Sweetie taking an interest in their advanced armor. “Morning. I, uh, I'm sorry for sending Sugar out to get you, but we really need you to help us track down Fringe.” The pegasus mare took a spoonful of stew, swallowing it down with a small grimace. “Right now, we’re going to need everypony we can get. We’ve managed to find a weak point in their lines of defense, and as far as we can tell, they haven’t caught on yet. We’re planning a push soon.” I nodded as she explained the situation, shuddering at the taste of the soup. Ugh, even Sparkle-Cola didn't taste this bad... well, that might be pushing it. “Hopefully getting a spearhead will ease the tension a bit, then we’ll be more free to let you two search for Fringe. We know he’s still alive, his armor would’ve sent back a radio conformation otherwise, but he’s managed to jam enough signals on it that we can’t contact him or find him with any sort of tracker.” She paused for a moment, her ears falling to the side. “Still, alive doesn’t mean healthy, or away from the Enclave... I don't know what they would do with him, or us.”

We finished up our soup and placed the bowls back on the counter, heading back through the hallway. “Alright, you two head with Flash-Bang to the debriefing room. I’ll go see if I can find any sort of helmets for you, at least.” She glanced down at Sweetie, pausing for a moment, the robotic filly looking back up at her. “Something for her wouldn’t hurt, either.” She scooped her up and turned the corner to the armory. We followed Flash back outside, turning down the road towards another building, which was embedded into a barricade spreading all the way around the Steel Ponies controlled sector. Flash opened the door for us, allowing us to walk down the hall to a large room full of other power armor clad ponies sitting in chairs. We scooted into one of the aisles, Flash’s armor hissing as the pressure shifted to allow her to sit.

A chocolate colored stallion stepped to the front of the room, pressing a button on the large screen before him. “Alright, our plan for attack is relatively simple.” The image of an overhead view of Pripytrot came into focus, the various buildings and trenches covered in a light blue grid. “Any soldiers having become ghouls will attack through the power plant. The levels of radiation there are high enough to force any of the Enclave back, it should allow for a safe way of spreading their forces into disarray. Others will head through the trenches to the east, their hold on the residential area has finally started to loosen over the past few days. If we continue to keep the pressure on with mortars and the TOG, it should allow us to break through and set up a defense there. We’ll then look to move forward and take down their control of the train station and school blocks before planning an attack on their main forces by the silos.” He pointed to various points on the map throughout his speech, before shutting the screen off.

Everypony stood up, heading for the south end of the facility towards the trenches. Flash slipped on her helmet, trotting back towards the entrance. “Hold up!” Sugar called to us, as she trotted in. Sweetie was riding on her back, dressed in some makeshift armor, the rusted metal looking even more worn when compared to her still shining exterior. The robotic filly hopped off of Sugar as she passed us a few metal helmets. “They wouldn’t allow non-members any power armor, but these should do better than nothing. I hope you have something to help with the radiation out there.” She pulled on her own power armor helmet, the visor lighting up as she did so. Twintails and I pulled our gas masks out of our saddlebags and slipped them over our faces, adorning the metal helmets over them. “Alright, stay close to me until we’re in the trenches.” Sugar said, drawing her RCW. I pulled out my own rifle as we opened the back door of the building. Sugar immediately started running past the large cannons towards a maze of small valleys dug into the earth, and surrounded by barbed wire. Twintails and I sped after her, Sweetie hopping up onto my back.

We skidded to a halt in the icy dirt, crouching down to stay out of the line of fire. Sugar looked back to see if there were any others coming before turning back to us. “Flash and I are going to be assisting in aerial combat. You two stick with the group, there’s no way you’d survive charging through here alone.” Her metallic wings flashed, and she took to the air, flying low towards a group of ponies staked out in a demolished building. Twintails had his grenade rifle and BEL at the ready as we began to follow the group through the trenches. I realized just how much Twintails, Sweetie and I stuck out among the whitish-grey-painted power armored soldiers, and I immediately regretted not requesting some sort of metal armor.

The group soon reached the easternmost edge of the trenches, sticking as close to the ground as they could. A few lasers shot above us, the familiar sound of somepony being burned to ash cutting through the air nearby. I levitated my plasma rifle to the ready as the soldiers all sat in the dirt, waiting for their signal. The air was unnaturally quiet for what I imagined a total war zone to be like - if anything, that made it worse. Aside from the occasional bursts of plasma and lasers, there was no sudden upsurge of sound from either side... though Celestia knew that was going to change the minute we started to charge.

Without warning, my ears were filled with the blasts of the larger guns behind us, replaced quickly by ringing and the muted sounds of the soldiers’ hooves pounding against the ground as they jumped out of the trenches, sprinting across no-stallion’s land. Twintails and I clambered up, Sweetie hopping up behind us. All around us shells crashed into the ground, screaming as they flew through the air. Dirt and snow were spattered up from each blast, making running towards the collection of small houses difficult. I stumbled and Twintails righted me as we ran, still moving ahead and trying to not die from the artillery. Lasers bounced off of the more heavily armored ponies, but burnt and scarred those in the lighter recon armor. I sprayed a few shots of plasma in the vague direction of the enemy trenches, praying I’d hit something.

A few ponies to the left of us were thrown and fell to the ground as a shell struck them. I swear I saw an armored leg fly from them, but I focused back ahead of me, doing my best to dodge the oncoming energy projectiles. Twintails fired a balefire egg at the entrenched Enclave members, swapping for his rifle as the blast sent what few survived ducking down for cover. What remained of the group of soldiers leapt down into the trenches, blasting at the Enclave members with their weapons. Twintails and I dove for cover in the pits, Sweetie holding onto the cape of my coat. The soldiers took a moment to orient themselves, one with a plasma caster standing at the back while those with lighter weapons took the front of their small team. I stood up, quickly reloading my rifle as Twintails did the same with the flat orange shells. A small panel on the side of Sweetie’s head flipped open, a prong looking like some form of welder sliding out. It sparked as we began to march through the trenches with the soldiers. I cursed not being able to have a nice line of sight to use Jolts with as we trudged through. The soldiers fired on the Enclave’s forces, who quickly returned fire. I ducked behind the larger stallion with the plasma caster, firing between the Rangers at the Enclave.

One of our soldiers fell to the ground, twitching a bit before lying still. We charged forward, Sweetie’s welder sparking as an arc of lighting flew between it and the Enclave soldier. The pony froze, sparks jumping across his armor before he collapsed, his armor still sparking a bit. We continued through the trenches, the bodies of a few Enclave members being blown in by the incoming mortars. My stomach twisted up at the sight of them being blown apart by the explosives, Twintails busying himself shooting what looked like a ball of fire at a pony who had the mind to take flight, his wings igniting and being shredded. My attention was torn away from the dead soldiers as a laser shot seared my ear, myself firing off a few rounds of plasma by instinct, melting the assailant. The soldiers turned down one of the trenches, heading towards the small buildings as a couple stayed to begin setting up sharp wire and planting explosives around the sides of the trenches and bodies of the Enclave soldiers.

We climbed out of the trenches, walking among the small houses, not sure what damage was caused by the first war and what was caused by this one. “Keep your guard up; there are probably still some remnant forces around here.” One pony brandishing a laser rifle said through his mask speakers. The group split into pairs, Twintails, Sweetie, and myself heading into one of the taller houses at the edge of the intact residential area. I suddenly realized just how fast my Geiger counter was ticking, despite the mask I’d been wearing. Ugh, maybe the nauseous feeling wasn’t just from all the gore... I pulled out a bag of Rad-Away, slipping the little drinking tube under the breathing mask. The needle on my Pip-Leg dropped back down to just above zero, but immediately began climbing slowly. I’m going to need a lot of these...

Twintails and myself trotted up the stairs, checking each room for any soldiers. “Enemy sighted! Emitting electromagnetic pulse!” Sweetie shouted. I ran to her position, watching as her horn released a pulse of energy at a soldier in Enclave armor and a shaggy white suit. Twintails took pause, his grenade rifle loaded with another flat orange round, looking at the stallion inside.

“Oh hell!” I paused, feeling I recognized his voice moments before he was blasted by the pulse, knocking him onto his side. I pushed Sweetie back as Twintails rushed over, his launcher stowed on his back and mask back in place, and eyes glwing faintly. The soldier put his hooves up “Hold it! Gah, bloody hell, that hurt...” He coughed, reaching up and removing his helmet. Fringe’s green coat and singed brown mane were uncovered as he coughed again. “Hell, I forgot how much a pain EMPs can be. Nearly broke my bloody back... the hell is that thing?” He used the post of the bed to lift himself to a standing position, still a little shaken. “What the hell are you two doing here anyways, eh?”

Sweetie looked back to me, asking if she should fire again. I flipped her horn shut, helping Fringe to sit down. “We were looking for you. Sugar Rush and Flash-Bang have been incredibly worried, and apparently even Elder Quazar’s going almost mad trying to find you again.” Fringe shook his head, pulling out a cigar from his armor, flipping open a lighter and drawing in a large breath to light the end of it. He blew out a long stream of smoke before hanging his head, looking at us.

“I’m sorry, but if I told anypony what I was doing it’d just lead to a greater chance for Titchbreeze and Mossie to find me.” He took another deep breath in before blowing another smoky cloud. “They've been trying to set up a base in the residential area for quite a while, but I’ve managed to scare most of them off until the rest of the Rangers arrived. Had to disable my communications so they wouldn’t be able to find me, not to mention those bloody arseholes have a bad habit of checking in with their members at inopportune times.” He glanced out the window, the various soldiers checking in on other buildings, prompting him to release a sigh.

“Look, even with the Steel Rangers setting up their own forward defense here, it’s going to take a while for them to properly dig a trench and establish connections with the main base. I’m not heading back anytime soon, and you can’t tell the others what I’m doing.” He was starting to look both angry, and almost depressed. “It’s bad enough they sent you two out to find me, I don’t need others going on suicide missions just to save me.” He inhaled deeply again, standing himself up and casting the half-spent cigar out the window and into the bloodied snow below. He scooped up his long rifle from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder.

Twintails stopped him as he tried to head out of the house. “Fringe, wait.” He paused, looking irritated. “Fringe, it’s because no one’s heard from you that we were sent out. You need to go back, or more ponies might keep getting ordered to look for you.” He simply stared at Twintails a bit more, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know if you think you owe something, or just want to finish off Titchbreeze and Mosquito, or something, but Quazar needs you back at EQUAD. Flash and Sugar are devastated, they think you’ve been captured, or are barely surviving.” He dropped his head, sighing again.

“I’m not going back. After what I’d done with the Enclave, the things I've seen, I can’t sit back in that underground concrete maze and just watch while the rest of the soldiers throw themselves at Titchbreeze and Mossy's forces to die.” He looked back at Twintails, who tried to speak, but couldn’t. “You two head back to the bunkers, find some way to get out of this. Tell them I died, snuck out after dark, whatever you want, just get out of here. I didn’t tell them where I was going or what I'm doing for a reason, I don’t want you killing yourselves over me.” He pushed past Twintails, heading back down the steps. I looked over to Twintails, who looked unsure of what to do. We watched as Fringe left the house, slipping on his helmet and quickly running down some empty streets towards a large snow bank filled with rubble, away from the wandering Steel Rangers.

I looked above where he was running, seeing a large structure embedded into the mountain range to the south. Pulling out Jolts and peering through it's scope, I caught sight of several guards which were stationed around the entrance, a few manning several massive guns around it. The path leading to it was a mess of trenches, artillery, and a collection of collapsed buildings. A sign along what used to be the road towards it bore the familiar symbol of a black on yellow trefoil, the words 'Pripytrot Missile Silo' faded below it. I looked over at Twintails, who was still staring at the rubble that Fringe had disappeared behind. I pointed out the base, letting him gaze through the scope, examining the area. He looked back at me, a grin ever so slowly crossing his face. “Minty, you must be turning into me.”

I nodded, smirking. Looks like we were going on another suicide run, anyways...

Okay, Pripytrot had a missile silo, that I didn't know. That was something to look forwards to... ooh, they might even have more guns there! Or-or more balefire eggs! Or... Celestia, please let the reason the Pripytrot Missile Silo didn't pop up on my pip-buck be because it still had a megaspell warhead inside. A whole, unlaunched, ready and waiting megaspell warhead-tipped missile... this day went from bad to very good very quick. I giggled in excitement, Minty jabbing me in my shoulder and encompassing his rifle in his magic. Glancing back at him, his expression was half-disbelief, half 'I need a diaper now' as he pointed to the sky above the missile silos. Leaning out the window, I looked around for a few moments at the low cloud layer. Huh, must be heavier than-

The thunderous crack and boom of really big artillery guns and massive lightning cannons erupted from a smoother-looking cloud, gigantic turrets appearing as the shockwaves moved the dark clouds aside. The shells screamed over our heads, detonating with a series of extremely loud bangs in the houses behind us, the shockwaves nearly throwing me out of the window I was leaning from. The metal hat covered my vision as I felt the familiar tugging of my tails in magic, Minty dragging me back from the edge. We shared a quick glance before wordlessly heading for the doorframe.

"What the FUCK is that!?" There was another discharge of the guns above, sending whatever shells they were packing downrange and practically right on top of us. The hallway shook, Sweetie Bot hastily plowing through a doorway at it's end and reaching where the stairway once was. Our geiger counters clicked hastily, the robotic filly's servos whirring to push her back from the edge as the splintered wood and brick gave way to a faintly glowing, massive crater, a thick cloud of dust obscuring our vision beyond that. Above the sounds of fires crackling and the far-off gunfire, panicked screaming could be heard, a hauntingly familiar wail I felt that I'd heard before. Where didn't matter now, though, as Minty grabbed a nightstand from one of the rooms inside and promptly sent it flying through the window at the other end of the hallway, the building beneath us starting to groan as the floorboards grew hotter. Oh, this was supposed to have gone much smoother in my head...

The window let out onto a fire escape, myself taking a chance glance back at the scars of battle in the ground as we made our way down it as quickly as we could manage, the metal groaning under our weight. Where there once was trenches manned by Enclave soldiers, now there was just large glowing craters, topped by...

Mother of the goddesses...

Minty and Sweetie leapt into a snowbank from the last level, myself stuck in awe at the sight of a skyscraper-sized mushroom cloud upon the battlefield. The head was a green fireball, rising skywards and illuminating the dark sky above it with the sickly green light. More screams were added to the cacaphony already filling the air, gunfire and explosions thrumming across the trench lines behind us. Minty and Sweetie dragged me off of the escape and into the snowbank, my augmented friend adjusting his cracked glasses on his muzzle and looking over at me. "Twintails, what-... goddesses above..." A third firing went off as the head of the clouds crested the buildings, one of them being alarmingly close to the structure we were in just moments ago. I shook snow from my mane, getting back to my hooves and looking to the place where the cloud... gun-thing was that was firing these shells. The screams had been muffled over the sounds of gunfire and the rest of the battle, the third salvo impacting and causing the ground to rumble beneath our hooves.

"C'mon, we've got to find where Fringe went! We're not leaving without him." Minty looked to myself, blinking a few times in disbelief, as I motioned up to the clouds rising behind us. Yeah, we are not going to let him go off on his own suicide mission while those things are still live. Sweetie Bot shuffled herself about in the snow, sitting upright and doing that weird scanning thing again, this time on the streets around us. Finishing, she stood herself up, looking between us with a smile. It was... pretty creepy, to say the least. "Uh..."

"New friend; Knight Captain Moral Fringe is currently on approach to Pripytrot Missile Silos. He is within radio range and still, shutdown order issued to his armor." With a cheery bounce, the robotic filly moved off along the street, the screams and sounds of war echoing around us as she seemed to... dance through the chaos. Minty blinked a few times, rubbing at his eyes and readjusting his glasses, myself giving a glance back to him before answering his confused look with a shrug. Well, at least we've got him held down now, right?

Rounding the pile of rubble Fringe had passed, we soon caught up with Sweetie Bot, the robotic filly having sat herself down in front of the camoflauged Fringe as he cursed inside his now-static armor. The sounds of battle in the streets beyond filled our ears as the power armored pegasus grumbled through his suit's speaker. Minty fiddled with the latch, Fringe letting off a grunt as the helmet was slid off of his head. "I'm starting to really want to send a bullet through that robot's head, you know. The hell are you two doing, I thought I told you to go back!"

"In case you didn't hear through your helmet, there isn't really much to go back to, and we are NOT walking through another ground zero." Minty gestured in the direction of the clouds, Fringe looking back towards him for a moment, his eyes glancing up at the sky. Though the clouds themselves were hidden by the building wrecks, the balefire-green lights from the fireballs still illuminated the cover above, the older stallion's eyes growing wide for a moment before a grim look came across his face. He chuffed a small cloud out into the cool air, the day shrouded to night by the clouds above us.

"Forgot the Tsetse had those shells to load. Maybe Mosquito did too, until now, at least." He paused in thought for a few moments, looking at the rough location of where the battleship-cloud-thing was. "Alright. That changes things, we need to get up to the Pripytrot silos and blow the Tsetse out of the sky - if we launch one of the missiles up at it, regardless of if the megaspell payload detonates the explosion from the fuel alone will blow the clouds supporting it off, it'll come plummeting from the sky. Hopefully with Mosquito and Tit-... Titchbreeze inside. Don't suppose you two managed to convince Quazar that the TOG was a main battle tank and not just mobile light artillery, did you?"

"No, but we've got some friends in the air on standby. You think they'd be expecting an aerial attack?" Sweetie Bot beeped a few times, Fringe's armor responding by turning back on and allowing the stallion to move more freely about. He chuckled faintly, fitting his helmet back on and looking towards us, his camoflauged rifle moving about with his head. He peered around the corner for a moment, Minty taking the time to flick on his rifle's charger-thing and keep it held at the ready.

"Sure would give them one hell of a surprise if they're who I think they are. Hope to hell they know how to peel out quick, because twenty mil cannons won't do much without direct hits. C'mon." The power-armored stallion darted across the street to the rubble of another collapsed building, laying prone against the snowy, icy mound and looking around the area. Minty, myself and Sweetie Bot all fell against the bank with him, the robotic filly breaking a mirror off of the wreck of a nearby cart and levitating it up, letting us both peer over it. Puh, clever girl. Fringe glanced towards us, focusing on Sweetie Bot. "How exactly are you going to contact 'em when we're in a position to see the forward trenches, eh? She turn into a radio transciever or something?"

Sweetie Bot shot Fringe an unamused look while Minty took the mirror from her, placing his rifle on the snowbank and seeming to try and aim down the scope with it. Fringe chuckled and shook his head at Minty's efforts, myself pulling the binocular-radio-thing out of my saddlebags and flicking it on. "They, uh, they gave us this. Think I know how it works, um..." Fitting the earpiece on and picking up the binoculars, the speaker in the headphone crackled, Featherweight's voice coming through. Fringe picked himself up and we all shuffled over to another pile of debris, this one within some sense of sight of the trench lines leading to the missile silos.

"Reading your signal Twinnie, Foxtrot Bravo is at the holding point, just mark the target for us and we'll clean them out. Sugar Rush got the word out that we'll be helping you, if you see the rangers shooting at us it's a diversion tactic, don't get frightened." Fiddling with the headset a bit as I settled in behind the rubble pile, Minty held the mirror up for me. Okay, five lines of defense, heavy artillery above the silos with mortars and nasty heavy armament every so often along the trenches with low air cover, nopony carrying anything nastier than those boxy laser rifles in-flight though. The headset crackled again, Featherweight's voice over it, Minty and Fringe getting themselves set up as a few rangers moved forth towards the lines. "Whats the situation over there? Those mushroom clouds you or the tank?"

"Uh, n-neither Featherweight, those were some kind of artillery ship-thing the Enclave have. We're going in to try and take it down, uh... you shouldn't encounter much resistance in the air, hope you can help clear out some of these trenches they have set up on the way. Marking targets." Poking my head up over the rubble as rifle fire and lasers pinged and hissed against the sides of the ruined buildings, I pulled up the pair of binoculars, blinking and setting them down after a good look through them. Okay, wasn't expecting things to be in black and white, but if it works, it works. Please let it work...

Pressing a button on the outside of the boxy binoculars, the optics displayed a black targeting rectile in the center of my vision, a white line pointing towards it. Focusing in on where the second line of trenches began, it beeped a few times, emitting a series of four bloops moments before Featehrweight crackled through my ear again. "Wilco, Foxtrot Bravo inbound with the goods. ETA thirty seconds, sit tight." The radio crackled, Fringe and Minty mumbling between each other as they positioned themselves for sniping, Sweetie levitating those few grenade-things she made out of Minty's saddlebags, looking to me with curious eyes. I blinked a few times, ducked behind the cover, looking at her. It was almost like she was checking if Kindness was... oh no.

"Spread increase of damage done by your balefire egg launcher can be safely achieved with minimal impact on range and flight performance if accounted for. I can have three scrambled egg payloads constructed and ready for use. Cutie mark in weapons design, yay!" Her cherry attitude in creating a weapon of mass destruction drew a weak chuckle from me, Fringe's rifle erupting with a loud bang as an ungoddesly loud scream filled the air. The gunfire stopped for a moment as everypony looked around to see where the hell it was coming from, before the second and third trenches up along the road erupted in plumes of explosions and fire, the silvery form of Featherweight's skywagon coming into view. The big cannons retorted with a loud thumping sound as the ground was blown apart around the entrenched Enclave forces, firey explosions flowing along the trench lines as they desperately tried to get clear of the attack. Fringe and Minty both looked up in surprise, myself letting off a small chuckle. Talk about eye candy...

The silvery skywagon swung around, the smoke starting to clear from the trenches in time for the sight of two silvery pipe-like objects to be dropped from the skywagon at either end of the third and fourth trenches, the ground erupting in a pair of near-blinding white flashes, the blast waves clearing what clouds were left and replacing them with a pair of small mushrooms, drawing a wide grin from me and screams from the poor saps stuck in the trench lines. The clouds were given a moment to dissipate before the skywagon returned, the pair of machine guns operated by Buzzy tearing up the ground in the trenches as a steel ranger somewhere nearby let up a cry, watching the strike clear up. Featherweight and Buzzy did a quick pass over the houses before peeling away, the larger stallion's vocie crackling in my ear.

"Good co-ords, seeing lots of little pieces down there. Stay safe, Twinnie, I'll have some stew and the plug waiting for you back home. Foxtrot Bravo out, back in twenty." ...goddess-damn that stallion, doesn't he know that I'm in the middle of a warzone!? Why did he have to say that. Minty snickered lightly, no-doubt noticing the blush coming across my face, myself stowing the binoculars away and climbing over the rubble. The sounds of gunfire and explosions slacked off, myself pushing ahead towards the wrecked trench lines, mostly trying to not have to listen to Minty and his comments. A few Steel rangers were crossing ahead of me, climbing over the lines and every now and again firing their guns in response to a laser or bit of goop flying past, moving up to the rear lines and mortar trenches.

For those who don't know what white phosphorous is - hell, even I only faintly remember it from the Stable chemistry classes - it's a special chemical form of your every day run-of-the-mill phosphorous. Crystalline in structure, it burns extremely fiercely when ignited. Great for when you want to start a fire somewhere and make sure it won't go out for a while, if you don't have unicorns around to help with it anyways, and it makes a lot of nasty smoke, too. The two balefire egg bombs they dropped between the third and fourth trenches cleared a bit of the stuff out, but that wasn't going to keep me from keeping my mask on, even if the fallout from the reactor wasn't as bad up here. Pack the stuff around a high explosive core and fire it into a confined space, it'll make the phosphorous ignite and send out a lot of smoke from all the little bits of shrapnel that it gets shattered into. Shrapnel that still burns, and doesn't have much trouble finding weak spots in power armor. Suddenly, that lingering smell of cooking, seasoned meat wasn't as appealing as I thought.

My breathing slow, the chemical smoke stung at my eyes as I looked down over what had become of the inhabitants of the trench lines caught in Featherweight's first pass. You could still hear the sizzling as the white phosphorous ate through the flesh beneath the armor of the Enclave troops, some of the bodies emitting low moans or screams before being silenced. I felt my breaths becoming quick and ragged - this... this is what I'd done? Is this what the other trenches look like? Sugar said we pushed through their weaker spot. The breakfast I'd managed to keep down was seriously looking to come back up as I looked around at the carnage in this muddy, frozen ditch, slowly backing away and only encountering another charred body.

Another charred body, that just grabbed my leg.

"G-g-goddess... help... forgive me..." Frozen in the shock, I stared down at the still-living Enclave pegasus. Where their wings once were now was just bloody shreds, acrid smoke flowing from inside the armor. Where their back legs were was now just a bloody stump, one of them rendered completely free of their hip and having left a dark pool. The dying figure stared up at me through his shattered visor, one eye bloodied and red, and the other piercing through me like a knife, his jaw fallen to a silent scream as he tried to drag himself closer. "W-why..." With a strained, gasping breath, the life left the maimed pegasus, his body falling limp atop one of his trenchmates' own and his grasping hoof releasing around my leg. I couldn't have gotten out of there faster.

Landing with a heavy thud back near where Fringe and Minty had been sniping, I stumbled on my hooves, promptly depositing what contents of my stomach were left onto the snowy, muddy street. Falling against the brick wall of a nearby building, I took a few moments to spit what taste of the breakfast remained in my mouth out, breathing heavily. Sweetie Bot's servos whirred as she approached me, catching my attention for the moment, her eyes wide and curious. Oh, how I just wanted to go back home and drink some Sparkle-Cola... Fringe and Minty followed behind her, rounding a corner and stepping up to myself.

"Twintails, there you are. Mossie's personal vertibuck touched down outside the launch control bunker, both her and Titchbreeze are on the ground. We can put a stop to all this fast. Minty found a back road right up to them..." Blinking a few times, I readjusted myself, Fringe chuckling inside his helmet. "To think this war'll be over only a few minutes from now. C'mon, we don't have time to waste." Fringe and Sweetie Bot moved forth, Minty giving a paused look towards myself as I tried to calm down. Looking back to him, I gave a faint nod, pushing off of the wall and turning to follow Fringe. He stopped beside me, placing a hoof on my shoulder and looking long into my eyes, concern very apparent on his face.

"Are... are you going to be alright? What did..." I stared back to him, and he fell quiet, his broken glasses glinting what sun got through the clouds above. He responded with a small nod, his magic encompassing Jolts and hooves starting to crunch through the snow. I looked to Kindness for a moment, then down to the machine guns either side of myself, the firing bits bouncing in front of my face. If I never have to use these things on other ponies again after this, it'll be too soon.

"There they are. Keep your fire, we need 'em seperated from their entourage. Wait for them to get into the bunker..." Minty had his rifle levitated for me to see downrange clearly, Kindness' firing bit in my mouth. The vertibuck's engines were whirring at idle, a pair of pegasi stepping from it and into the concrete structure they had landed beside. The group of armored Enclave troops stood outside the bunker, just barely in view through the scope as I angled upwards, the modified round Sweetie had put together loaded in. Fringe paused for a moment more, then tapped on my shoulder, my jaw clenching around the bit.

The compressed air in the chamber threw the modified egg downrange, the payload seeming to tumble as the duct tape fell off in flight, the grenades seperating from the egg. The payload detonated on the windscreen of the vertibuck, rendering both the machine and it's occupants entirely destroyed, vaporized in the explosion. The grenades, scattered by the initial blast, detonated about the area and cleaned up what other forces were left, Fringe charging forth up the back road with Sweetie Bot on his back, Myself and Minty following. Well, they know we're here, at least.

Fringe ran up the side of the bunker, landing with a skidding stop on the outside as Minty and myself approached the side door. Sweetie Bot hopped off of Fringe's back, trotting up to the thick door and doing that scanning-thing on it, blinking once or twice after finishing. "Scan indicates explosive-resistant construction coupled with megaspell blast-dampening systems. Anti-teleportation systems are offline. Uplink to missile control maneframe located inside." Minty wore a smirk, looking over to myself. An energy cell levitated out of his saddlebags and placed itself against his temple as he pulled me close, and everything vanished in a flash of whitish light.

"No, no no no, fuck! Oooh, how did this piece of junk wo-" The smell of ozone faded, and the interior of the missile command bunker came to view. The pegasus mare was leaned over the controls, the stallion standing beside her, both of them looking backwards to see what made the noise. Minty's magic encompassed the mare, ripping her from the control panel and slamming her against the concrete ground, my augmented friend wasting no time in jumping on her and putting his heavier metal leg to use. The stallion watched as he beat on the mare, his eyes metting mine in surprise and disbelief as I brought my own full weight against him. General Titchbreeze... Fringe... Wildfire... my mother.

With a satisfying crack and thud, the stallion skidded along the control panel, his wing impacting hard against the ground and trying to bend in two ways at once. Bringing my right hoof against his face and watching as he spat a small dribble of blood onto the floor, my eyes refocused on the Luger I kept holstered there. Gamma's Pistol. Minty kept his beating going, the side door mechanism straining and rolling to an unlocked position as I leaned down and grabbed the mouthpiece, sliding the gun from where it was on my foreleg and bringing it to place aimed at his head. The door swung open with a loud creak, Fringe jumping over Sweetie Bot as tears started to stream down my face. This was the bastard who ordered my mother to be killed... "This is for my mom, you asshole!"

"W-wait! Celestia damn it, wait!" Fringe caught my attention, wrestling Minty off of the mare - Mosquito, her name was? - Titchbreeze likewise laying his head to look at the power armored stallion who'd come inside behind us. Minty flailed his hooves in the air furiously, Fringe keeping him held until he broke down to sobs, slumping down beside Sweetie Bot. The mare wasn't moving - much, anyways.Fringe stepped up to us both, looking first at myself, then down at Titchbreeze. "General Titchbreeze. Good to see you on the ground for once. I'd like to revoke my statement of Wildfire being a success... I didn't kill the child. But the child sure looks like it wants to kill you... you bastard." The power armored stalion brought his armored hoof across the General's face, teeth flying from his jaw as he spat more blood and blinked his bruised eyes. He seemed to take a moment to think, Gamma's pistol still aimed at his head. His eyes went wide as they met mine, his breathing ragged.

"Y-you didn't... you're... son." Wait... what did he just say? My hooves slid off of his forelegs, Gamma's pistol still aimed for his head as Fringe looked between us. Titchbreeze scurried his battered self up against the wall behind, Fringe turning to have his rifle aimed at him as well, the trapped stallion looking over myself in earnest disbelief. He coughed again, wiping his face of blood, blinking and looking up at me with his old eyes. "You were... that's Wildfire's foal. You... you're my son." WHAT!?

"I was a fool... Goddesses, I was a damn fool for trying to have you killed." The stallion tried to crawl closer to me, Fringe's rifle and Gamma's pistol aimed at his head. This just, I, WHAT. "When I cast Wildfire out after knocking her up, I thought I was saving myself from ridicule. But after Pripytrot, I... I couldn't bear any more foals. I couldn't have a successor. I immediately regretted it. But now... we can rule together. We can conquer the northern wasteland in the name of the Enclave. We can-" With a satisfying thwack, my pipbuck-clad foreleg struck Titchbreeze in the side of his head, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"After all these years... after what you did... after, after all this shit, you think I'm going to join you just because I'm your only fucking son!?" Fringe had stepped up to Titchbreeze, a hoof keeping him pinned against the concrete. "You want me to rule alongside you? You want me to help you do... do what's happening in the city? To the entire fucking nortehrn wasteland!? Are you fucking insane?!" Sweetie Bot had trotted over to one of the maneframes, a spark of electricity arcing across to a panel, a series of screens and buttons lighting up on the control panel. She stood for a few moments before letting off a beep, hopping up onto the controls and looking up through the darkly tinted glass. The thunder of the artilery guns above rang out, the shells flying down to kill more rangers, cause more death. I looked down at Titchbreeze, turning to face the controls. "I might be your son, but I'm not like you. You're a monster." My hoof rested upon a flashing red button, pressing it down with a click.

The snow outside seemed to fall away to a gaping abyss as the ground opened up outside. A warning klaxon sounded, the structure shaking faintly as steam and smoke erupted from the new hole, a massive spear of destruction headed by a self-contained megaspell flying forth from the concrete silo and up into the air. I watched from inside the bunker with a blank expression, following the missile as the glass tinted to the light of the exhaust. It reached a peak height, the bottom of the battlecloud-ship being illuminated by the flame of the thrusters for a split second before everything was engulfed in white.

The glass tinted to block out the explosion as best as it could, the stark form of the Raptor being fully iluminated by the missile's warhead detonating. The fireball carved a massive crater into the side, the blast clearing the clouds that supported it and sending the two halves of the ship in opposite directions, tearing it apart in the center. The ground wave shook all of us inside the bunker, some of the vertibucks that were returning being imprinted against the background of the sky before being blown out of it, crashing in flames. The flash faded, both halves of the cloudship plummeting to the ground, the bunker silent save for the sounds of the computers.

"Goddesses above!" I turned back, seeing Fringe and Titchbreeze both looking at myself like I was insane. The general on the floor rolled himself onto his back and scurried up against the wall, his eys fixed to me and breathing ragged. I don't see why he's surprised, he brought this on himself. Drawing Gamma's pistol from my forehoof, I brought it to bear on Titchbreeze, Fringe still frozen in looking out of the window as the fireball faded and gave way to some odd wispy cloud. Staring him down for but a few moments more, I took aim, and fired. Twice.

You know, there is a surprising amount of stopping power in the .45 automatic caliber bullet. It can entirely decapitate somepony if you hit the right spot - and their body was being melted into ash that same moment, anyways - and does a very good job at removing other pesky limbs as well. The two bullets I had fired at Titchbreeze as he cowered for his life against the concrete wall hit their targets perfectly, acting just as I had hoped they would. The shockwave from the rounds burrowed through his wings halfway along their length, reverberating off the wall behind and entirely shattering all bones and other structure inside, leaving two large, gaping holes where the bullets went through. Bloodied feathers filled the air as Titchbreeze's eyes rolled to the back of his head, the de-winged pegasus falling forwards and twitching on the floor of the bunker. I slid Gamma's pistol back into it's hoster, everypony staring at myself.

"The battle's over."

A cheer went up from the trench lines and city streets as the TOG trundled through them, myself and Minty resting on the long, flat back. I cradled the small plush of Gamma Ray close against my chest, looking down at it's small plush head and letting everything else fall out of focus. I thought back to when I was in my stable, how monotonous the days spent tending to Bruce were, how trivial the thought of watching a megaspell or balefire bomb live was, how boring things really could get. How much Gamma Ray loved me. I wished that I could just go back to all that, crawl down into Stable 34 again and just forget everything that had happened since I left. Oh, if I could just get Gamma Ray back, that would be enough...

"Hey, Twintails..." Minty scooched himself closer to me as the tank rode over the trenches in the city. We'd be out soon. My augmented friend wrapped his foreleg around my neck in a light hug, looking down at the plush I held for a moment before turning his vision back to me. "I... look, are you alright? I mean... I don't know what you're going though with all this, but... look. I'm here for you, alright? I always will be." He gave a weak smile, hugging me a little closer. I adjusted myself, cuddling closer to him, the breeze coming off of the wasteland seeming colder than ever.

"Thank you, Minty..." The unicorn gently nuzzled against my neck, his thick coat giving off quite a bit of heat in the cold air. Keeping the plush of Gamma Ray against my chest with one hoof, I wrapped the other around him, returning a tight hug. Tears began to stream from my eyes as we held each other, myself sniffling in and releasing a shuddering breath. "Th-thank you..."

The TOG soon reached the outskirts of Pripytrot, continuing onwards across the wasteland. In just a short while we arrived in Turnpike, hopping off of the back and heading to the familiar railyard, the lights on in the carriages. Featherweight stepped out onto the end platform, hopping down and coming over to greet us. The smell of the radishy stew hung in the air, a soft smile on the stallion's face. "Welcome home, Twinnie. Glad to see you both okay. C'mon, dinner's almost ready..." With a light chuckle, we folowed behind Featherweight, myself lingering behind, thinking. I wasn't hurt, no, I wasn't injured by bullets or plasma or lasers. I was okay, physically.

Mentally, though...

Normality

I walked a little behind Twintails and Featherweight as the tank turned off, Fringe beginning to drive it back towards EQUAD. Twintails looked withered, leaning onto Featherweight as we entered the railcars that made up his house. They headed straight for the bedroom at the back, myself turning and walking into the guest car where Buzzy was already curled up asleep. I carefully removed my saddlebags and glasses, and climbed into bed, the mattress’s springs creaking as I did so. Sweetie hooked a wire up to a small power generator, laying down as a small red light began to slowly flash on her ear. I wrapped myself up in the blankets, unable to take my mind off of Twintails, the way he was acting after that missile launch. Releasing a sigh, I rolled over to face the wall, trying to relax. My horn lit up as I levitated out my little Cross plushie, cuddling him. Sniffling lightly, I felt my stomach clench, the cool wasteland air biting at what was exposed of my coat. Twintails… I hope he’s alright…

I was standing in the command room, General Mosquito at the control panel in her Enclave officer power armor. She was flipping switches and pressing buttons, humming some odd tune. A bright red light began to flash on the ceiling, alarm sirens starting up. Through the window I could see three large beams of light shoot down from the sky, scanning across the mountain in view. My heart began to beat faster as I recognized the mountain, able to see the small wooden door that lead into Stable 76’s tunnel and the sign at the base along the trail. The beams focused in on the door, blinking as one beam before vanishing. Suddenly, what looked like a rod of energy screamed down from the sky, striking the side of the mountain. The mountain top was blown apart, rocks flung away in the blast, as my Stable started to burn.

Mosquito giggled like a school filly, and I felt my horn surge with energy. I smashed her head into the console with my magic, hearing her cry out in pain. Stepping up to her, I watched as she whimpered and tried to crawl away. My metal hoof came down on her temple, hard, and I could feel the bone shatter beneath it. My Stable… Cross Stitch… everypony inside… my mind was clear, save for the sole desire to beat Mosquito to a bloodied pulp. How she so easily killed them all, seeing them as nothing more than one blip on a radar, worthless pony lives... pony lives that I knew. She yelled in pain, coughing up blood as more poured from the crack in her skull. My hoof came down again, a few teeth being knocked free of her jaw as it struck, a loud crack resounding within the room. The sirens continued to blare, as in the back of my mind, the small yellow pegasus cowered and wept.

My hoof came down a third time, Mosquito only gurgling in response as the blood drained from her body began to pool on the floor. She stared up at nothing with a beaten eye, tears streaming down her face and mixing with the blood. I finally placed my flesh hoof onto her throat, hearing her wheeze slightly from the extra pressure. Slowly I leaned forward, her windpipe collapsing as I put my full weight upon it. She squirmed feebly for a moment before going still, her empty eyes gazing up at the cold metal ceiling, reflecting in their blank expression the inside of the room. Catching myself in the light, I took a good long stare into her dead eyes, and at the blood marking my hooves. When I caught my reflection again, it looked like me... but... what were all those bodies doing behind me?

I gasped as I awoke, panting, cold and clammy with sweat. Slowly, I sat up on the bed, trying to catch my breath. Oh, Mother of Celestia… I gulped, already feeling the burning sensation of stomach acid trying to creep up my throat. Tears slid down my face as I looked at the room, both Sweetie and Buzzy still asleep. I glanced down at my Pip-Buck, the clock reading 5:42. Letting off a sigh, I carefully slid the sheets back over myself. There’s no way I’m getting back to sleep after that… I picked up Cross’ plush counterpart, giving him a small snuggle and kiss before I placed him on my back. I quietly stepped over Buzzy, who muttered a bit before rolling over in bed. Trotting between the railcars, the cold wasteland air bit at my sweaty skin for the few moments it took to slide into the caboose, shutting the door silently behind. I sat down at the table, setting the plushie of Cross down on it as I levitated a bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla out of the refrigerator. I popped the cap off and took a swig, leaning onto the table, trying to focus my mind.

I stared down at my Cross toy, releasing a long sigh, thinking. What the hell happened at Pripytrot? What would I’ve done if Fringe hadn’t pulled me off Mosquito? I took another drink of the soda, my stomach still tied up in a knot. Why in Celestia’s name did I leave my Stable in the first place? What would’ve happened to Twintails, if I stayed inside? Questions swirled around in my head, almost making me sick to my stomach. I downed the rest of the Sarsaparilla in one gulp before pulling out another. Ugh, maybe I should just choke down a RAD, trying to vomit up the strontium might take my mind off of things. I looked over my shoulder as the door to Featherweight’s room opened, the muscular stallion closing the door behind him. “Morning.” I muttered, watching as he went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of oats. “How’s Twintails?”

“He hasn’t been doing too well." He poured himself a bowlful of oats and sat down at the table, wearing a faint frown. "He barely slept last night, and when he did, he was always muttering something, looking nervous. I don't know what launching that missile did to him...” He took a bite of oats, staring down at his bowl as he did. “I’m worried about him. I don’t want him going out on any more life-threatening... whatever it's called, but I know I can’t keep you here, especially with… Cross Stitch, right?” I nodded. “With him still out there, I know he’ll worry about you if you went out alone.” He took another mouthful of oats as I sipped some of my soda. He shook his head. “Maybe getting involved in Pripytrot was a bad idea.”

“Yeah.” We sat in silence for a moment longer as Featherweight finished up his oats and I drank the last of the soda. “Once we get Cross out of the Stable, I’ll make sure he comes back here. It’s going to be a while before I ever go wandering the wastes again.” If at all. I thought. Featherweight gave a small smile as we both sat quietly. I looked out the window, watching as the sky grew slightly lighter, the dark clouds still rolling through the air. I thought about Cross, Greasy, Sugar, Nikolai… I didn’t know whether or not Twintails and I would return to The Doc… he didn’t seem to need us, at least. Still, my stomach didn’t relax as I wondered what he was planning on doing with Megaspell Mary.

Twintails stepped out of Featherweight’s room, already laden with his saddlebags and weaponry. He sat at the table, large bags under his eyes. I used my magic to lift another bowl of oats and a Sparkle Cola over to him. “Nnh, thanks.” He muttered idly, before starting to eat, not looking either of us in the eye. He ate in silence, pausing every now and then to take a sip of the Cola. Once he was finished he stood up and took his and Featherweight’s bowls to the sink. “You ready to head out, Minty?” I looked over to him, more than a little worried.

“A-are you sure? We can stay here a little longer, I don’t want you going out before you’re ready.” He shook his head slowly. I stood up and trotted over to him. “Twintails, what’s wrong?” I whispered in his ear. He didn’t answer, only shifting his gaze away from me again. “Please, Twintails. I don’t like seeing you like this, you’re worrying me.” I could feel tears well up in my eyes, my voice quavering slightly. Twintails sniffed a bit, still avoiding my gaze. I pulled him into a hug, starting to cry softly. “Twintails, I…” I gulped a bit, but Twintails spoke up before I could continue.

“I’m sorry, Minty.” He wrapped his front hooves around me, sniffling again as he squeezed me. “I… all those ponies…” He forced out. I just held him as we both cried, leaning into each other. We stepped apart after a moment, both wiping our eyes clear. We stood still, before Sweetie and Buzzy entered from their room, Sweetie carrying my saddlebags on her back. Twintails walked up to Featherweight and hugged him tightly, the larger stallion returning it. “I’ll be back soon.” Featherweight nodded.

“You come right back if you need me.” He said, giving him a squeeze. I hitched up my saddlebags, slipping Cross back into them. We headed out into the cold air, a few other ponies already out in hopes of getting an early start to their day. We walked through the train cars and out onto the road, heading towards Trotisk. As our hooves crunched through the snow, I glanced over at Twintails. He looked a little better than he had just a few minutes ago, but I knew whatever was on his mind was still eating at him.

“Twintails… what exactly happened back at Pripytrot?” I asked tentatively. Twintails sighed as we trudged through the snow. He didn’t answer right away, trying to organize his thoughts. Sweetie hopped alongside us, still as cheerful as ever. Snow began to fall softly as we came to a junction, following the signs pointing towards Trotisk.

“W-well, when I called in that air strike from Featherweight...” He said softly. “The phosphorous shells… the point is, it did more than I thought it would… those soldiers had no way to defend themselves, and the Phos… the stuff burned them alive, from the inside out. Slowly.” My gut dropped as I listened, regretting having asked. “Then we got to the bunker and… I just launched that warhead. After seeing all those ponies in the trenches I still just caused another hundred of them to die…” His ears dropped as we walked. “A-and… I… I wonder if I'd just keep going… just mindlessly shooting at whoever’s there…” He looked over to me. “What if I end up firing something like that and it hits Mooscow, or Turnpike… or you?”

His eyes started to fill with tears again and I quickly walked up alongside him, giving him another hug and a soft nuzzle. “Twintails, I know you couldn’t do that. You’re nothing like your father… no matter what happens, I know you’d never be able to bring yourself to do something like that.” Twintails pushed his face into my shoulder a bit before stepping away. He wiped his eyes again.

“I’m… I’m sorry. Pripytrot… I just need some time to think, or… or something.” I gave a little nod, and we turned back down the road. We walked along for a while, every now and then passing a Steel Ranger heading back to EQUAD. I flipped on the radio, trying to divert both Twintails’ and my attention to something else.

Tom’s voice crackled in, “So, now you know why we stopped trading with Zebras and decided to bomb them instead. I promise tomorrow’s Neighrer Nightly will involve much less history and more jokes. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, obviously, why back in my heyday, ponies were making balefire apocalypse jokes like no tomorrow.". The radio fell silent for a moment, Tom letting off a weak chuckle. "Eheh, ah... too soon?"

Hi-Fi’s voice cut in, a small thump being heard as Tom had likely been shoved off the recording booth’s chair. "And that's the end of another lovely segment from our own Tom Neighrer, who probably deserves the hoof to the head I'll be asking my assistant Hi-fi to give him. Anyways, GOOOD MORNING, WASTELAAAAND! And what a good morning it is, because the guns out in Pripytrot are all silent and the boys are going back home! That's right, those mares and stallions out that way just won the battle of Pripytrot with a shut-out, reports claim the minute that missile blew the Enclave's ship in half every single enclave trooper droped their guns and threw their hooves up to the sky! If you see a vertibuck overhead, don't you worry my pony popsicles, that's just the spoils of war! Ha-ha!

"Far as Pripytrot itself is concerned, though, the Steel Rangers do recommend staying away from it for the time being. They’ve still got to ‘clean up' a few things, and the area’s still flooded with radiation. Matter of fact, that missile that supposedly a pair of stallions I know and am starting to love launched to end the whole thing was carrying a megaspell warhead, so the fallout’s going to be lingering a bit longer than we thought. Stay in those houses if you don’t want to become a ghoul! And if you do… well, I’ve seen weirder shit ponies are into. This one goes out to all those mares and stallions that fought for the rest of us and beat the ever-loving shit outta the Enclave!” There was a moment of silence before another song faded in. Stomach acid creeping up my throat, I flicked the radio off quickly, swallowing back the vomit. Oh, why did she have to say that...

We stepped into the Plasma Spaz, grey snow starting to fall from the sky as the door swung shut. Nikolai was at the desk again, wiping down the counter and register, looking up to both of us with a cheerful grin. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you back here so soon!” I returned his smile as we trotted up to the desk, Sweetie breaking away to look at more of Greasy’s custom weapons. “Flash and Sugar are both asleep. I think tonight’s the first time they’ve been able to get a proper rest in weeks. They’ve been so worried about the others fighting there, Flash kept making flights down to check on them.”

Greasy suddenly appeared at the door, rubbing her eyes a bit with her decaying hoof. “Oh, hey, what’re you two doing back here?” I shrugged a little, almost unable to answer why exactly. The thought ran through to respond with 'just to show we aren't dead'... but that feeling in my stomach warded me off of it. “Well, it’s nice to see you two again, regardless.” She looked down a little. “H-hey… would you guys mind if I asked something of you? When you guys broke me out of my factory, I... I wasn’t able to get everything I’d wanted. I didn’t think I could trust you, but… look, I’ll understand if you need a break after what happened at Pripytrot… but, would you mind going back there?" I blinked a few times, looking over to Twintails. He and Nikolai were both watching over Sweetie, as she seemed to get the pieces together for another one of those balefire egg warheads with the MFC grenades. "I told you how the night of the war… Rusty never made it back into the bunker. She was running back for more of our schematics when they fell… Would… would you mind trying to find her? I-I know she’s dead, there’s no way she could have survived, but… something?” She pleaded.

I looked over to Twintails, as he trotted back over to us. I wanted to help her out, but if anything we did might make him worse… after a breif run-over of the situation, he nodded, looking as determined as he had many times before. Greasy smiled and thanked us, as I picked up Sweetie and moved her back over to us. “Awww, can’t I just stay and play with the lasers? The chances of me burning the structure down are one hundred seventy six thousand, eight hundred forty three to one against!” I rolled my eyes Moving towards the door with a sigh. With our luck, we’re going to run into more Hell Hounds there, and we’re going to need you and your inventions. We left the shop, waving to Nikolai and Greasy as the wind picked up and blew the snow around our manes, stinging my eyes benhind my glasses. I buried my muzzle into my coat as we began to tramp through the snow, several ponies rushing through the streets to head back inside.

Soon we arrived at the factory further inside the city, the loose tin letters blowing in the wind above the doorframe. We slipped through the doors, Twintails keeping his eyes away from the bomb shadows outside and myself pulling out Sugar’s laser pistol, ready for any stray roaches still crawling around. “Well, I suppose we should look around this floor first, and work our way up. I doubt she’d be in the basement, or she would’ve probably made it back to the bunker.” Twintails nodded, and we split apart, him sweeping the west wing as I did the east. Sweetie tagged along with me, as I searched through the various cubicles. Aside from the occasional dead radroach and pencil, and one of the terminals having been replaced by a lone pencil sharpener at one desk, I found nothing of note. I wondered if the skeleton I’d found last time had been Rusty... no, it was definitely a zebra skeleton... I think. A grimace worked across my face as I thought it over more; Well, I doubt Greasy would have wanted her skull anyway. I met back up with Twintails at the staircase on the opposite side of the facility. “Find anything?”

He shook his head in response, a fewon across his muzzle. “I found a few caps in a drawer, but nothing that might be Rusty. Well, the pony, I mean. Plenty of rusty desks and cans around, eheh...” Answering his joke with a hoof to my forehead, we headed upstairs and broke off again, searching the various offices. The first few held nothing new from the last ones, aside from a roach that I was quick to vaporize, and a few spare energy cells. Sweetie gathered up a box of Abraxo she found in the janitor’s closet, stashing it in a small panel that opened on her back. Inside were a few bottles of turpentine, and a few empty soda bottles as well. Well, at least we can make a few more Sparkle grenades if we need to. I stepped up to a rather ornate wooden door, peering through the cracked glass and into what looked like a large executive office. Jiggling the door handle, the knob refused to budge any further. Couldn't have been so easy... Releasing a sigh, I sat myself down, pulling out my screwdriver and a pin. I'd begun to fiddle with the lock, as Twintails found us. “Nothing yet.”

I nodded, placing my ear to the lock. Come on… a little left… right… The lock clicked as I managed to work it free, the door swinging open. I stowed my pin and screwdriver, wearing a small grin as we stepped into the office. A large desk sat at the end, something charred black sticking out from behind it. Twintails hung back for a few moments as I walked behind the desk, revealing a charred skeleton gripping what looked like several old holotapes. Resting upon what was left of the skeleton's skull was a bright green headband.

I recognized it instantly. It was the headband Rusty wore in the picture on her book, had to be. I bent down to inspect it closer, Twintails finally seeming to work up the will to move forth. How in the name of Celestia did something like that survive the war? It glittered in the faint light as I gently lifted it off of her bones with my magic, dropping it onto my outstretched hoof. The band was surprisingly heavy, my eyes widening in amazement as I tossed it gently on my foreleg. Twintails kept his focus on the band, his mouth dropping open as it shimmered in the light. “Is that… emerald?” I rolled the band around in my hooves, the light from the windows bouncing off of it in various ways.

I let Twintails admire it for a momrnt more, before slipping it gently into my saddlebags. “Okay, we agree to not touch that again until we’re handing it over to Greasy, alright? Celestia knows what a raider might do if they saw us carrying it around.” Twintails nodded in agreement, and both of us immediately turned to leave. Gems may have been common before the war, but anything with that kind of craftsmanship alone was going to turn heads. I paused for a moment, gathering up the holotapes clutched in Rusty’s bony legs, slipping them into my saddlebags as well. We trotted downstairs and headed back out into the icy wind, fighting it as we made our way back towards the Plasma Spaz.

The bell on the door rung as we entered, both Twintails and I happy to be shielded from the wind again. Cross' new jacket was better than the old armor, but sweet Celestia above, the winds were being nasty today. We headed up the stairs, finding Nikolai brewing some hot chocolate as Greasy poured over a large pile of metal. She muttered to herself, trying to fit bits and pieces into various components, drawing the attention of Sweetie. “Well, that certainly was fast.” Nikolai said, wearing a smile, placing a few mugs of the drink on the table.

Greasy was still too engrossed in her work to notice, but looked up once Nikolai nudged her. She stood up, wearing a wide grin and looking eagerly at us. “Did you find anything?” I opened up my saddlebags, levitating out all the holotapes. Greasy immediately grabbed a few of them, looking them over. “EMP pistol… solar powered gun… Tesla rifle, heh, that’s one you should see, gives me tingles… um, metaphorically, I mean.” She rattled off the various devices, laying the holotape blueprints on the table. As she did, I lifted out the gem headband.

“Ah, we found this, too.” Greasy stopped her spiel as her eyes lifted to meet sight of the band, a breath leaving her as she stood, frozen. I gently levitated it over to her, letting it fall into her hooves. “This was Rusty’s, right?” Greasy nodded slowly, her eyes welling up with tears as she held it in her hooves. She backed up and sat down on the couch, staring at the band through her wet eyes. After a quiet moment, she sniffled, setting the band on the table near the pile of holotapes, stepping up and embracing us both a hug.

“Thank you so, so much…” She broke the hug, both Twintails and I sitting down beside her, Nikolai taking a seat on the floor next to the table. “Yes... yes, this was hers. She had a few others, but this one was always her favorite.” She paused, smiling down at the band. I explained where we found it and she chuckled a bit. “I’m surprised it survived in that office. Even before the war we always had things failing in there, lights, windows… a filing cabinet even exploded once. Had the automatic drawer wired wrong... she was always happy to patch things up, though. She was always more an engineer than an inventor, but you should’ve seen how her face would light up when she finally got my things to work properly. She’d always rush to show me like a little filly, beaming…” Greasy’s eyes watered a warm smile coming across her face. “S-sorry, I’m ranting again. This... this was more than I’d expected… Thank you.” She held the headband close to her, resting her muzzle upon the finely smoothed emerald.

“It was our pleasure.” Twintails wore a light smile as Nikolai offered Greasy a mug of the chocolate, the ghoul pegasus accepting and taking a sip. I took a drink of my own mug of the cocoa as well, feeling it warm my insides as it fell into my stomach. Leaning back into the couch, Ireleased a contended sigh, Sugar Rush and Flash Bang stepped into the room with soft smiles upon their own faces. “Oh hey, how’re you two doing?” They sat down, Sugar leaning into Flash gently, seeming to nibble on her wingtip playfully. The pegasus mare's face turned a bright red in blush, Sugar releasing a giggle and wrapping a hoof around her neck, Flash-Bang taking a moment to regain herself.

“M-much better, now that the issue in Pripytrot’s over and done with. Much, much better...” Flash let off a small giggle of her own, nuzzling Sugar lightly. Nikolai stood up and went to prepare some more hot chocolate for them, Flash turning back to face us. “Ooh, before I forget, Quazar had wanted to see you two again. She has something she wanted to give you both, a little show of her thanks~” She snickered, having delivered it about as tauntingly as she could've. Twintails grinned excitedly, leaning forwards, Flash responding with a grin and shake of her head. “Nope, I’m not allowed to tell you, you have to go there yourself. Based on how she worded it though, I'm pretty sure you'll want to go there sooner that later~” I took another sip of cocoa, as Twintails downed the rest of his in one gulp. He swallowed and coughed, fanning his mouth with a wing.

“HOT, hot, that was hot, bad idea.” He coughed, setting the mug back onto the table and panting a few times into the cool air. Sweetie was busy tinkering with the cocoa machine along with Nikolai, glancing back and forth between hastily scribbled notes and the metal pieces. After regaining himself, Twintails looked over to me, still managing a grin. “Do you want to head out? Ooooh, maybe she’s planning on giving us back the TOG!” I chuckled lightly, finishing up my cocoa and giving my head a small shake. Against my better judgment, I nodded, standing up.

“I suppose we can head out now. But don’t get too excited, odds are it’s probably power armor or something.” I replied, fantasizing about a full, real set of power armor… maybe some sort of plasma cannon built into the back, and, ooh, just imagine the targeting systems... Twintails nudged me, taking me out of my dream, before releasing a light chuckle. I turned to face the others, clearing my throat and nodding lightly. “Thanks for letting us stay for a little while, again.” They thanked us for stopping by, Greasy giving us another hug before we headed downstairs. I had to practically drag Sweetie away from the table of machinery.

We headed outside again, the wind and snow having died down significantly since we’d returned with Rusty’s headband. We made our way through the streets north, passing by the entrance to the inner city on our way up to EQUAD. We trotted past a few ponies in power armor, a few tilting their head in acknowledgement or waving to us as we passed, us returning with smiles and waves of our own. We were soon starting to climb the road twisting around the small mountain EQUAD was embedded in, the guards lifting the roadblock for us without hesitation. Sweetie spoke up. “If we are to receive access to the weapons lab, I will be sure to manufacture several Sparkle grenades and other devices of fun!” She said, hopping up and down excitedly. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight - we really need to find someplace to keep her safe before she blows us all up, though.

The door to the bunker slid open with a loud creak, Twintails, Sweetie and I all heading down the steps, our hooves echoing through the metal corridors. We trotted through the hallways, heading down another few steps towards Elder Quazar’s room. “Oh, hey, guys!” Nova trotted up to us, smiling widely. “I take it Flash told you about my mom’s offer then. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly.”

“I don’t think Cotton Candy expected you to either.” Twintails said, releasing a little giggle. Nova’s face turned bright red, as mine went a little green as well. No, Twintails… just… no. He giggled again as we stepped into Quazar’s room, the hydraulic door shutting behind us. She was busy pouring herself over some field reports, occasionally scribbling down notes on a sheet of paper. We walked up to her desk, the unicorn mare looking up from her work with weary eyes and a wide smile.

“Ah, I'm so glad to see you're all alright. Fringe had told me about what you've done... a lot of ponies here owe you their lives, you know.” She wore a smile, looking back down at her notes for a moment, making a few more marks before sliding the papers into a drawer in her desk. She stood herself up, still wearing the smile, looking at both of us. “Come, right this way, if you wouldn't mind. I really can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done. The war with the Enclave would have likely drained all our resources and killed everypony, if you hadn't done what you did. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly repay you, but I hope this is at least a start.” She smiled, us all having been brought down a branching hallway near a few metal cylinters that had ridiculous springs in them. She pressed a button near a large door, a few locks sliding and spinning open before the door slid down into the ground, revealing an enormous supply room, stocked with lasers, plasma, rifles, grenades, missile launchers, power armor… I was grinning ear to ear, looking around at everything available.

“Have what you can carry. We owe you our livelyhood.”

My eyes wide and jaw slack at the sight of the armory put before us, I found myself stammering dumbly as Minty leapt inside and immediately began pouring himself over a set of the power armor. Rear legs failing me, Kindness clatered against my grenade launcher and auto-rifles, Quazar taking a few soft steps over to my front, releasing a small laugh, Sweetie Bot following Minty inside. The elder unicorn wore a soft smile, resting on her hooves for a moment before moving herself a few steps closer. "Of course, there is one thing not here, which Fringe said you specifically may be more interested in. A certain, how did they put it, 'land-battleship'?" Oh my sweet Celestia above.

"A-buh-buh-buh... you... you don't mean..." I blinked a few times, looking wide-eyed towards Quazar, who put forth a smile and gave a slow nod. They were going to just... and me... I... oh, silly brain, I thought I had enough sleep last night! Oh, wait, on second thought... yeah, maybe fainting would be beneficial. Or not. All those ponies... Quazar cleared her throat, drawing my attention, the excitement of hearing we might be getting the TOG back slowly being replaced with memories of Pripytrot. The trenches... the bodies... the burning phosphorous... yep, yeah, excitement gone.

"Well, we felt it would only be right, so long as you agreed to abide by the list of, um, Tankery rules which Fringe had pieced together for permanent display inside the turret." She released a weak chuckle, the smile upon her face quavering lightly as she looked back inside the armory. I followed her gaze, and found the elder unicorn affixed upon the sight of the robotic filly. "However... you have to understand, we do have a certain codex which we must follow. The loss of such a grand machine of war, ridiculous as the, ah, TOG is in appearance, we need to replace it with something." Moving myself back to my hooves, I looked to Quazar, seeing her still watching Sweetie Bot with intent. All those ponies... "The android which you have traveling with you, of Ministry Mare Sweetie Belle, well... you know of her abilities better than us. I don't want to have to ask this, but-"

"How many ponies survived the missile? Are any in your care?" The elder unicorn was taken aback for a moment as I cut her off, Minty and Sweetie Bot looking up inside the armory in sudden curiosity. My breathing was slow but shallow, staring at Quazar as she returned with her look of surprise, swallowing once. As much as I didn't want to give myself more bad dreams... goddesses, please at least tell me I didn't kill them all with it. How many could've been on that ship when it hit? Hundreds? Thousands? How many were injured on the ground when it detonated? How many lives, and all extinguished with a press of a button. Quazar took a moment to regain herself, clearing her throat, Minty and Sweetie Bot trotting forth, out of the armory.

"Y-... uh... y-yes, a few of them. I'll... is there something wrong?" The Elder lifted a forehoof to rest upon my shoulder, genuine concern in her eyes. Mine were beginning to dampen slightly, Minty setting the items he had collected aside and likewise trotting up to us, Sweetie Bot sitting aside with her natural curiosity. I looked between them all, blinking my eyes of growing tears, vission blurring. "Twintails?"

"I-I'm fine. I just... I just need to see what I did, okay?" Rubbing my eyes with my foreleg, I sniffled my running nose back, tring to get back to a calmer demeanor. Letting off a sigh, my muzzle gently brushed the pair of bits supported in front of my face. Guns, balefire eggs, megaspells... they weren't supposed to be fawned over, for fun. "It... look. I did something that saved a lot of lives, but it killed a lot of ponies in the process. Even if they were attacking us for no reason, if it was just because they could..." Quazar bit at her lip softly, looking distressed. She turned to face Minty, her magic levitating out a small plastic card, eyes on my augmented friend, and Sweetie Bot.

"I'll take him. There are a few things I... uh... Look, go back to browsing. Find Nova if you want to learn how to use the MWT Model 51, we may be a while." Minty passed a worried look to myself, giving a faint nod to Quazar and turning back to the armory. He gave a long look back as Quazar looked to myself, nodding down the hallway and keeping the keycard levitated at the ready. Slowly, I followed behind, my eyes stinging faintly from the tears. The elder glanced back in faint worry, a group of three rangers passing by us in the hallway.

"We've done all which we could to assist in healing the injured Enclave forces... former Enclave forces, I mean. The situation is rather complicated, when you..." She bit her lip, slowing in her walking for a moment before finding the right words. "When their ship was destroyed, many of those fighting in the city immediately surrendered their weapons, and themselves. We train fine discipline here in the Rangers, but... ponies are still ponies." Ascending a stairwell, we had come to another hallway with the massive springs, moving along inside and slowing as we neared a doorway. Quazar released a sigh, her head hung as the keycard levitated above a slot next to the door. "There are a lot of families now down here. I'm not sure if they will be welcome when they must be returned to the surface..."

She slid the keycard through the slot, the light beside it switching from red to green and the door sliding open. I blinked a few times, looking through the doorway and seeing several groups of pegasi all milling about with one another, some eating timidly from bowls while others hugged fillies and colts in their hooves, all of them seeming lost and displaced. Many turned to look at us as the door slid open, any talk coming to a quiet murmur as we trotted through the doorway. A few of the pegasi made quiet gasps as I passed them, sticking close to Quazar, the door closing shut behind us as we approached another one inside the room. Glancing about nervously, it felt just like that first time in that restaurant in Mooscow, a bunch of ponies all staring at me for whatever reason I didn't know. But... I could guess why...

I blinked a few times, feeling a small hoof tugging at my barding. Looking down, a small group of pegasus foals looked up at me, one itching at his head and shaking a few strands of mane from his hoof. The leader looked up at myself in quiet contemplation for a few moments, mouth open, her eyes running over the auto-rifles and grenade launcher I had on my back. She blinked, biting at her lower lip anxiously before looking back up, soft orange mane falling over her eyes. "A-are you a surface pegasus?" Quazar grumbled faintly, looking to the door and swiping her keycard through the slot again. After a moment of thought, I responded to the filly with a small nod - well, my father might've been Enclave, but I technically was born in Stable 34 - her friends having their own gasps of amazement. The heavy door moved open, Quazar's magic lifting it manually, allowing us through. The group of fillies moved back into the small crowd, Quazar and myself watching them for a moment, the elder unicorn releasing a slow sigh as the door shut behind once more.

"These are the few we have that have made it here. We are still finding survivors around Pripytrot and stabilizing them there, it... oh no." Placing the keycard back into a pocket of her robes, Quazar's eyes went wide as the sound of somepony beating upon somepony else filled the room's far end, behind a doorway. We rushed past several rows of ponies... or, well, what were ponies. Oh, goddesses, these were the bomb victims... mane loss, peeling coats, odd-colored blinded eyes, it was all the pamphlets described could happen. Clenching my eyes shut for a moment, I focused on Quazar, watching as she stopped in front of a branching room and wrestled with the door. Moving alongside, the window revealed the sight of Fringe, sans armor and with blood on his hooves, pummeling a tied-up, bare, wingless... my jaw hung slack as I watched it going down, Fringe grabbing Titchbreeze by his shoulders and leaning over him, ash from his cigar falling onto the former General's bare coat. Quazar slammed the door open, Fringe screaming into Titchbreeze's face.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, what in the name of the Goddesses Celestia and Luna above is NEAMO, and why the bloody hell do you want it!?" The general coughed, spitting up blood, the Elder jumping forwards to separate the two of them. The bottom of my stomach fell out, eyes gone wide - NEAMO? They... they were after NEAMO? Oh, fuck me with a fuel rod, this could turn out -really- bad. Fringe let off a pained grunt as he was pulled off, smoke from his cigar drifting through Quazar's aura and dissapating in the air, the mustached pegasus thrashing for a moment before seeing the unicorn keeping him off. The elder set him back upon his hooves, putting out his cigar and discarding it into a nearby wastebasket. "Elder Quazar. Didn't know you were coming down here, would've rescheduled my little chat with Titchbreeze. He was just about to tell me what he was doing in Pripytrot, besides murdering everyone again."

"Knight Fringe, we do not brutalize our prisoners for information. No matter how much they have to answer for..." Quazar held a firm look in Fringe's direction as he stood at attention, Titchbreeze hunched over, a gruesome drip of blood and spit coming from his mouth. The Elder looked towards him, a healing potion being lifted in her magic and fed to the beaten former pegasus, a disappointed sigh escaping her lips. I stood back, by the doors, a certain pit in my stomach as I watched Titchbreeze swallow down the purplish liquid, some of the wounds clearing as the plastic bag was drained, the pegasus gasping for breath and letting his head rest back as he seemed to start recovering, if only just.

Quazar approached the detained general, her magic moving his head forwards to meet her eyes, the sternness apparent in her voice. "Now..." She took a light step backwards, Titchbreeze breathing slowly as her magic flared. His eyes went wide for a moment, jaw falling slack, but body seeming to still remain alive, as if she were placing him in some sort of trance. "As long as I'm here anyways, I suppose learning why you were here would be beneficial. So tell us, again, what is this 'NEAMO', and why did you start a war over it?"

"NEAMO was a pre-war project Mossie had come across when we were patrolling outside one of the Stalliongrad airstrips, only myself and her know. Acronym, stands for North Equestrian Megaspell Artillery Outpost - a big artillery gun that fires megaspell warheads, we think." As the general answered, he seemed to respond almost robotically, the words fit together more in a flat tone than actual speech, almost literally being pried out of him. Okay, mental note, never ever get on Quazar's bad side... "The head of the project was Dr. Cherry Cove, earth pony. He thought that an artillery piece would be more reliable and less predictable than a missile silo or megaspell chamber matrix, we don't even know if it was built. We were ordered to take the Pripytrot missile silos before proceeding onwards to the NEAMO facility. When the robots started turning up with the old Equestrian army markings and NEAMO chestplates..."

Titchbreeze fell limp as Quazar gasped for breath, his eyes fluttering for a few moments before closing entirely, chest moving slowly as he sat in the chair. The elder unicorn regained herself, holding a hoof to the side of her head and leaning upon Fringe, looking to the rest of us. Okay, so, they know about Megaspell Mary now... brilliant. Quazar righted herself, glancing between myself and Fringe, a grim look upon her face. "Call for any available medic, he may have a seizure. Twintails... if you wouldn't mind." She nodded towards the doorway, starting to trot forth herself, myself moving to hold the door as we stepped out and back into the makeshift medical room.

"This development... no, we've only just finished with the matter in Pripytrot. We can't afford... unless... hm..." We trotted out of the rows of bomb survivors, the door at the other end opening more freely as we approached. Quazar seemed lost in thought, swiping the card more out of habit than anything. We passed quickly through the waiting room, the trio of foals from earlier laughing and playing with each other, the outer door opening with a hiss of hydraulics. Stepping out into the hallway, the elder unicorn looked about, searching for something. "Come with me, I'd like to ask if you could do something."

Passing down a few more hallways, and giant springs - which I'm starting to think are more than just for show - we arrived at a heavy metal door, a pair of rangers guarding it either side. They stood upright as Quazar approached, her card levitated out once more. "Normally we investigate things like this on our own, but you do understand that we are trying to recover from Pripytrot. This is of great importance to the Rangers, if you could help us." I blinked a few times, looking up at the door in front of us. In the light of the hallway, engraved words could be made out in the metal; 'Stargate Command'. Hubzawah? "Wait here for a moment."

"U-uh, alright? What's, um, what's this star-gate-thing on the door for?" Blinking in confusion, the elder disappeared for a few moments through the doorway. There was a small clatter on the other side, the rangers stood at attention letting off faint grumbles inside their armor, seeming to glare at me. Goddesses, that armor was intimidating... Quazar returned a moment later, the door shutting behind her, looking to me with something held in her magic. She paused for a moment, looking back at the door and fitting a pre-war camera around my neck, then letting off a small amused laugh.

"Celestia knows. It's been there since the time of the war, and as far as we can guess, it's always been a broom closet."

"Minty? What in the name of Luna happened to you?!" Quazar, Sweetie Bot, and myself had all reconvened inside the exit corridor, the TOG already having been brought up from wherever they were keeping it. When my augmented friend had charged in - sans horn, and glasses, and wearing the suit part of the power armor - well... it's safe to say, we all had a few questions. Mainly concerning the numerous kiss marks covering most of his face. He slowly regained himself, the servos of the power armor whirring as he moved, shaking his head and looking up at Quazar.

"I hate my family sometimes." A familiar mare's voice went up from the hallways leading to us, causing Minty's eyes to go wide and pupils shrink as he scrambled to get inside the forward doors of the TOG. With a stunning leap, he managed to get himself up and over the side, his back end stcking rather ungracefully out the opened doors. Flailing his legs, Nova finally appeared, wearing quite a bit of lipstick that just so happened to match... oh. Man, I'm slow.

"Minty!~ Come here, you don't have all the training yet!~" She wore a wide grin, her robes fallen off slightly as she rushed forwards. "C'mon, I promise it'll only take a few minutes lon-... u-uh..." She stammered as her eyes met those of the Elder's, Minty's flailing legs clanking against the side of the tank. Climbing in through the opposite side doors, I moved over to Minty, struggling to help him in through the doorway while Nova and Quazar had a little talk. My augmented friend fell to his haunches as they moved in through the door, letting out a strained groan and resting before rubbing at his face with the rubber padding on his armor's hooves. Ouch.

"If we ever come back here, you're staying with me." A faint snicker escaped myself, watching Minty fighting to wipe the kiss-marks off of his face. Okay, I knew that Nova was attracted to him... yep, that's still creepy... but, c'mon, this was just funny. He shot me a stern glare, his new armor stained with cherry-red lipstick. "Don't say anything about it to Nikolai. Or Cross Stitch. Or Bloodbeak. Or anyone, for that matter." He grumbled, rubbing the lipstick off of the armor's hoof and onto the floor of the tank, leaving a greasy red smear. Shaking his head, he glanced out the doorway, listening to Nova and Quazar for a moment. "So, they giving us a ride back in the TOG? I uh... eheh... yeah I think that might be a good idea... aw, Celestia fuck me. All the stuff's back in Nova's room."

"Eh... something like that. See, um, me and Quazar were talking it over while you were browsing with Sweetie Bot. We're getting the TOG back, but..." I gnawed at my lip, looking up through the open doorway at the small robotic filly curiously poking her head through it. Oh, what timing... "We get the TOG, but Sweetie Bot has to stay here. It's some horsefeathers about the codex or something... I, uh, I meant to tell you both at some point." Minty blinked in surprise, a bit of lipstick still stuck on his face in a few places. Sweetie Bot, for her turn, only seemed to gaze over us with that wide-eyed curiosity of hers.

"Minty's cousin Nova is an entertaining pony, and I feel that she would respect my wishes and sentience." Her eyes refocused once, Minty turning to blink in surprise. So... um... huh. "From what I have seen of these new inhabitants of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense facility, they respect technology to an almost religious degree. I wouldn't mind staying with them for a while, I might even get a cutie mark in being a lab assistant!" She clapped her hooves together happily with a whirr of servos, both myself and Minty watching her in honest surprise. I genuinely thought this'd be more difficult, but, um... alrighty then. Quazar trotted over, wearing a soft smile and resting a hoof around Sweetie Bot's neck.

"Nova is bringing your things over in a few moments, she'll recieve a proper punishment for this unexpected act. I, uh, I am sorry for suggesting her..." The elder unicorn wore a faint blush of embarrasment, myself resting back on the driver's position of the tank, adjusting the loaded battle saddle. "Regardless, I will ensure that Miss Sweetie Belle will be treated respectfully as a sentient pony, while we learn about her. You and any of her friends will be free to visit at any time, within reason." Minty adjusted himself, seeming to relax faintly as Quazar explained. She blinked a few times, letting off a faint snicker and covering her muzzle for a moment. "Oh, uh, Minty..." Lightly rubbing at her forehead with her forehoof, my augmented friend responded in confusion, then went to wearing a blush, moving to the back of the tank and to the small makeshift sink.

Nova returned after a moment, Quazar assisting her in moving the heavily laden saddlebags through the doorway and setting them down inside, Minty jumping on them and searching through for his regular barding, using the pant leg to wipe his face clear. The reactor in the back of the tank hummed softly, the guages on the forward display flickering as the systems began to turn on completely. Minty's rummaging filled teh air for a few moments, before he looked up and moved back to the front of the tank with a fast whirr of servos. "NOVA! Where's my horn!?" The earth pony mare froze in her tracks halfway through the door, slowly turning about. Quazar wore a stern look, her magic running over Nova's body for a moment before levitating out a small metal cone from her daughter's pocket. The look on Nova's face as she levitated it over to the tank, that certainly didn't look like she wanted to give it back just yet... oh boy.

Minty immediately swiped it from Quazar's aura, screwing it back in place with some difficulty. All eyes seemed to be focused on his horn, a small, reddish drip coming from the tip and flowing slowly down his face. Oh, Celestia damn it, I didn't want to taste breakfast twice... Minty snapped his head around, apparently unaware of what was on his horn. No, no, you're just making it worse. He blinked a few times, reaching up and unscrewing his dripped-clean horn, looking at it for a moment. The long sniff he took of it, followed by his expression afterwards, made me glad I currently had my entire forehoof jammed in my mouth. By some miracle, he managed to get to the side of the tank and stick his head out of the doorway before making a mess on the hallway floor, Quazar and Sweetie Bot thankfully kept clear from the splatter.

"Ugh... somepony get a janitor... and some scrubbing acid."

"Mother of Celestia!" The TOG came to an easy rolling stop outside of the Plasma Spaz, Nikolai and Greasy having stepped outside the door to see what the commotion was. I unlatched the driver-side doors, swinging them open and into the snowy air, leaning back and wearing a grin, looking out the driver-side door. Greasy looked along the length of the massive tank in astonishment, a set of power armor levitated out to the zebra stood beside her in an aura of teal magic. I let off a small chuckle, watching their reactions, Greasy's especially. "What... but... where in the name of Celestia did you get a functioning Ministry of Wartime Technology experimental design like this!? Goddesses above, it's... it's even got the mark of 'The Old Gang' on the doors!" Myself and Minty blinked as she moved up to get a closer look at the side doors, the latches clattering on the outside of the tank as she pressed the door against it.

"The Old Gang... so that's what it stands for. Huh, we've just been calling it the TOG." I shrugged, the ghoulified pegasus eagerly sticking her head inside the doorway to look at the interior. Like a filly in a candy shop... she let off a loud squee, hopping inside and clambering past Minty to look at the reactor and turbine setups. I scratched idly at the back of my head, Minty moving forth and hopping out of the tank, him and Nikolai both entering the Plasma Spaz as Greasy fawned over the tank's drive systems.

"Ooh hohoho, sweet goddesses above, this is -so- amazing. Electro-mechanical drive with a mark 20 high-efficiency arcane reactor, torsion bar suspension, and is that a Royal Equestrian Ordinance QF 17-pound gun in the turret? And it fires balefire egg shells for ammunition?! How did they ever figure out how to prevent breech detonations, this is... this... oh my Celestia..." The ghoulified pegasus wobbled upon her hooves for a moment, giggling faintly before falling to the side, thankfully onto the lowered cots. Blinking a few times, I lifted from the driver's chair, trotting myself over to her. She mumbled and giggled weakly, a bit of her mane glinting in the light. Leaning forth for a closer look, the polished emerald of the familiar headband caught my eye, giving me a moment's pause. She was wearing her sister's headband... I felt the urge to squeeze the plushie of Gamma Ray closer against myself just then. How easy it was to lose everything you love...

The back of the tank clattered with the sound of heavy hooves and a large metal sled, some braces clattering against the topside as the heavy hooves trotted over to the front end, a few smaller ones nearing the doorway opposite and knocking on it's top a few times. Unlatching the forward doors, I was met with a small scream of surprise, followed by the wide, smiling eyes of Buzzy as she hovered outside. "Told'ya Featherweight, it is them!" Wearing a light smile, I climbed myself out of the doorway and hovered up to the back of the tank, met with the soft, dreamy eyes of that huge hunk of stallion. He let off a soft chuckle, wrapping his foreleg about my neck gently as we stepped up to each other, sharing a light kiss.

"Nice to see you're alright, Twinnie. Heh, I had a feeling you'd wind up finding something to end up playing around in..." Chuckling lightly, the larger stallion tapped a hoof against the armor of the tank, looking at it for a moment as Buzzy hovered herself around the front, trotting along the barrel of the gun. Featherweight's eyes lit up slightly as he glanced back at the large battlewagon behind him, myself glancing over with him. "Ah, we were just going to stop by Gun Runner's to see if they could make us some more shells for the forty-mil guns. We're down to four reloads for the cannons, just want to have somewhere close that we can get more. Can't risk going back to Sunrise Castle with the storms starting." I nodded lightly, looking over the cart and noticing a large pile of metal partly tied down with a tarp.

"Heh, sorry we parked in the way. Still getting the hang of driving this thing... ah, Featherweight, what's that stuff in the back of the wagon?" Blinking lightly, I followed him as he trotted over to it - man, this thing really was ridiculously big. He wore that friendly, soft smile, lifting up a corner of the tarp and revealing a rather unnervingly familiar metallic hoof sticking from a pile of scrap beneath it. Now where in Celestia did he find these things?... and why did that faint chemically burning smell they gave off seem so familiar?

"Well, we were also going to see about dropping this stuff off at that RobronCo factory for a couple caps tomorrow. Think these are the robots they were asking for..." He let off a dry chuckle, fitting the tarp back into place. "Sorry about the smell, turns out those shells are great for turning these things into scrap metal. Hence why we were seeing about getting a few more of 'em... hey, you guys are heading back to Mooscow, to get that Cross Stitch guy out of the Stable, right? Mind if we tag along with?" Forty millimeters of high explosive... white phosphorous, good against robots, good to know. Releasing a slight chuckle, we both trotted over to the opposite side of the tank, hopping down from the back and moving towards the front again.

"Oh, not at all! Eheh, just don't be surprised if we don't get there too quickly, this thing wasn't quite built for speed... least getting through Quebuck won't be a hassle." I chuckled lightly, Buzzy hovering around and over to the inside of the tank. Jumping in faint surprise, we both leaned forth to see just what she was doing in there, catching her leaning over the driver's seat and fiddling with some dials on the radio. She giggled, pausing for a moment then smacking the top of it with a hoof,the thing instantly sparking to life inside the TOG. Well, at least we'll have music for the trip!

"GOOOD AFTERNOON WASTELAAAAND! You're listening to Bert the Turtle and Tom Neighrer on CONELRAD radio, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM band reciever. What does AM band stand for? Hell if I know! I just like saying it. Tommy's taking a break from his concert for now, so I'm putting on an old one we've got because I haven't heard it in ages either! This one goes out to all those heroes that kept us safe from the Enclave, and sure as hell showed no Sympathy for Discord! Ha-ha!"

"Please allow me to introduce myself,
I'm a mare of wealth and taste.
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a mare's soul and faith.

I was 'round when Nightmare Moon,
Had her moment of doubt and pain.
Made damn sure that Princess C,
Felt her actions, sealed her fate.

Pleased to meet you,
Hope you guess my name.
But what's puzzling you,
Is the nature of my game.

I stuck around old Stalliongrad,
When I saw it was a time for a change!
Killed plenty'a ponies and zebras alike,
heard those families all scream out in vain!

I rode a tank,
Held a general's rank
When Littlehorn raged,
And the bodies stank.

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

I watched with glee
While old Princess C
Stepped down from her throne,
and let Luna have a go!

I shouted out,
Who killed Big Macintosh?
When after all
It was you and me!

Let me please introduce myself,
I'm a mare of wealth and taste!
And I laid tracks for the hoofsoldiers,
Who get killed before they had their day!"

“Alright, just try to relax and let the suit do most of the work.” I said, once Nikolai had the entire suit of armor on. He couldn’t stop grinning, eager to try it out himself. “You’ll get the hang of it sooner or later, you mostly just need to make sure you move slowly so you don’t jam up the motors when you start.” He slowly raised a hoof, the servos whirring as pressurized gas hissed. Nikolai took a few steps forward, the metallic hooves muffled by the carpet. “From what Nova said, the standard insulation from the generator on the back has been lessened to help keep the wearer warm in the wastes. But… if you start to feel it burning through your back, you better switch it off before it overheats and roasts you.” Nikolai turned back to me, looking more than a little worried. “She said it shouldn’t happen so long as you aren’t running a marathon, at least.” I let off a weak chuckle, rubbing at the back of my head. Nikolai still didn’t look terribly comforted. “Well, whatever, you can fix that if you want when you get to tinkering with it.”

“Now, the helmet’s thankfully a little easier for you, not having a horn and all. Right beside your right ear’s the light, try turning that on.” I lifted up the helmet and let him slip it on. He fumbled about a bit, searching for the button on the large headlight. He managed to click it and I was temporarily blinded. Okay, next time don’t look straight on into that! Guh, damn glasses... “Turn it off!” I half shouted, pulling the pair of lenses off my face and rubbing at my eyes. Nikolai quickly complied, a ‘sorry’ coming through the voice modulator. “Ok… um…” I tried to gather my thoughts. “Oh, yeah, there’s a small recording device on the neck piece, I believe you can use it for transmission as well, but Elder Quazar ordered it to be severed as we still technically weren’t members. I think that’s all.” Nikolai took off the helmet and placed it on a nearby table.

“I can’t wait to get to work on this, Greasy and I are going to have a field day! Night vision, heat vision, built in weaponry…” He looked up to me, beaming. “I can’t thank you enough for this.” I smiled in response as Nikolai began to take off the armor, chuckling lightly. “I wonder if Greasy still has plans for Rusty’s wings, maybe I could install those too!”

We headed back outside, seeing Twintails bobbing his head slightly to the beat of a song playing through the TOG's radio. Greasy was still fawning over the tank, Featherweight and Buzzy securing their wagon to the top of the tank. Yeah, as if that thing needed even more firepower. “You install those wings and I might have to steal it back from you.” I released a snicker, Nikolai matching it, shaking his head in response.

“Sure, Minty, you give that a try. As we know, you’re the top in the field when it comes to stealth.” He said between chortles. I rolled my eyes and gave him a smack across the head with my robotic hoof. He rubbed at the spot, muttering a bit. “Well, I hope getting back to Mooscow goes well. Not that I really have reason to doubt that when you’re riding in this.” He tapped the side of the tank. Greasy popped her head out of the tank, her muscles stretched into a slightly disfigured smile. She hopped down the tank, landing softly in the snow beside us.

“Nikolai, Twintails said you helped retrieve this! Why on earth didn’t you take notes or something?” Despite her accusatory words, she seemed more excited than angry. “This is amazing! I’m jealous I can’t tag along, but, well…” She rubbed the back of her mane a bit. “I’m not exactly an experienced fighter. Besides, somepony needs to stay back and help stripes here with that armor.” She chuckled a bit, Nikolai doing the same. “Stop back anytime!” She said, waving as I clambered up onto the tank. We bid her farewell, Featherweight, Buzzy and I slipping into the tank before it began to rumble back to life.

I slid into the seat beside Twintails, looking through the narrow view port of the machine gun to see several ponies either running in fear or standing in awe as we passed by. Twintails pulled a few levers and we began to trundle out the north end of Trotisk before swinging around and heading towards Turnpike, myself sitting back into the chair, relaxing for teh time being. Featherweight sat down on one of the cots against the wall, Buzzy going to inspect the cannon further. I unsnapped the flap over my Pip-Leg, fiddling with the dials for a moment before a song crackled into my ears.

Maybe
You’ll think of me
When you’re all alone

Maybe the one who
Is waiting for you
Will prove untrue
Then what will you do?

Maybe
You’ll sit and sigh
Wishing that I
Were near, dear

I snorted awake, rubbing my eyes free of sleepers. “Nice of you to join us. You've been out for, like, twelve hours, I was starting to get worried. You missed breakfast.” Twintails let off a small chuckle, myself sitting up and rubbing some of the marks left my the seat free from my face. Ech, maybe I’ve gotten less sleep than I thought I have lately. Featherweight was still on the cot, Buzzy sitting across from him on some of teh crates of ammunition, inspecting them curiously. The ruins of Quebuck began to come into view through the machine gun’s window, Twintails fiddling with the radio aboard the TOG idly and grinning as another some came through. I sat up in the seat, my horn flaring up as I took control of the gun, scanning the ground for any ghouls that might have strayed beyond the city’s limits. “Say, would you mind if we stopped in Quebuck? Think I remember something back at that theater we pulled Tom out of that I want to pick up, eheh...”

“I suppose so. Just watch out for any traps we might’ve missed on our first stop, alright?” Twintails nodded and pulled another lever, the tank turning to the right slightly and heading through the streets. A few ghouls ran out from between a few houses, but I quickly dispatched them, the tank proceeding onward, rolling over one of them. I shuddered at the crunch, still looking around for more ghouls. Soon we arrived out front of the theater, Twintails pulling the tank to a stop, the rumbling of the engines dying down. I was about to follow Twintails out when Featherweight stopped us.

“Uh… guys, I have no idea how to pilot this thing.” He said, staring down at the complex array of levers and lights. “If we needed to make an emergency run, there’s no way we’d get this thing up and running before you got back.” I looked over to Twintails, who looked a little disappointed. What was he even trying to get from there, anyways?

“Alright... ah, I’ll stay here, and you go with Twintails, Featherweight. Buzzy, do you want to man the machine gun?” She nodded happily and fluttered over to the seat, needing to stand to be able to see past the body of the heavy-caliber gun. Featherweight and Twintails climbed up the ladder, the hatch banging loudly against the hull of the tank as it flew open. I watched through the pilot’s window as Twintails handed his grenade rifle to Featherweight, and pulled the bit for his auto-rifles into his mouth. They both headed into the theater, and I sat back into the chair, looking over to Buzzy. “Say, uh, Buzzy? I don’t think I’ve ever asked, what did you and Featherweight do before we met?”

She shrugged a bit, playing with the gun and looking it over. “I dunno, not a whole lot different stuff. Feather’s always been real focused on patrolling the roads, making sure they’re clear 'f any animals or raiders.” She leaned forward, looking as if she’d spotted something through the view port. “I know we didn’t always live in Turnpike, but I was a foal when we moved, so I don’t know where we lived before. Feather’s never told me, I don’t really see why.” I raised an eyebrow, curious. “Well, anyway, we were able to sell some of out scavenged munitions to the mayor for the wrecked cars in the railyard, and since then we’ve just been flying out and dropping bombs.” She sat down, seeming to be satisfied with the gun, and turning to look up at me. “You came from one of those Stables, right? How was that?”

My stomach clenched up slightly as I thought back to my Stable. “Uh… it was… alright.” I could feel my stomach tighten as I went on. Even with what the overmare did... it almost felt disrespectful to write off my stable like that. “I mean… a lot of the ponies were nice. I helped repair a lot of stuff, the generator was always in need of some kind of fixing up.” I shifted in my seat a bit, looking towards the door to the theater. “My parents and I were… we didn’t dislike each other, but we weren’t exactly close, either.” I gulped a bit, thinking back to how long it’d been since I’d last thought of them. “My dad worked in the augmentation department, a lot of behind doors work and all. There were a lot of days when he wouldn’t come home… augmentations were starting to fail for unexplained reasons, he had to work constantly.” Tears began to stain my vision, the memories coming back. “When I got my Pip-Buck and job, I was pretty much forced to live alone since then.” Buzzy’s ears had fallen, her normal grin replaced with a look of sympathy. “My mom… she was the original overmare, she was older than a lot of ponies… Dad said she died a few years after I was born… I never really knew her.”

Both Buzzy and I sighed, remaining quiet for a moment afterwards. “I didn’t know my parents either. Featherweight never wants to talk about them, though it wasn’t hard for me to guess what happened.” I looked over to her, watching as she looked down at the seat sadly. My horn began to glow softly as I lifted her up and sat her in my lap. She looked up at me for a moment in confusion, as I gave her a hug. For a moment she was still, then she threw her hooves around me, giving me a squeeze. We sat there for a moment, nothing to be heard aside from the occasional gust of wind against the tank. She eventually broke the hug and hopped back to her seat. “Thanks.” She said, smiling a bit.

I smiled in return. “Thank you.” Buzzy returned to looking down the gun’s sights as I too turned and waited for Twintails and Featherweight to return. It wasn’t long before the doors under the marquee opened and the two pegasi stepped out. Twintails was beaming, Featherweight smiling as well as they climbed up and unlatched the door. It banged loudly against the metal as the two entered the tank, sealing the door behind them.

Twintails laughed, whipping a holotape out of his saddlebags. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you… Dr. Strangemare, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the megaspell!” He said, almost giggling with excitement. I was... more than a little confused. “I watched this movie a ton back in my Stable. You guys’ll love it!” Featherweight slid a projector off of his back and onto a storge box, along with a large white sheet. With a small shrug, I turned around and began fiddling with various levers, the tank rumbling into life again. Carefully, I turned the tank about, but Buzzy suddenly spoke up, looking through the sights of the machine gun.

“Woah, what the heck’s that?!” Buzzy shouted, grabbing a hold of the heavy machine gun. I looked through the view port, spotting War Mare turning the corner of the street. Buzzy spun the gun towards it, lining up the sights. My pupils shrank down as my magic encompassed Buzzy, yanking her away from the gun. She fought against the aura, managing to fire off a small volley of shots at War Mare, the shells pinging off of the armor. I promptly placed Buzzy on the floor of the tank, Featherweight and Twintails both looking over in confusion and surprise.

“Don’t fire at that! We know her!” Buzzy was caught offguard for a split second before being immediately concerned, realizing what she’d done. I leapt past Twintails and Featherweight, the former dumbfounded and the latter confused, and climbed up the ladder, glancing through the sights of the cannon. War Mare’s turret was turning towards us, the metal grinding against itself as it faced us. My heart raced as I flipped open the top hatch, waving my legs in panic. “Stop! It’s Minty and Twintails! We surrender!” There wasn’t any movement for a moment, but I could faintly hear the sound of grinding metal again, a few gears near the base of the gun turning. Oh shit. I ducked down into the tank, slamming the door shut. There was a loud retort of a short gun, and something slammed into the side of the tank, knocking me off my hooves. Buzzy zipped up into the cannon’s loading area with me, panicked.

“What the hell? If they know us, why are they firing?!” She pulled open the back of the cannon with some difficulty, her wings making that distinct buzzing sound as she struggled with it. “Come on, help me load this thing!” I pulled her away from the shells as Featherweight climbed to the front of the tank, opening up the forward hatch, Twintails following with him. I shoved her into his hooves as my horn beginning to glow fiercely. There was a flash of light blue light as we landed on top of War Mare, the cold air instantly biting at our skin. I heard some scrambling around inside, when suddenly the hatch opened up, Rolling Tracks popping up with a machine gun in her mouth.

“Otstan' ot voyna kobyla, Vy zherebyat!” She froze immediately upon seeing me, dropping her gun. “You… you were in the tank? Oh, Celestia, I am so sorry!” She climbed out of the tank, glancing back towards the TOG. “W-where in Equestria did you find that?” I rubbed the back of my head a bit awkwardly. The driver window swung open, Twintails waving to Rolling Tracks as he climbed out and hovered himself over, Featherweight following.

“Uh… sorry about that…” He chuckled weakly. Rolling Tracks hopped back down into her tank, the engine dying down before she climbed back up. We trotted over to the TOG, Featherweight and Twintails climbing onto the top. “I guess we forgot to tell Featherweight and Buzzy about you. Though we didn’t exactly expect to see you again. Is the TOG ok, Minty?” I looked over the side of the tank, seeing several scorch marks and a few dents along the side. A large crater had been blasted into the snow just a few feet away, causing both myself and Twintails to grimace at the sight. Well, I guess we’re lucky she didn’t manage to get a direct hit, at least...

“Yeah. If you’ve got any of that epoxy left from KB, it probably wouldn’t hurt to run it over the treads or the wheels, but no real damage seems to be done.” Twintails nodded, and sat down on the back of the tank, beginning to rummage through his saddlebags. “So, what have you been up to lately?” I asked idly, Featherweight and Buzzy both looking on in disbelief.

“I’ve been traveling about Quebuck, mostly.” As Rolling Tracks talked, Twintails tossed me some of the epoxy, which I began to run over the tank, watching as the metal bent and folded itself back into place. “When I attempted to press on towards Sunrise Castle a few days ago, I had to turn back. There were a large number of robots patrolling about, they continually attacked War Mare if I got close. More an annoyance than anything, but I did not want to risk one getting inside. I think saw some of tearing apart what looked like a radio station for parts, though.” I gulped at that last part. Ooh… Nikolai’s not going to be happy if he hears about that. What the hell does The Doc need with radio parts anyway? “I’ve stayed down here since then. Between the robots and hellhounds I don't want to risk flipping War Mare over.” She grimaced, looking up at the dent made in the armor as it moved itself out. “I can’t believe I wasted one of my shells on you, and it managed to bounce. Neveroyatno. Anyway, who are your friends?”

“This is Featherweight.” Twintails spoke up, gesturing to the muscular pony, who still looked on in disbelief. The smaller pegasus climbed up ontop of Featherweight's head, waving with a smile. “And that’s Buzzy. She was the one who tried to fire at you. We’re all heading out to get Minty’s friend, Cross Stitch, out from one of the Stables near Mooscow.” Twintails looked irritated at Buzzy, whose ears immediately drooped as she smiled nervously. Rolling Tracks nodded to Buzzy and shook Featherweight’s hoof as I handed back the epoxy, the larger stallion still seeming to have some trouble comprehending.

Well, it was nice meeting you, even if you did try to kill me. Do svidaniya.” She glanced over at Buzzy, who was half hiding behind the side door. She trotted back to War Mare and swiftly started it back up, white smoke chuffing from the exhaust before the tracks pulled it forwards, dragging it over the rubble and into the street. The white-painted tank rumbled quietly off into the city, gun returning to a forwards position, it spinning through the streets. We all climbed back into the TOG, myself sitting down in the pilot’s seat, watching War Mare dash ahead. Sheesh, I think the TOG's getting speed envy... I pulled a few levers, the engines rumbling to life, and we began to turn east, heading towards Stable 92.

Twintails sat down, lining up the projector and leading the wire back towards the reactor. There were a few loud zaps before he returned, his mane a little frazzled but grin still on his face. Featherweight hung the sheet in front of the reactor area, folding up the cots and shuffling some of teh ammunition around, Twintails fiddling with the holotape. The lights went out, and I heard the projector whirr to life as slightly distorted music began to warble in. Adjusting a few dials and levitating out a bottle of Sunrise, I switched on the cruise control for a low speed, spinning myself about and cracking the soda open, settling in. It's been a while since I've seen a movie...

We pulled up outside the small wooden door that lead into Stable 92’s tunnel, myself flipping a switch, the tank’s engines growing quieter as they slowed. Twintails groaned as the image of a pony shooting open a Sparkle Cola machine on the screen faded, the projector switching off. We all headed out of the tank and trotted into the rocky tunnels, my horn flaring up to give us a little bit of light. Twintails punched in the code on the terminal beside the door as lights began to flash.

The large Stable door screeched open, rolling off to the side loudly. Well, least they know we're here. We stepped inside and I pressed the buttons on the keypad inside, the warning sirens blaring as the door began to slide back into place. Our hoofsteps echoed through the metal corridors, a few voices coming from the main hall as we trotted down the steps. I looked around, more than a little confused when we found the hall almost completely empty. I noticed a poster on the bulletin board and walked up to it, Featehrweight and Buzzy both seeming to marvel at the interior of the Stable, muttering things to Twintails. It was a surprisingly well drawn poster, depicting Tom - sans any torn flesh or visible muscle, anyways - at a piano in a spotlight. 'An Evening Wasted with Tom Neighrer' was written along the bottom, with a few dates and show times. I looked over to Twintails. “My Stable didn’t have any sort of theater… do you have any clue where this might be?”

Featherweight looked similarly clueless, though Buzzy hopped off of him and trotted up to one older mare wearing stable barding reading a book. “Excuse me, but where’s the theater?” She asked politely. Since when did Buzzy have manners? The mare smiled and pointed towards a set of stairs heading downwards. Buzzy thanked her and we all headed down the steps, music beginning to echo through the halls as we proceeded behind her. Turning down a few more hallways, we approached a doorway with the word 'Theatre' illuminated above it. Twintails flipped the switch beside it, the door in front of us sliding up to reveal a large room with several chairs set up, each filled with ponies staring up at the stage where Tom was performing.

“Now, as some of you who’ve attended a history class may know, there used to be six mares who ran the Ministries, which likewise ran Equestria for the time before the bombs fell. And, ah, one of them had quite the affinity for animals, as I had the misfortune of finding out after writing this number. So, as grim as it is, based on the way Equestria is today I think I can get away with singing this without worrying about the venue 'mysteriously' being burned to the ground. Here's to the mare of the Ministry of Peace, I wrote this song with her in mind.” He turned back to his music, his hooves beginning to fly across the keys.

"Spring is here, Spring is here
Life is free of worry and fear
I think the loveliest time of the year
Is the spring, I do
Don’t you?"

He paused for a moment, releasing a small chuckle, the music stopping for a beat. “Well, I suppose you folks wouldn’t know.”

"But there’s one thing that makes spring complete for me
And makes every Sunday, a treat for me.
All the world seems in tune on a spring afternoon
When we’re poisoning pigeons in the park.
Every Sunday you’ll see my sweetheart and me
As we poison the pigeons in the park.

When they see us coming, the birdies all try and hide
But they still go for peanuts when coated with cyanide
The sun’s shining bright everything seems alright
When we’re poisoning pigeons in the park.

We’ve gained notoriety
And caused much anxiety
In Fluttershy’s Ministry
With our games

She calls it impiety
And lack of propriety
And quite a variety of unpleasant names

But it’s not against any religion
To want to dispose of a pigeon

So if Sunday you’re free, why don’t you come with me and we’ll poison the pigeons in the park
And maybe we’ll do in a squirrel or two as we poison the pigeons in the park
We’ll murder them all amidst laughter and merriment
Except for the few we take home to experiment

My pulse will be quickenin’
With each drop of Strychnine
We feed to a pigeon
It just takes a smidgeon
To poison a pigeon in the park!"

The crowd clapped and laughed as Tom stepped off of the stage, the ponies beginning to converse among themselves and get up as I scanned the crowd for Cross. I spotted him near the front, being jostled about by several ponies clambering for Tom’s autograph. I trotted up to him, calling his name over teh sound of the crowd. He turned around and I pulled him into a hug, squeezing him. “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!” He said. “I heard about what was going on in Pripytrot, that had you two written all over it.” He chuckled a bit, looking relieved. We broke the hug as Twintails, Featherweight, and Buzzy caught up with me. Cross glanced over to Tom. “Hah, you should’ve seen him this weekend, he’s been beaming all day with these shows going on.”

Before I could answer, Tom trotted over, the group of ponies pleading for his autographs all trotting away. “Hey, nice to see you two again, how’ve you been?” We all responded positively as a filly nervously trotted up with a pen and a slip of paper in her mouth. Tom happily signed it and she ran away, a smile plastered on her blushing face. “We heard about your adventures in Pripytrot. I might have to change a few lyrics in my ‘Send in the Rangers’ song if they keep needing to fall back on your help.” He chuckled idly, and we all began to walk back upstairs, a few ponies still milling about in the theater. “Just don’t go blowing yourselves up before I finish, alright? I’d hate to have an inaccurate song.” We all laughed as we passed the recording studio, Hi-Fi talking into a microphone. Twintails waved through the window and she returned it, still reading off of a clipboard in front of her.

We soon returned to the entrance off the Stable, Tom punching in the code as the door began to grind open loudly. “Thanks for stopping by, again. Cross was incredibly nice, fixing up worn out suits for us and the like. Even repaired my favorite jacket.” I glanced over to Cross, who was blushing and avoiding eye contact. Oh, quit being so modest, silly. Tom rolled his eyes and bade us farewell as we headed back into the dark tunnel towards the wooden door, through which some sunlight was filtering. Cross’s jaw dropped as we opened the door, revealing the tank shining in the sun. I chuckled, looking over to him.

“Wanna ride shotgun?”

With a wide grin, I hopped myself up onto the top of the TOG's turret, Minty opening up the gunner-side door and giving a glance back at Cross, who looked on stupefied. Sheesh, it's like he's never seen a giant tank before... okay, maybe I can give him that. Featherweight shuffled himself in behind Minty, Buzzy following, myself resting on the turret hatch ring and watching Cross Stitch wander up to the tank and climb in, in a small daze. Ducking back inside, the light of mid-day was shut out and replaced with the dim interior of the TOG, Featherweight resting back against the wall with Buzzy while Cross got himself situated in the side gunner's chair, the turbines at the back whining up to speed, the projector starting again. Oh, goody, it skipped back a few seconds... oh, goody, we get to watch a Sparkle-Cola machine get shot again. "Okay. I'll get your money for you. But if you don't get the Princess of Equestria on the phone, you know what's going to happen to you?"

"What?!"

"You're gonna have to answer to the Sparkle-Cola Company." Both myself and Featherweight flinched at the shots, the tank beginning to slowly turn about and head back in the direction of Mooscow. The Colonel kneeled to get the pile of bits pouring from the machine, only to be met with a geyser of Sparkle-Cola which, I admit, was kind of funny. Hey, at least it wasn't Sparkle-Cola RAD. Cross Stitch seemed to be at least mildly enjoying it as well, the scene switching to the War Room's Big Board. Huh, kind of looks like the one back at EQUAD... I hopped down and leaned back against the radio setup between the driver and gunner's positions, watching the film continue on and feeling as the tank settled on it's new course. Cross prodded at my shoulder, a tinkle of his magic aura drawing a glass bottle from Minty's saddlebags.

"So, uh, what's going on here? Been ages since I've seen a movie, and certainly would think I'd remember seeing this one..." The hiss of carbonation filled the air as Cross popped off the cap from the bottle, Minty taking small glances backwards every now and again as the film continued. Princess Luna - well, the actor playing her, anyways - was on the phone with the Zebra Caesar, and to put things lightly, things don't work out too well. Oh, don't tell me I'm going to have to run through the whle movie with him...

"Shush, and watch the fireworks, alright?" The unicorn blinked a few times, pausing for a moment before shrugging and taking a drink from his bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla, the film switching back to an exterior view of the jet-powered bombing wagon. How did they get camera shots like that, anyways? The tank's tracks rumbled underneath as it pulled up onto the road again, Minty guiding it towards the Mooscow gates. Oooh, they were on approach to target, almost time for the fireworks to start! I let off a small giggle, watching that earth pony mare wearing a stetson work her way back through the wagon and to the bomb compartment to fix the bomb bay doors circuits, straddling right on the nose of the megaspell warhead to reach the wires. 'Hi There' - ah, gotta love a film with a sense of humor... something which the other mare wearing a stetson that took residence in my head seemed to not appreciate too much. Oh, c'mon, she only looks a little like you!

Minty glanced back, the tank slowing to a halt outside the gate, spinning about in his chair and joining us in watching it. A pretty stupid grin was on my face as the bomb bay doors opened up, the mare straddling the warhead using one hoof to hang on to her hat as the ground flew by beneath. She let out a mad holler, even as the bomb released from the bay and began falling to target. Minty's metallic leg poked at the back of my shoulder, the unicorn snickering as the bombardier queried about where their pilot was. "Yeah, that's how you want to go out, isn't it?"

"Hey, it'd be quick and painless." I snickered and turned back to the screen, watching as the pilot hollered her head off riding that bomb to the ground, it drawing unnervingly close before... flash! And... bang! Haha, ah, lovely every time. Props to the director for the sound delay, places the viewpoint of the camera at just about a kilometer away from the initial blast. 30 Megaton equivalent explosion... which that cloud certainly is not from, but at least they tried... yeah, that's not far enough away to not be in the danger zone. Oh, I always paid more attention in science class when we were working with pressure... a knock came from the driver's side doorway, making me let off a small groan of annoyance as Minty flipped the projector off and opened up the door, revealing a very surprised Bloodbeak. She blinked a few times, Tommy gun in claw, her beak agape. I gave off a small wave, getting up onto my hooves, the gryphon regaining herself.

"U-uh, well... holy Celestia's ass, I never thought this thing was so... long." She scratched at the back of her head, Minty spinning himself around in the driver's chair. Bloodbeak blinked a few times, coming to her senses and hopping back over the wall, the doors swinging open as the turbines whined back to speed. She followed along with us as Minty eased it through, hopping onto the hatch and adjusting herself on the thin armor, looking around inside. "You guys have been really busy since that day you first walked in, haven't you? Lucky most everypony's still hanging around in that Stable, for now. A few came back to get things situated again after they heard about Pripytrot... did you really launch a megaspell missile at their raptor? Holy shit, man, I knew you were crazy, but..."

"He, uh... we don't want to talk about it. It... look, can we just get settled?" Minty looked over to her, the gryphon slightly taken abackat his bluntness. Well... he had a point. Goddess-damnitall, Minty, I almost had myself in a mood for enjoying watching megaspell test after megaspell test to Vera Lynn. Oh, why did I launch that missile? Minty caught Bloodbeak's glare, returning one of his own that even caught her offguard. "Sorry, it's been a rough past few days. Just give us a few hours to ourselves, alright?" She paused for a moment, then nodded, the tank coming to a slow stop outside the street Cross' shop was down. The gryphon gave a glance towards myself, then up at the large battlewagon tied to the top of the TOG, blinking a few times in surprise and doing a double take.

"Alright... Uh, you going to be able to carry that thing? I know your thing is heavy guns, but those look like they could blow a whole hellhound apart!" She gawked at the forty millimeter guns, Fetaherweight and Buzzy trotting forwards and following myself and Minty out of the opened door of the tank. I didn't think her eyes could get any wider than they already were, but, lo and behold... Featherweight let off a light chuckle, extending a hoof towards Bloodbeak, the gryphon taking it after a moment of hesitation in staring a pony as tall as she was when she stood on her back legs like that in the face.

"We've got it covered. Featherweight, and this is Buzzy, we live out in Turnpike. Just caught a ride with Twinnie and his friends here to deliver a few old robots for scrap, the RobronCo factory up this way?" The little red-maned filly climbed back up onto his head, drawing Bloodbeak's attention for a moment before she nodded, responding with small babbles that seemed like they were trying to make words. The gryphon turned about, placing her free claw to her head and seming to rub it softly, stumbling a bit in the snow as she waled back to her post. We all watched her for a few moments, Featherweight prodding myself as Minty and Cross Stitch chatted with each other inside the tank. "She usually like that?"

"Like I said, you're one hell of a stallion, Featherweight." Releasing a small snicker, Featherweight scratched at the back of his head, turning back to watch Bloodbeak stumbling around for a few moments. Minty leaned over, Cross Stitch with him, smiles on their faces.

"Think you'll be alright for a while? Cross Stitch and me, we, uh, we have a few things we need to catch up on..." A blush crossed his face as Cross Stitch's magic flared, seeming to encompass Minty's own horn. Letting off a snicker, I nodded to the flustered unicorn, Cross' jacketed foreleg wrapping around Minty's neck. "U-uh, yeah, j-just a few things. Stitchy, save it for the bedroom..."

"Yeah, you two go... 'catch up'. I'll help show Featherweight to the factory, should be back in time for dinner." A giggle came from Cross Stitch, Minty looking to me and giving a small nod. He placed his non-augmented foreleg gently on my shoulder, meeting my eyes for a while, releasing a soft sigh and wearing a faint frown, which must be pretty hard to do considering he's being rubbed off in public. The look in his eyes, though... I moved my own foreleg to rest on his, passing on a small smile and nodding once. "I'll be fine, Minty. I'll be with Featherweight, you don't have to worry, alright?"

"Alright... we'll, ah, we'll catch you later." With a light chuckle, Minty and Cross Stitch trotted down the street, light clattering coming from behind as Featherweight lifted the battlewagon up off of the back of the tank and into the air. The snow crunched as he set it down, Buzzy riding in the turret seat, the large stallion looking my way with those soft blue eyes and a grin.

"We going to be facing much this way? I know there was a bit of a radier problem awhile ago. Eheh... again, sorry about that." Featherweight gave off a small chuckle of embarassment as he rubbed at the back of his head, myself glancing into the TOG for a moment, thinking. Eh, I could leave the battle saddle behind without too much fuss, nopony around here woud be the type to try and steal from the tank. Shutting the side doors with a creak, I turned and gave my wings an idle ruffle, shaking my head in response.

"Don't worry about it, in the past now. It shouldn't be too long a flight, just have to follow the road." With a smile and spread of the wings, both my hooves and the large battlewagon lifted from the snow, Featherweight's larger wings kicking up a small cloud of fluff as we took to the skies. Just over the Mooscow wall, yeah, I think I can handle that. Maybe. Oh boy...

"Thanks for bringing this in, can't believe the entire CPU is still intact." We all sat in Jumper Cables' office, Buzzy playing with a few of the Sparkle-Cola bottles and coffee mugs strewn about on the floor. A robot factory, and she can't program a robot to pick this place up? Or, maybe she just drinks so much of it it can't keep up... something like that, maybe. The earth pony mare plugged the decapitated robot into a terminal on her desk, the screen starting to scroll with technobabble that Minty probably could read fluently. Hell, sing, maybe... "Usually when we get these things, the people who brought it in disabled it by throwing bullets or explosives at the head, completely wrecks the circuits and talismans. What'd you do to kill this one again?"

"Forty millimeter white phosphorous shells. Burned the neck in half." Featherweight shrugged idly, looking over the head of the robot, Jumper Cables staring at the screen with her baggy eyes. She blinked a few times, her eyes scanning over the text as it scrolled past, before she began to hit a few keys on the keyboard before her. The text screen stopped scrolling and went blank, being replaced with a block of text labeled with 'prime directive' and in a language I could understand. Looking over it, though, caused my heart to immediately catch in my throat - 'Retrieve item OF773k42 - Starmetal/Moonstone explosive charge firing materiel discs; count - X<=200; 53 of 200 retrieved. Location primary; Sunrise Castle Air Base (ERROR: Location destroyed). Location secondary; Pripytrot (Location intact). CRITICAL ERROR; motor system failed; cooling system overheat; weapon systems offline; cupholder jammed. Return to North Equestrian Artillery Megaspell Outpost for repairs immediately.'

"North Equestrian Artillery Megaspell Outpost... NEAMO... so that's what that stands for. Huh, that explains a bit, but... where the hell is this place, anyways? Artillery Megaspell, is that like an artillery gun that fires megaspells, or an artillery gun that uses megaspells for the propulsion?" Jumper Cables scratched at the back of her head as she leaned back in the chair, looking back to Featherweight and myself. The large stallion shrugged in response, myself biting tightly at my lip. Either this ends with me and Minty dead for helping in getting this thing working in the first place, or worse... Jumper Cables turned back to the screen, leaning forwards. "Crazy either way. I'll get the caps out of the safe for you, this scrap and info works out to... oh, hm, twenty-five hundred. Hopefully somepony thinks to try and stop this thing before it does whatever it does..."

"Y-yeah, Celestia knows what it could d-do... uh..." Oh, I shouldn't have said that, why did I say that? Jumper Cables and Featherweight both shot me concerned looks, myself moving backwards and jumping lightly as I bumped into a pyramid of cola bottles Buzzy had put together. Featherweight trotted up to me, placing his large hoof against my cheek and looking into my eyes. Oh, please don't be suspicious, please don't be suspicious... hugging me was good, that's much better than asking why I was asking so weird. Jumper Cables looked confused again, Featherweight keeping a foreleg rested around my neck as he broke teh hug and looked towards her.

"Sorry, Twintails has had a few rough days lately, some words just make him a little nervous. Hopefully we helped you guys out with this, we'll bring word to the Steel Rangers concerning this NEAMO thing. They handled Pripytrot, they should be able to take care of a silly old artillery pice, right?" He smiled, looking towards me, my honestly surprised self noddong in response. Okay, good, passing off the nervousness as PTSD was a good thing... maybe. Goddesses above, I really should tell them before The Doc gets a chance to fire it. Jumper Cables nodded as well, hitting a few keys on her terminal, the safe behind her desk opening with a click.

"Oh, you did way more than enough for us with this. The intact CPU alone is a goddess-send, I get another few hours to look at it and I'll probably have that NEAMO place pinpointed to within a foot." She wore a smile as she puled the five satchels of bottlecaps up, setting them all on the counter with heavy jingles. The safe closed with a dull thud, Buzzy hovering over to look and poke at the bags, Featherweight extending a large hoof. The earth pony took it, shaking it once, smiling up at the larger stallion before glancing at myself, letting off a small chuckle. "Nice meeting you, and a pleasure seeing you again, Twintails. Just glad I'm not being woken up by an electric shock this time."

Buzzy dropped the last of the bags of caps into my saddlebags, Jumper Cables letting off a small sigh and returning to the terminal, Featherweight scratching at the back of his head as we trotted for the elevator. Buzzy rested on his back, the large stallion looking to myself as I pressed the button, still seeming confused. "What did she mean by being woken up by an electric shock?"

"It's a long story, Featherweight.

"Good evening North Equestria, and you're listening to CONELRAD Radio, six-forty twelve-forty on your AM band reciever, which apparently our resident egghead Tom Neighrer tells me means Amplitude Modulation. Yeah, I didn't understand it either, kiddies, so no need to worry about it, just keep your hooves, talons, or whatever limbs you use to grab stuff with off of that dial! It's Bert the Turtle coming in with the news, and the major story tonight concerns my favorite pair of wasteland wanderers Twintails and Minty Candy. Y'all remember that tracked beast I keep going on about, the one out Trotisk-ways that the Steel Rangers were using just a few days ago to blow the shit outta Enclave troopers? Well, guess what tracked beast just stopped outside the entrance to this hole in the ground a few hours ago! Being driven by none other than those crazy foals themselves, nonetheless. Stop back any time, guys, ol' Bertie wants to get a better look at that thing! Maybe fire the gun too, haha...

"On to what's hapening out in the rest of the wasteland, a pair of Steel Ranger mares wearing Enclave power armor and suspiciously sharing the same looks as my favorite unicorn and pegasus - I shit you not - dropped by with a message going out to everypony living out there in Trotisk, Turnpike, and Mooscow. It's going to be hard to get your heads around this one kiddies, but practically all of the Enclave POWs who surrendered after Pripytrot are... really not that bad. Turns out their commanding officers were both so far off the deep end, after this thing called NEAMO, that they basically forced them to go fight that war. I know what you're all thinking, but listen, give these folks a chance. I don't have to go pointing at my two favorites to show looks can be decieving, and if they're as misplaced as the folks from Stable 34 then they're probably just wanting somewhere to call home, and the Steel Ranger's pad isn't it. If you see a pegasus walking around, don't shoot at 'em on sight - how'd you like it if somepony shot -you- in the ass while trying to get food?

"Anyhow, that's the evening news. I'm Bert the Turtle, and you're listening to CONELRAD Radio, six-forty twelve-forty on the AM band. Before I turn the program over to Tom, here's a song that, as I found from a little unicorn with a knack for sewing, just happens to be my favorite pegasus' favorite. Here's to you both, just remember, We'll always Meet Again, some sunny day."

"We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again,
Some sunny day...

The day had gotten on into evening as we flew back over the Mooscow gates, myself opting to ride on the back of the skywagon as we went over this time. The TOG had apparently been driven down the street where Minty and Cross Stitch were, and only a few ponies milled about the snowy streets. There were a lot of latent hoofprints around the pair of tracks left in the snow - huh, well, I guess a giant land-battleship would turn a few heads if you parked it right in front of a road. We touched down outside of the shop, Featherweight landing the battle wagon easily on the back of the tank, the bell above the door ringing as Minty stepped out of the shop. He wore a warm smile as I hovered myself down, wrapping me in a light hug as Featherweight and Buzzy trotted around to us.

"Good to see you back safe. C'mon, Cross almost has dinner ready - hope you like bear meat and soft rolls~" He chuckled lightly as we stepped inside the cosy seamster's shop, the smell of cooking thick and tantilizing as we moved to the back. Buzzy darted ahead, minty doing that adorable butt-wiggle as he trotted along, seeming to be refreshed and happy as we slid into our spots at the table. Five plates levitated over, along with bottles of sunrise sarsaparilla and, surprisingly, sparkle-cola. Cross stitch slid into his spot besides minty and across from featherweight, myself taking place next to the larger stallion and across from minty, buzzy slotting herself in between featherweight and the teal-maned unicorn. A certain warmness filled the air as the clatter of utensils against ceramic started, and everything almost felt... normal. No wasteland to worry about, no Doc, no Mary, just a nice family dinner. Wow...

"S-so, uh... Featherweight, how long have you and Twintails, um..." Cross wore a blush as he paused, rubbing a bit of the juices from his lips. Featherweight swallowed a large gulp of the meat, looking up in surprise, myself matching his gaze and looking over to him. How long ago -did- we meet?... Goddesses, it feels like it's been ages. The royal blue unicorn bit at his lip as he thought, fidgeting in his chair lightly. "I-I mean... look, you're really... uh... oh, f-forget it. J-just me being he, eheh... nngh..." Featherweight tilted his head as Minty placed his augmented foreleg against cross's shoulder, myself looking up at the large stallion and matching his confusion. My augmented friend shared his coltfriend's blush, letting off a weak chuckle before leaning in, prompting us to do the same.

"W-what Cross is trying to say, is, um... w-well, we were talking a little while you were out, and... we, uh, we thought it might be fun, if us and you two were to... uh..." He bit at his lip, the blush heavy on his face, Featherweight scratching at the back of his head. Me and Featherweight, and him and Cross Stitch... oh. Oooooh. Wow, you'd think after so long Minty would've ran out of ways to make me blush, but, uh... goddesses, this came way out of left field. I wore a bright blush, Featherweight sharing it as he made the revelation - it doesn't take a reactor maintenance pony to figure out what they were meaning by this.

"Mm, that was'um good meat. I, ah, I think'll head for bed. D'you have any place f'r me to sleep here?" Buzzy let off a small burp, catching everyone by surprise, Minty's face reddening even further and all eyes falling on her. The little filly blinked a few times, letting off a small yawn and stretching, Cross Stitch shakily getting himself up out of his chair, clearing his throat. "What?"

"Y-yeah, I have a guest bedroom upstairs, you can stay the night. C'mon, eheh..." He released a weak chuckle, the blush still on his face as he trotted over to the doorway, Buzzy rubbing at her heavy eyelids and hovering up to follow him. We all watched as they turned the corner for the stairs, myself biting hard at my lip. Oh, please tell me Buzzy was genuinely full and tired, and she didn't just make up that small excuse because she knew what we were all talking about just then... Minty leaned back, rubbing at his muzzle lightly, looking between myself and Featherweight.

"S-so, ah... well?..." Minty let loose a small embarrased chuckle, a hoof rubbing through his mane, Featherweight resting his own on the table. The large stallion looked over to me with a surprised face, followed by a light snicker as his eyes glanced at my back. Ooh, c'mon, yours were pretty stiff right now, too. We both let off weak chuckles, Minty growing a small smile, myself meeting his eyes and giving a light nod. You caused these, now it looks like you and Cross Stitch are just going to have to help us get rid of them... the royal blue unicorn trotted back, a really vibrant blush on his face and hooves barely supporting him. Minty and Featherweight looked to him in surprise, his forelegs shaking as he steadied himself against the doorframe.

"S-She... she asked for earmuffs." Oh, Buzzy, you know us too well.

The covers were heavy on us all, the large, grey stallion nibbling on my ear lightly as I awoke, my eyes coming into focus on the sleeping head of the white unicorn, his foreleg wrapped about my own and us both laying closely together. I let off a long, happy sigh, the widest of grins on my face as I felt Minty's leg gently brushing up against the inside of my own, the augmented unicorn shuffling gently as he rolled over. His glasses-free eyes cracked open, blinking a few times as he caught sight of me, then settling, his muzzle turning into a smile. My own broadened, myself shuffling forwards to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead, Featherweight not stirring much as Minty brushed his non-augmented foreleg over my cheek. He met my own lips with his in return, holding it for a good, long while, giving myself a gentle nuzzle afterwards. He chuckled lightly, his back hooves kicking gently against my own. "Morning, atom-ass~"

"Morning yourself, mint-butt~" We shared a faint giggle, myself sliding carefully out from under the covers with Minty following behind. He gently brushed his bare flank up against my own as we moved out into the hallway, slowly heading down the stairway and finding Buzzy sitting on a stool, apparently fiddling with a big floor radio. Minty blinked as he adjusted his glasses, the small filly letting off a sigh as her head hit against the wooden box. Sharing a look of confusion with Minty, I stepped forth, watching the little filly act defeated. "Uh... Buzzy?"

"Wha!? Oh..." She let off a groan, rubbing at her tired eyes and leaning back against the radio cabinet, Minty moving up alongside myself. "Darn thing's antenna is broken or something. Prob'ly was a storm." She let off a long sigh, rubbing at her head weakly, Minty looking over to me. His magic flared as his armored jacket levitated up, along with my own old barding, a smile on his face. Just a radio antenna? Pfft, easy. We slid ourselves into our clothes, Minty wrapping a foreleg around my neck and myself doing the same, a spark battery coming up from his saddlebags as he looked at me with a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes in response, wearing a smile - Okay, fine, I can live with that. Just go easy, after last night I swear I sucked all the juice out of that horn of yours...

The flash of bright light faded, and we were both on top of the small two-story shop, the crumbled roofs of a few houses meeting our vision, as well as the snow-filled radio dish laying on our own. Well, yeah, that's probably it. Lifting it out of the snow, Minty focused his magic and warped the support back up straight, the few screws levitating up from the snow as I brought the dish back over. The wire dropped snow as it was lifted, my augmented friend easily affixing the dish back into place, the happy sound of muffled music coming up from the windows below. Landing next to him, our breaths condensed into small clouds in the cool early-morning wasteland air, myself pausing for a moment before gently cuddling him in a light hug, brushing our cheeks together. We were happy, life was good, and we didn't have to worry about anything, anymore...

That is, until the mountain that held both our stables exploded.

Author's Note

Almost to the end, folks! Minty's gone off to college, but rest assured Occupational Hazards will be wrapped up in the next few weeks. It's been all kinds of fun to write this over the past year (yes, one year!), and we both hope we won't disappoint with the ending planned. It's going to be one hell of a ride, so buckle up!

Again, this story would only be half-written if not for my best friend, co-artist, and co-author Minty Candy - he's as much an author as I am!

Endgame

Time seemed to slow down, as it had the night that orbital strike had hit my stable. There was a blinding flash of light, both Twintails and I forced to look away as our eyes burned. We could hear a faint rumbling before the air cracked around us, the shockwave of the blast knocking us off of our hooves, rooftops around us shaking and crumbling faintly as the wall warped in for a moment, springing back. My head hit the pavement on the top of Cross' shop, cushioned the slightest bit by the snow already on the roof. I got back up, my legs quavering and ears ringing as Twintails groaned in pain, standing up as well. We both stared back at the source of the light, seeing a giant mushroom-shaped cloud climbing far into the sky, the top expanding outwards and folding in on itself. I panted, confused and terrified. W-was that a Megaspell!? Who dropped it!? And why? My mind raced as I glanced over to Twintails, who looked equally as frightened shitless.

As my hearing started to come back, I heard screaming coming from the streets below. Rushing to the edge of the building, looking down granted me to the sight of the few ponies back in Mooscow in a full panic. Some were rushing into houses, others having collapsed on the ground, knocked out by the shockwave reverberating about. Twintails hurried over to me, but before he could say anything, my horn flared up and there was a flash of blue light. We landed in Cross’s kitchen, where Cross, Featherweight, and Buzzy were trying to reorient themselves. “What the fuck just happened!? Was there another strike? I thought the Rangers wiped the Enclave out!!” Cross shouted, hyperventilating. I rushed over to him and pulled a chair over with my magic, sitting him down.

“Calm down, calm down,” I said, unsure if I could even follow my own advice. Cross breathed heavily, Twintails rushing over to Featherweight and pulling him into a frightened embrace. “There, uh…” I gulped, trying to focus. Everything was going so well just a few minutes ago... “There was a Megaspell detonation near our Stable's mountain…” Cross’s pupils shrank down and he shook his head, myself hugging him tighter for a few moments, pushing backa nd looking into his eyes. “No, no, you’re okay, I’m okay… we’re all okay…”

“For now!” He blurted out, running a hoof through his mane. “We don’t know when another one could come! Not to say anything about the radiation of this one! Who launched this one? Is it the Enclave again?!” I looked over to Twintails, who was staring at me with the same worried expression. Turning back to Cross, I placed my front hooves on his shoulders. Oh, this isn't going to be easy to explain...

“Cross, you need to calm down and listen to me, or we’re not going to be able to solve this.” Cross tried to slow his breathing, taking in a few ragged breaths before he was able to look me in the eyes and pass along a nod. “Alright… look, when Twintails and I first met up outside our Stables, we ended up finding this place, the Northern Equestraian Artillery Megaspell Outpost. There was a pony there, the Doc. He was trying to rebuild a Megaspell firing device, a massive cannon, and hired us to look for parts.” Cross stared at me, dumbfounded. Well, better than screaming... “We stopped working for him a while back, but it looks like he’s managed to find the rest of the parts without us. Goddesses forbid...” I sighed, looking over to Twintails again. He was still staring at me in the same way, but there was almost a slow spark of determination in it as well.

“Cross, you need to run over to Razorwing’s shop. Tell him what I told you, and give him the coordinates of NEAMO.” I punched them into his Pip-Buck, a small icon appearing on the map. Cross tried to protest, but I spoke over him. “Twintails and I are going to head out in the tank, I don’t think we’ll have any time to wait if he’s ready. Just tell him to take the road and get as many of the Steel Rangers he can, he’ll spot us sooner or later.” I paused for a moment, looking at the royal blue stallion before me, the way his face was - filled with dread. “This won’t be goodbye, Cross, I promise you. We will be back. I love you.” I pulled him into a kiss, holding it for a few moments before heading back to our bedroom for my saddlebags.

The others followed me, Twintails hitching up his own bags and Cross grabbing the small gun I’d bought him, slipping it into his own coat. Featherweight stopped Twintails, pulling him aside. “Buzzy and I will fly back to the Turnpike, we’ll need to get more bombs than what we have, and we'll get the word out to a few more as well. Don’t wait up for us.” He picked up Buzzy and tossed her onto his back, looking back towards my pegasus friend. “I’ll see you soon, Twinny.” He winked and we all headed outside, Twintails and I climbing up onto the tank as Featherweight disconnected his wagon from it, Buzzy then helping to hitch it onto him.

I watched as Cross ran down the street, and past a few ponies running in the opposite direction. He skidded a bit on the snow, but turned the corner on the way towards Razorwing’s shop. Featherweight ran to the end of the tank, pulling his cart behind him before leaping into the air and taking off, quickly turning and heading west. Swinging the tank’s hatch shut and locking it in place, I followed Twintails to the driver’s seat, watching as he pulled a few levers, the engines roaring to life. I sat myself in the gunner’s seat, picking up the heavy cannon as he spun a crank, widening the view port as to not run over anypony still rushing through the streets. He carefully navigated us to the gate, stopping as Bloodbeak flew over to the side door, hammering on it. Twintails undid the latch, and the griffon nearly ripped the thing off of it's hinges. “What the hell just happened?! You two aren’t going out to that mountain, are you?” She asked, helping a few ponies lift an unconscious unicorn onto a stretcher.

“That Megaspell was shot from a place called NEAMO, it’s up north from here.” Twintails said quickly, looking anxiously at the gate. “Minty sent Cross over to Razorwing’s place to explain. Please, if you’re able to help, go and find him. We need to leave -now-, before the Doc has a chance to fire Megaspell Mary again.” Bloodbeak looked more than a little confused, but Twintails simply pulled a lever and the tank began to trundle forwards again, straight for the closed doors. The side doors banged loudly as the gate creaked open, Bloodbeak just managing to get to the controls before the tank moved through, watching as we turned down the street and began to head north.

As I gazed down the heavy machine gun’s sight, from the corner of my eye I noticed the radio embedded into the tank, the frequency dial wobbling a bit as we crunched through the snow. Setting the gun down, I turned the chair, leaning down and dialing the radio to Hi-Fi’s frequency. Six-forty or Twelve-forty AM band, thank you catchphrases. “This is an emergency broadcast of the CONELRAD radio system. There has been a deliberate Megaspell attack around the area of Emerald Ridge. To residents of Mooscow, Quebuck, and Trotisk, it is advised to evacuate to the nearest fallout shelter or Stable at this time in accordance with Civil defense measures. We repeat, there has been a deliberate megaspell attack against the town of Emerald Ridge, please evacuate to the nearest fallout shelter or Stable at this time.” I pulled out a spare emerald charge pack and plugged it into my temple, feeling the rush of energy course through me as I lowered my horn to the radio. Alright, going to need a lot of power to override the transmission...

Before my magic sparked to the radio, however, the automated broadcast’s voice crackled out to be replaced by a much less comforting one. “Good morning Northern Equestria, this is the good Doctor Cherry Cove.” He spoke in a flat, eerily calm tone. “Many of you may be wondering what the blast was just a few moments ago. This was a test of the recently reconstructed and re-enabled Megaspell firing mechanism, or ‘Megaspell Mary’, as it had been deemed before the war. Now, you needn’t worry, this weapon is only to be used when absolutely necessary, as per my bidding.” There was a bit of scuffling, sounding like some papers being tossed aside and adjusted. “However, this necessity is going to come with some… sacrifices. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, there’s a little bit of a history lesson I have.” Doc cleared his throat as I looked over to Twintails, both confused and nervous. His matching expression certainly was not helping any...

“One hundred and ninety years ago, two great empires were at war: Equestria, and the Zebra Empire. Now, Equestria proclaimed itself to be a kingdom of harmony, though you can take a look around and see how well that turned out.” There was another shift of papers. “And yet, even after these bombs fell, Equestria refused to change. Zebra containment and execution, Ghoul deportation and murder, anything they could do to remove these ‘lower’ life forms was done. Well, we’re now able to balance this out. Any city having previously shunned those different will face swift eradication. I’ll be formally starting with our once great capital, Canterlot. Any town leaders wishing to remain on the map will simply need to contact NEAMO for annexation. Otherwise… you’ve got two days.” Doc’s voice faded into static.

I immediately bent to the radio, my horn sparking into it. Alright, need to get this message out fast. “This is Minty Candy and Twintails, requesting assistance. We are attempting an assault on the Northern Equestrian Artillery Megaspell Outpost, coordinates: 44.8 degrees north, 91.5 degrees west. Please note, this is a severely dangerous expedition, only those excelling in combat should assist. Repeat, requesting assistance for a direct and full assault on NEAMO.” My magic died as the emerald charge pack dried out, leaving me drained. I pulled out another energy cell and plugged it into my temple, waking myself up a bit. Twintails looked over to me, a little appalled.

“What the hell, Minty? Now Doc’s definitely going to know we’re coming!!” I shook my head, slipping the drained batteries into my saddlebags. The tank trundled along the road, Twintails turning the corner and beginning to drive along the edge of the cliff. The RobronCo factory came into view at the far end of the valley, several robots patrolling the outskirts of the facility.

“There’s no way the Doc wasn’t expecting company anyway, I’m sure he’s already got his security guarding every door.” I spun the heavy machine gun towards some of the robots outside the factory, unsure if they belonged to Jumper Cables or the Doc. “Besides, he doesn’t know about the tank yet. Or Featherweight's battlewagon.” I smirked, Twintails joining me with a chuckle, pressing the pedal downa s far as it'd go. As we passed by the factory, Jumper Cables ran out, flagging us down. Twintails pulled the tank to a skidding stop, myself opening the window hatch on my side. Cables stopped in front of us, panting and exhausted, and being followed by four heavily armored security robots.

“I just got your distress message, you’re lucky you guys weren’t past us already.” She motioned to the robots, which all beeped and surrounded the tank. “These are all the robots I could spare, but hopefully they’ll help. Just try to not lose all of them; business won't exactly be booming if you can't do this.” She waved and ran back inside as we thanked her, starting up the tank again, the robots easily keeping pace with it. The tank crawled along the cliff path as I grew steadily more agitated by its slow speed and the winding road towards NEAMO.

I turned to Twintails. “So, do you have any ideas of what exactly to do when we get there?” I asked, suddenly realizing how late I asked this question. Twintails began to close the view port, thinking for a moment. The robots scanned the area, the air hauntingly quiet, save the occasional gust of wind that blew past the tank.

“Well, I suppose we ought to start out with firing at a distance with the tank and let the robots head in for close combat,” He said, flicking a switch so the lights inside the tank shut off. “See if you can pick off some of them with Jolts, then we’ll head in and make our way to Megaspell Mary.” He paused for a moment. “I just hope they don’t notice us first… though I’m not really sure how we can disable her right now either, short of landing a shot down her barrel…” I wracked my brains, trying to think of something in the military base that might useful. He shook his head a bit, leaning forwards and peering out the viewport. “Well, first things first, we need to find the Doc.”

The tank turned the corner and began to head downhill, finally. The glow from NEAMO was barely visible in the lightly clouded daylight, still a few miles off in the distance. Twintails turned off the road, beginning to head up onto the nearby mountain so we could see down into the valley that held the facility. Neither of us said anything, almost scared to breathe as we circled the large buildings. I pulled out Jolts, resting it on the large machine gun as I looked down the scope towards the glow. There were an almost unrealistically large number of robots patrolling the area, interspersed by the occasional ghoul wielding several large weapons. The large dome that housed Megaspell Mary was only partially open, the gigantic barrel of the gun just visible between the large metal plates.

I looked over to Twintails, taking in a deep breath, my heart pounding in my throat. “Ready?” He nodded, climbing out of the driver’s seat and moving up to the cannon, myself swinging open the side dorway and aiming down at the facility far below. I heard the metal hinges to the back of the cannon screech open before Twintails slid the shell into it, a flick of a switch and hum of talismans catching my attention for a moment before turning focus back to NEAMO. The breech slammed shut, and Twintails began to adjust the cannon's aim, focusing towards the large dome. I settled myself in, staring through Jolts’s scope again. I flicked a little switch, the cell charger humming with life as I lined up the sights with a ghoul standing guard near the main doors and gulped, trying to collect myself. My horn flared up for a moment, and I pulled the trigger.

The ghoul dropped to the ground as the steel bolt flew clean through his skull, spreading his grey matter all across the snow. The other guard leapt in fear, and immediately began glancing about for the source. There was a loud explosion as Twintails fired off the tank at Megaspell Mary’s dome, screaming in with a bright trail behind it. The shell slammed into the metal, but as the smoke cleared, we could see it had done nothing, aside from scorch the siding. The ghouls’ gazes all followed the smoke trail, spotting us on the hill - well, that bit of stealth sure didn’t last long. I plugged in another set of microfusion cells and took aim at a ghoul on top of one of the facility's buildings, who was attempting to aim a rocket launcher towards us. Giving a hard yank on the trigger, his head disappeared into a red mist as he fell off, landing ontop of another ghoul. The ghouls began to take places at fortified barriers, the robots charging up the hill towards us. Jumper Cables’ robots turned and began to run towards them, both sides firing off lasers and missiles as Twintails reloaded the tank.

I slung Jolts back over my shoulder as I instead took a hold of the large machine gun, spinning it towards the oncoming robots. My magic fed the belt of massive bullets in, as I began to fire sporadically. Snow was kicked up around them, a few of the Doc’s robots falling as their CPUs were shattered by lead and high explosives. Bullets and lasers ricocheted off of the tank, a few ghouls manning mounted guns. Twintails turned the cannon towards a large collection of them, and another explosion filled the air as it connected with its target. The ball of flame rose high into the air as I attempted to keep the robots at bay, thinking long enough to get the side door shut. One of Jumper Cables’ robots fell, the missile it had been about to fire shooting off towards a heap of radioactive barrels.

As I swung the machine gun around and fired at a few ghouls that were attempting to recover some missile launchers from dead ghouls, I noticed one large group rotating a howitzer towards us, Twintails firing off a shell in a different direction. My heart stopped as a faint glow emanated from the end of the barrel; Oh dear Celestia. Before they could fire, thankfully, something rained down on them, obscuring them in a massive cloud of snow and balefire. I tried to look upwards through the narrow view port, and caught a glimpse of a large cart, from which several bombs were being dropped. I couldn’t help but laugh as Featherweight and Buzzy swung around, Buzzy tossing more balefire eggs out of the cart as Featherweight fired off his heavy cannons. Talk about record timing.

Twintails turned the top of the tank towards another howitzer, which promptly exploded as he fired at it. I took a hold of the machine gun again, continually firing at the waves of robots, the bullets piercing their metal. Twintails stuck his head down from the cannon’s firing room. “I’ve only got a few of these shells left, we’re going to have to go in soon!” He shouted over the sound of the various explosions, guns, and laser fire. I nodded in response and he began to load another shell. I hopped over to the driver’s seat, pulling levers and cranking the view port as open as I dared. Cables’ robots followed us as we moved in on the facility, able to keep the diminishing number of robots off fairly well. Bullets and laser continued to pelt the side of the tank, the occasional missile striking and knocking me about in the seat.

Twintails shot the cannon again, taking out another group of ghouls wielding missile launchers and shotguns. Featherweight swerved as a rocket came dangerously close to hitting him, but the ghoul carrying the launcher was quickly dispatched by another barrage of bombs from Buzzy. I maneuvered the tank as best as I could from incoming projectiles, but I could feel myself wanting to yell at how sluggishly it moved.

Still, as I moved in, Cables’ robots had managed to take out nearly all of the robots that were initially charging at us, and were soon starting to focus on the few remaining ghouls. inside I stopped just outside the fence, my Geiger counter starting to tick. I stopped the tank, hopping back over to the gunner’s seat and scanning the area, but nearly all the robots and ghouls either lay dead on the ground, or were scurrying up the mountains. I climbed out of the seat, switching the tank off. The engines died down as I climbed up the ladder to Twintails, who was loading in the last shell. He turned the barrel of the cannon towards the front doors of the facility with a whirr of the motor drive, smirking widely. “Care to do the honors?”

I grinned in response, encompassing teh trigger in my magic and giving it a firm tug. The cannon fired and cleanly blasted apart the entrance to the building, stone and wood rubble flying in all directions. We climbed out of the tank, myself drawing my plasma rifle as Twintails readied his grenade rifle and Kindness, the wind whipping at our manes as our Geiger Counters clicked faster. Featherweight and Buzzy circled the area a few times before landing beside the tank. “Good to see you two doing so well.”

We jumped off of the tank, landing in the dirty snow beside him. “You guys practically took out half of them too, you know.” Twintails let off a small laugh, the bits bouncing in front of him. Before we could say anything more, though, a flash of plasma hit me in the side, knocking me down fast. Oooh, fuck fuck fuckity fuck on a fuck sandwich with fuck on the side... I felt the superheated material burn away some of the fabric in my coat as I tried to regain the breath that had been knocked out of me, Featherweight already on alert and Twintails moving over to me. I looked over towards the source of the blast, seeing White Thunder in the doorway hefting a large plasma caster, his facemask fallen away to reveal the ghoulish skin beneath. Twintails helped me up, and we ducked behind the tank as White Thunder shot off another blast of plasma.

“So much for pleasantries,” I said, charging up Jolts again. I popped around the side and fired off a shot, but it instead flew through a broken lamp swinging from the ceiling. White Thunder shot off a few more blasts of plasma, the treads of the tank starting to show serious degradation. Buzzy tried to lob a grenade towards him, but he managed to shoot it out of the air, causing plasma and shrapnel to rain down.

“Alright you four have got two options.” Thunder shouted. “Either you drop your weapons now and walk away, or I radio to Doc he’s clear for another launch. We’ve got plenty of those Megaspells, and Doc’s not too hung up about needing to use one on Trotisk.” We waited for a moment, all of us completely silent. My heart still pounded in my throat. N-no, Trotisk? He wouldn’t bother… but I shook my head, knew that he would. There was a crackle of static as Thunder spoke into a radio mounted on his hoof. “They’re not surrendering, start the sequence.” There was another moment of silence before the dome atop NEAMO began to rotate, the metal screeching horribly as the barrel turned westward. The dome’s plates slide apart slightly, revealing the barrel and the enormous back of the cannon. Once the barrel was oriented properly, Thunder spoke up again. “Now or never, boys.” I gulped, trying to think of what to do. I looked over to Twintails, hopelessness in his eyes.

Suddenly, though, he stood up and walked out in front of Thunder. “We’ll surrender our weapons. But we’re not walking away.” He tried to keep his voice level, but I could hear the fear causing it to quaver slightly. “You’ll take us to Doc, or we’ll wipe this place off the map.” His expression became more stern, while Thunder’s changed to one of clear disbelief. “We’ve still got a shell left in the tank, and a lot more friends coming. It wouldn’t be too hard for me to get a shot into that dome now the doors are open, and I think you’re smart enough to know what’d happen when a balefire egg goes off next to a megaspell.” Twintails actually began to smirk as Thunder’s pupils shrank. My heart couldn’t have been pounding faster.

White Thunder glanced at the large cannon of the tank, stepping back slightly. He looked back to Twintails, sweat starting to bead at his torn up forehead. Both he and Twintails stood staring at each other, frozen in place, before Thunder collected himself. “Fine, now drop your weapons.” He motioned with his caster to the ground. Featherweight, Buzzy and I all stepped out from behind the tank tentatively. I swung Jolts off of my back and pulled out my plasma rifle and Sugar’s laser pistol. Twintails dropped his weapons as Featherweight unhooked himself from the cart.

Thunder waited until we were all past him before he turned, keeping the arcing needles of the caster pointed at all of us. We began to head down the hallway, Thunder directing us towards the main room. It wasn’t long before we reached the large blast doors to Megaspell Mary’s chamber. Thunder punched in a code and the doors slid open, revealing the mammoth weapon, the computer arrays at its base all beeping and whirring softly. Doc was sitting at a wide panel of buttons and lights, and turned in his chair as he heard us approach. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m not entirely sure why you’d bothered coming to me; I’m not exactly any further away from firing Mary. Then again, I did promise you two front row seats to the first launch. I suppose the second will have to do.” He smirked as he twisted one key in the panel, a warning klaxon going off a few times before his hoof moved to the second one.

Before he could twist it, there was an explosion behind us, dirt and rubble flying in all directions. A large chunk hit Thunder in the skull with an audible crack, sending him sliding along the ground, streaking blood on the floor. Doc was stunned as the dust cleared, revealing Sweetie, Nova, and Nikolai. A large rocket launcher was attached to Sweetie’s back, who was giggling excitedly at the carnage she’d caused. Nova tossed me Jolts as she balanced Kindness on her back. “Saw these outside, thought you might want them back, sweetie.”

I caught Jolts with my magic and turned back to Doc, aiming towards him and charging up another shot. He immediately moved back to turning the next key, but Nikolai was swift in blasting a hole through his chest, and the maneframe, with a shot from Ivan before he could. He stood in shock for a moment as blood began to drip from the hole, the ghoul earth pony falling aside and landing on the floor. His gore pooled around him as he let out a few last sputtering breaths, Twintails and I trotting up to him. Grinning up at us with a sick, twisted smile, tears of pain streamed down the side of his face. “Well, g-go on.” He coughed up blood, a feat I'd think pretty damn impressive considering he didn't exactly have much lung left. His head fell towards his forearm, an instant look of utter fear coming on Twintails' face. Oh... oh fuck. “F-four minutes bef... reactor fail... Warheads go off... we all die.” He let out a last, raspy chuckle, the light fading from his eyes as he stared up at the gun. He breathed his last, sputtering his last two words through the blood, taunting.

“Have fun.”

There was a time, once, in my life, when my biggest worries were just making sure I didn't fall asleep while monitoring Bruce, or got to the vending machines in time before they ran out of Sparkle-Cola. I remember spending happy evenings with Gamma Ray in the cool blue glow of Bruce, or laying together and watching a movie, or just sitting and listening to Vera Lynn playing on our pip-bucks, that soothing, slow melody making us both feel happy, calm, and relaxed. As I stood over the body of the Doc, watching his life drain out into a large red stain on Megaspell Mary's floor... oh, how I wished I could go back to those days, oh so very much. Featherweight and Buzzy stared at us, Minty looking just about ready to pummel Nikolai into a bloody pulp while Nova carried Kindness over, staring down in some confusion. I lifted up my head, my breathing fast and ragged.

"T-the Doc had a dead hoof switch on him. There are twenty-five buried megaspells in this complex, when they go off..." I couldn't bring myself to finish - didn't need to. The looks on all of their faces made it clear they understood what I was saying. Featherweight looked to me, his wide, blue eyes holding the same feelings of fear and helplessness as mine, the massive stallion moving forwards and embracing myself in a hug. Tears came streaming from my eyes, holding him in tight embrace, the seconds ticking by. If I am going to go out like this... no. The Doc said something about a reactor, and a reactor means there's some control panel somewhere that can fix this. Pushing Featherweight back, everypony was looking at each other, Sweetie Bot doing the scanning thing. I turned towards Minty, moving and wrapping a foreleg around his own.

"We're going to try and buy you guys some more time to escape. I don't know how big this thing is going to go up, but Mooscow should be a safe distance away. Get as many mountains inbetween you and here as you can. If we aren't there by zero..." Minty blinked, meeting my own eyes, his jaw slightly slack. The warning klaxons filled the air about us, snow billowing in as it was caught by the wind, Featherweight stepping forwards with Buzzy. We met eyes for a moment, sharing a quick kiss, Nova jumping forth in her power armor.

"W-what!? No! Minty, y-you can't-" She was cut off, a row of lights overhead exploding and raining sparks down ontop of us all. There wasn't the time left for this, damnit, we need to get to the reactor now! Sweetie Bot gave a ding, looking towards us with a smile, Nova glancing between her and us. "O-okay, go. Sweetie has a downloaded map of this place in her brain, she can take you straight there. Just, please, come out of this alive." Minty gave a nod, and Nova turned, starting to rush out for the exit while barking orders into her suit. She looked on the verge of tears, and for good reason. Giving a long look to Featherweight, he turned as well, Buzzy holding his neck tight as he took off, heading around and out of sight. Nikolai lingered for a moment more, Minty meeting eyes with him in the power armor.

"I-I-I didn't know! I'm-" My augmented friend raised his metallic leg, looking at the power armored zebra with a faint smile, his other hoof tightening around mine. Sweetie Bot moved over to us, her horn crackling with static and smelling of ozone, eyes wide and curious as ever. Minty glanced to her, then turned back to Nikolai, nodding once.

"Stop wasting time and get out of here, Nikolai. You're one zebra I'd rather not see dead." He stalled for a moment, about to answer Minty before responding with a quick nod and turning to run out. Minty looked to Sweetie Bot, leaning his head forwards and gripping into my leg tighter, everything vanishing in a quick flash of light and smell of ozone. We reappeared inside a room not to different from Bruce's main control center, with the maneframe taking up one wall and the large form of the reactor nearby. Our geiger counters clicked in unison, myself shaing a glance with Minty before nodding and getting on to work. Sweetie Bot stuck with Minty as he found a power conduit nearby, myself starting to look over the control panels. If he was trying to make this thing go prompt-critical, well, he failed at that. Though, supercriticality with so many of these safeties disabled...

My hooves began madly tapping at the keys, scrolling through control prompts and entering commands as they came up. Let's see... power re-route through secondary systems, yes, that'll give the reactor something to feed into for a few minutes. Lights on, washers on, projectors on, hell, everything go on! Now, about those safeties... control rods, lower those boys in, slow. Can't risk shattering or melting them. Pressure vent to cooling chambers, yes, that'll tame the beast for a few moments more. Time is life, gotta buy more time... the air smelled of ozone, and I turned myself about to see Minty with his mane fully on end, sparks arcing idly from his augmented foreleg to the floor around.

"Ho-ho-holy shit, I've never felt this kind of juice before. Let me see... the megaspells are on a relay circuit, each one will go off once a power threshold is reached and the breakers are tripped. So if I... Damn! Oh, don't you play games with me, Robronco... shit." Minty blinked a few times, his eyes coming back into focus on myself, hooves shaking and twitching faintly. Okay, maybe I should... no, no, we need to get as much juice flowing through the other systems as we can. "I can disable a few of the megaspell firing relays, but I'll have to work my way back through each one, starting with the last in the sequence. How long until the reactor output hits 70 gigawatts like this?" I spun my attention back to the screens, looking over them. Current output... 27 gigawatts, climbing at a rate of .1 gigawatts per second...

"Seven minutes, give or take. How long do you need?" Minty grimaced, looking back to the conduit and letting off a small sigh. More than seven minutes, got it. Well, if the... why are the control rods locked up!? Oh, no, no no no no, come on baby, don't do that to me... No, they are not budging. Seven minutes, well, it's better than nothing. Minty plugged himself back into the conduit, his mane goung frazzled again, warning klaxons starting to ring out. "Seven minutes is all we have..."

"I'm taking as many of the relays out as I can... damnit, who wrote this code!? Graah, one down..." I looked to the screen reading the power output, watching the number slowly creeping upwards. Five minutes, and nothing more I could do. Trotting back from the control maneframe, I watched as Minty concentrated, memories starting to flow through me. Stepping out of the stable... meeting him, going to Mooscow, the landmine... NEAMO, Quebuck, Tom Neighrer, Hi-fi... Turnpike, Trotisk, Featherweight and Buzzy, EQUAD and Nova... Greasy, Flash-Bang, Sugar Rush, Fringe, Nikolai, the TOG... everypony we've met out here. By the goddesses above, I was going to miss them... "That's three!" Two minutes. I looked to my Pip-buck, scrolling quickly to the file I'd played to death, listened to so many times with the ones I'd loved in mind. Vera's soothing voice started flowing, filling the air over the sound of the warnings.

"Minty, it's... there's nothing more we can do." Resting a hoof on his back, he panted, his overcharged mane sparking and standing on end, myself spending a moment to smooth it back down. He looked towards myself, eyes meeting mine behind his fogged-over glasses, hanging his head. I leaned in, resting my own forehead against his, brushing my muzzle along his cheek and giving him a small peck. He looked up, Sweetie Bot playing with a few wires leading out of the conduit, the little robotic filly vanishing in a small flash as the song played along. Neither of us really paid much notice, holding each other closely in embrace as the timer ran down. We were both silent, listening to Vera ringing out within the control room, wires sparkng around us. There was a sudden jolt, our embrace tightening about each other, the smell of ozone filling the air, and everything burst into a bright white light, before it went cold and black. Peaceful, in a sense.

"And I know we'll meet again, some sun-ny, day!"

"Oh, fuck! Get the broadcast back, get it back! Ah, ah, North Equestria, we're still trying to understand the situation, but reports are flooding in that there is no longer an Emerald Ridge, I repeat, Emerald Ridge is off the map. You heard it here too, though, that my favorite two stallions are heading up to take care of the issue right now, and I sure as all hell hope that they'll be able to make it out alive after this whole pile of pegasus shit is over. Steel Rangers are going in to help, and so is everypony else who's responded to their message, so, uh, fuck, I-I... fuck! Look, we can trust that they have it in hoof, and they're going to come out alive or die trying. We... what? But... no... no, no no no, fuck me! Uh, I mean, um, EVERYPONY! Listen, get in the sturdiest structure you can find, all residents of Mooscow get your flanks inside Stable 92 right now! That place they're attacking, uh, NEAMO, it's wired with a shitton of megaspells and things look like they've gone south. Get the hell away from NEAMO, get the hell out of there and get as many mountains between you and it as you can, because-"

A rumbling was felt throughout the stable radio station, the transmission cutting in and out sporadically. Just behind the mountain it was in, to the north reaches, the sky and ground were both stained in a bright white light, a visible shockwave traveling through the air and kicking up snow with it. The entire Stable shook as it felt the brunt of the explosion, the lights flickering sporadically for a few moments before coming back, a shaken and bewildered orange unicorn with an electric blue mane searching in the dark for her microphone. She caught her breath, the light above the booth flickering to illuminate the 'On Air' sign.

"Goddesses above..."

"We are twenty klicks from the target and closing. I tell ya, I'm loving these Vertibuck things, amazing they still work." The steel rangers conversed with small smiles as they flew towards the target, one in the back of the helicopter keeping a cigar held firm in his mouth as he watched the ground pass by below. The fifty caliber rifle on his back mounting moved slowly with his head, his eyes staring out into the distance. That megaspell hit the kid's Stable dead-on, and the radio transmission confirmed he saw it. How many times did he have to make sure this kid didn't die were beyond him. The closer they got, the more he felt that he'd failed him, this time...

"All Rangers, repeat, all Rangers, this is Paladin Nova, turn around and land away from NEAMO immediately. Fly away from NEAMO, get as far out as you can and land behind solid cover, we are not going to be able to offer assistance to Minty Candy or Twintails. Get your flanks in gear and run!" Fringe was dumbfounded. His jaw fell slack, and the cigar fell from it, sizzling out into the snow below. What the hell could've happened that had Nova in such a hurry? He braced against the back of the chopper as it listed hard to the left, turning around and diving, granting him a full view of where the NEAMO facility supposedly was. His suit radio crackled again, Nova screaming at the pilots in her vertibuck. "Go, goddess-damn it, go! There are megaspells there that are about to go off! Land by Stable 92, just, fuck, punch it!" Megaspells!? Goddesses almighty...

Tense minutes passed, his gaze still focused towards the facility. Nova's vertibuck was a speck landed against the far mountainside now, the crew likely having rushed into the safety of the Stable - least that would explain Nova just transmitting static now. The craft pitched into a dive, rotors slowing as it descended, finding a flat spot on the Snowdrop test range to land on. The small group of Steel Rangers hopped out, Fringe rushing towards the lip of an old crater where the snow had formed a small dune, staring off towards the NEAMO facility, and those two kids. There was a faint moment of silence as the wind seemed to stop entirely, his breath condensing into clouds of vapor in the cold mid-day air, time slowing to an agonizing crawl.

The burst of light was instant, the clouds above the facility seeming to be illuminated as though Celestia herself had smashed the sun into the ground beyond that mountain range. The power-armored stallion ducked, lifting a foreleg over his eyes at the sight, a billowing cloud of snow rushing across the plains and towards the group of rangers, following the blast wave. A single gigantic cloud rose up from the valley beyond, headed by a massive fireball that illuminated the landscape for miles around still, Fringe having the time to look back and promptly be lifted and thrown by the blast in the snowy cloud. The heavy power armor did him few favors as he slammed back into the snow, rolling several times and finally coming to a stop on his side, warnings of fractured bones filling his ears as portions of him stung with pain, then fell numb inside the suit. He released a long grunt, easing his head from the thrown snow and watching the massive cloud climbing skywards, feeling as if somepony had just given him a swift kick to the gut as well as throwing him like a ragdoll. Damn that kid...

His head fell back to rest in the snow, the less injured Rangers rushing about to find their comrades - he didn't think moving right now would've been in best interests. Been in enough explsions to know that. The telekinesis talisman pulled a fresh cigar from the tin on his suit's foreleg, bringing it to his mouth and alighting it with a spark, Fringe taking a long draw from it before chuffing the cloud out into the rumbling wasteland air. A smirk came across his face, resting with his injuries on the frozen ground, powered hofsteps coming closer towards him. "Had a feeling those two'd be the bloody death of me..."

The sudden surge of electricity was a strange sensation for the robotic filly, as her metallic horn inadvertently brushed against the exposed conduit which her older unicorn friend had been working with just moments ago. Now, she was caught in her own magic, in some strange realm where her visual receptors were only picking up intermittent flashes of black and white. For all she had been through, this sudden senseless binary pulsing frightened Sweetie Bot to no end, and it just kept coming. She flailed her hooves aimlessly in the void, releasing a scream but not hearing it, her ears instead filled with an endless whine of static and electrical discharges.

Falling, or floating, for what felt like an eternity more, the static filling her ears crackled loudly, a steady buzzing heard before her vision was filled with a bright white light, and she suddenly found herself finally coming to a stop inside the body of the gigantic tracked vehicle, buried under a somewhat stinky pile of barding and weapons. She shuffled herself free, releasing wht she percieved as a sigh of relief, curiously looking over the weapons and clothes in front of her. One was a dark blue jacket with gold trim, and two simplistic stable doors on the back section where they would've laid against the owner's flanks, and the other was a well-worn and well-repaired green duster, along with a black bulletproof vest and pair of faded blue pants. Her head tilted, hopelessly confused at the sight - wasn't this what her friends were wearing back inside the NEAMO facility? Where could they have gone?

"He-ey! Open up in there!" The sound of someone banging on the thin outer doors of the tank startled Sweetie Bot momentarily, her ozonic magic unlatching the doors and opening them outwards, met with the stunned face of the gryphon she'd met on her first time in Mooscow. Even for a robotic filly, these events were really beginning to confuse her. Bloodbeak looked into the darkness of the vehicle, dumbfounded and a litte frightened at the sight of the two glowing eyes she was met with inside. Sweetie Bot trotted forwards, meeting Bloodbeak with the same expression of confusion. "You!? But, what... how... where's Minty and Twintails!?"

"I... I don't know. Last recorded sight of them both was back inside the NEAMO facility, I am not even sure how I wound up here with their clothes and weapons." Bloodbeak blinked a few times, processing what the robotic filly was saying. So, gigantic tank suddenly appears in the Mooscow squeare with the kids' guns and clothes in it, and that freaky robot, but not the kids themselves. Great, just fucking great... wait! They could still be alive out there, maybe, they'll just have to go and rescue them. She jumped into the TOG, Sweetie Bot moving backwards to accomodate her, the gryphon frantically shuffling herself to the driver's seat to try and make sense of the controls. If she could just do that and get over there... "I wouldn't reccomend trying to head back to the NEAMO facility, there is an extreme risk of life in doing so!"

"Fuck you, ya tin can! They're still out there, and I'm not going to let those guys-" The sky above was illuminated in a brilliant white light, the few ponies who were still in Mooscow en route back to the Stable letting out screams of shock around, Sweetie Bot feeling as some of her systems frazzled with the rapid burst of energy. The air was calm otherwise, Bloodbeak shuffling herself back from the driver's seat to look out the side doorway, looking out past the Mooscow square and being able to just catch the sight of a truly massive fireball rising off in the distance, past the mountain that the city was at the base of.

"Mother of the Goddesses..." The massive plume headed a long, thick stem, the thin cloud layer that had been around earlier parting to the massive explosion, a nearly visible shockwave bending the air around. Both the gryphon and robotic filly watched on in awe, only breaking sight as the blast wave rumbled the ground around them and shook the heavy tank, having the energy to cause the entire vehicle to tilt onto one track for a faint moment before falling back down upon the other with a loud thud. The contents inside shook, the robotic filly letting off a scream as the pile of clothes was thrown back over her, the blast still reverberating in their ears. Shuffling herself back out from underneath the pile once more, she paused, looking back to it. Her sensors were picking up something that definitely didn't seem right... Her ozonic magic encompased a small paper pamphlet, levitating it out from the pile and over in front of her eyes. This certainly didn't seem like something from the wasteland...

"Owner's Manual for the Series four Stable-Tec licensed large-size residential refrigerator, dated May of 2076. This manual is one hundred and ninety one years old, why is it in with their personal items?"

The lone, old tank trundled along quietly across the snowy fields, heading towards the location the broadcast had spoken of. The earth pony mare inside solemnly stared through the viewport, listening to the engine behind her rumbling quietly as War Mare dipped and moved with the craters and dunes across the wide stretch of wasteland. This was once a place where they tested those megaspells and captured balefire weapons, wasn't it? She recalled seeing photographs of the tests they conducted, the massive mountains dwarfed by the sight of the gigantic clouds rising in front of them, those scorched, melted icy craters left behind after the explosions. Close-up sights of what had happened in the hours when Stalliongrad was hit, when Equestria burned. She released a quiet sigh, glancing to the radio and reminding herself of what she had left Quebuck for. Those two ponies she'd met were in danger.

War Mare responded with her quiet rumble, the snow compressing beneath her heavy tracks and road wheels, the radio still crackling, awaiting updates on those two gone off on the attack. An Artillery Megaspell Outpost... she could only fear the worst. The ground dipped away into another wide subsidence crater, War Mare soon getting bogged up in the softer snow that had accumulated in the bottom. The tracks kicked up fluff, the earth pony mare releasing a curse under her breath as she eased the tank back into a lower gear setting, the tank giving a lurch as the tracks gained purchase again and began drawing it forwards, slowly. Locking the controls in place, Rolling Tracks climbed up from her seat and into the turret, hefting herself up and out of the commander's hatch to get a better view of the wasteland around. War Mare finally crested the far lip of the crater, landing with a small lurch on the edge, the ghoul still gazing up at the mountains that drew nearer, and the narrow pass she'd have to take.

Then the sky exploded again.

"Mat' iz bogin'!" Letting herself fall back into her tank, Rolling Tracks let off a scream as the brilliant white light poured in through every place it could, mere seconds later being followed by a massive explosion, far larger than the one which had lifted War Mare when Stalliongrad was struck. The sensation which overcame her as the deafening blast reverberated throughout the tank was akin to how a ragdoll might feel inside a dryer, the whole body of the tank being thrown backwards into the subsidence crater with a blinding flurry of white snow.

The opened hatch allowed much of the fluff lifted by the blast to gain entrance to the tank, the battered ghoul gasping for breath in her bruised state as she sat against the side, the light from the fireball streaming in through the upper hatch. Righting herself, she climbed up to the hatch once more, looking out past the lip of the crater, staring up at the massive, rolling cloud just past the mountain. She coughed heavily, staring back up at the giant mushroom flowing skywards, jaw fallen slack. She wasn't quick enough... those poor young stallions...

The snow blew in quiet wisps around the snow-colored tank, Rolling Tracks laying her aged head against the hatch ring, silent weeps overcoming her. It wasn't the first time she hadn't been able to reach someone in time, but... it didn't make it sting any less.

"Think they're gonna be okay, Featherweight?" Buzzy rested on the back of the large stallion, the cold air blowing about them in the mid-day sun. The large battle wagon rocked slowly as they skimmed along the side of the mountain, passing over the large brick factory and the robots milling about around it, pressing on towards the relative safety of the Mooscow walls. The cloud from the first explosion was just wisps now, rising up from a large black scorch mark on the mountain's side where the small town once was, Featherweight coughing back tears. He glanced back to the small filly holding onto his neck, catching her large red eyes - she knew as well as he did the real answer wasn't the one either of them wanted to hear.

"I-I'm sure that they will be, Buzzy. I mean, they've... they've survived, what, three of these things going off already? W-what's the difference with four?... eheh..." The laughter was hollow, the frown on his face heard in it prominently as the little filly laid her cheek against the larger stallion's neck and mane, eyes staring back in the direction of the facility. Featherweight let off a long sigh, his hooves touching down on the snowy intersection, some small craters left behind being filled by the blowing snow. Only a little over a month since he first saw those two ponies... time flies too damn fast.

The wagon slid easily along the road on a pair of skids, the large wooden gates coming up towards them both. Buzzy sniffed at the air ahead, her face wrenching up in a bit of disgust. "Bleh, wha'ssat smell? Smells like..." Featherweight took his own sniff of the air beyond the wall, eyes gone wide in recognizing the peculiar odor. Ozone. That's what it always smelled like whenever Twinny and his friend teleported somewhere, they, they might have gotten out alive! They-

The sky beyond the mountains lit up in a brilliant white light, Buzzy letting off a squeal as Featherweight kicked the emergency release and wrapped his wings around his little sister, leaping for a ditch near the road, away from the explosion. Grabbing the small filly by her mane and wrapping her in his hooves, his large wings covered her as a pulse of heat shot down from the valley, follwed by a low rumble that quickly became a deafening explosive blast, shaking them both to the core as they huddled in the cold snow. The blinding cloud of fluff blew around and over them, Buzzy crying herself to shreds, Featherweight nearly joining her in doing so, a heavy thud reverberating nearby as the shockwave passed.

Moments passed, and the air grew quieter, save for the still rumble of the far mountains. The large stallion lifted himself from the ditch, along with his sister, looking northwards and catching the sight of the massive cloud looming heavy in the sky. Buzzy held tight onto his neck, her tears staining his coat, quietly shuddering a few more cries out into the air. Featherweight's jaw hung slack, moving in incoherent words, his legs failing him as he fell to the snow, laying there in defeat. Nopony could have survived that... "They're... they're gonna be okay..."

I gasped for breath, looking at the current surroundings. Ornate, detailed arches lined with vines and pink flowers covered the white pylons, apples hanging freely from other branches as the white marble room came into focus. A set of large doors rested on the opposite side, myself sitting on a cushioned bench quietly, pleasant sounds filling the air - the idle hum of Bruce's reactor systems, Vera's soft, longing voice, Featherweight cooking dinner up for us, Gamma Ray calling for me. Her distinct voice drew closer, myself giving a small, startled jump as a hoof poked me gently between my wings. Turning about, Lime-green strands of mane filled my vision before I met the eyes of the young, beautiful light-blue unicorn I'd known for all of my life. She smiled widely, leaning forth and wrapping me in her hooves, myself sputtering. "G-Gamma Ray..."

"Yes, Twinnie. It's me..." Her gentle hooves rubbed softly over my wings, that special way she always did it. It, it really was... acting more than thinking, my forelegs instantly wrapped about her body, squeezing it in a tight embrace. She let off a slow chuckle, leaning back and holding a hoof to my cheek. "Oh, you grew up so fast, Twintails. I told you that we'd meet again..."

"...some sunny day. Gamma, this is... I'm just so happy to see you again. How did you get here, I mean, I was with Minty in NEAMO's reactor room, and then... then..." I fell quiet, thinkng about it more. Gamma Ray, she was dead, I saw her go with my own eyes, held her in my hooves, buried her. A small frown fell to her face, her foreleg wrapping about me tighter. "G-Gamma, am I... I..." She nodded quietly, rubbing her foreleg slowly down my back and over my wings, moving her other one to grab my hoof.

"I'm sorry, Twinnie. I was watching you as you and your friend tried to delay it long enough, the reactor output peaked, and..." She fell quiet, leaving myself with my head hung low, looking as she grabbed my hoof tightly. She let out a small chuckle, her free foreleg releasing my hoof and lifting my chin up to look at her. "If it's any consolation, you did everything right. Well, you, and your friend..."

The doors on the other side of the white, ornate room opened up, a white unicorn trotting through them and over to myself and Gamma Ray, his left foreleg matching his right and horn a solid white color, the only thing not 'him' being the pair of glasses on his eyes. He smiled warmly, his trot breaking into a slight gallop as I stood myself up with Gamma Ray, us all meeting halfway to the door. Holding Minty in a tight hug, the sound of flapping wings and hoofsteps caught my ears, looking to the doorway to see a yellow pegasus with a long, flowing pink mane and tail hovering alongside the orange earth pony with a stetson covering her hay-colored mane. They both wore soft smiles as well all looked to them, the earth pony mare removing her stetson and holding it to her chest. "Miss Gamma Ray? Are ya ready?"

"Of course, miss Applejack. Just... one more moment, if I may." The orange earth pony smiled, giving a faint nod and placing her stetson back atop her head, myself looking towards Gamma Ray. She trotted up to me, holding a hoof to my cheek for a moment then pulling me into a tight hug, brushing her cheek and mane against mine. She took a step back, placing a tender kiss to my forehead, gently holding her hoof against my cheek once more. "I'm sorry, Twinnie, but I have to go. I promise you, I'll always be with you, and you know what Vera always sang... We'll meet again..."

"Some sun-ny, day..." She gave a small nod, Minty moving over as she trotted quietly over to the pegasus and earth pony in the doorway, the three of them turning to leave. I blunk a few times, thinking, taking a few trots forwards and drawing their attention for a moment. "B-but, wait! Aren't we... yanno..." The pegasus and earth pony looked at each other for a moment, the orange mare pulling a clipboard out from under her hat and giving it to the yellow pegasus. She scanned it over, looking back up at myself and Minty, pausing in quiet thought for a moment.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. There was a small mistake, your friends wanted to make the most of it while you were here. Don't worry though, you will see them again, eventually, but not for a good long while." She smiled lightly, the orange mare gently poking at her hoof and nodding towards us both, then her foreleg as if she were wearing a pip-buck, the yellow pegasus letting off a small embarrassed giggle. "Oh, um, yes, it may be a shorter while if you keep hooking your friend up to reactors, though, so I'd really suggest you not do that. Goodbye!" The room slowly grew brighter around us, my last sight before my vision was entirely flooded with white being that of Gamma Ray's smiling face. We will meet again, Gamma, some sunny day...

I awoke, again, to the sounds of scraping and digging slowly getting closer, stuck and cramped inside... something, with Minty pressing up against me tightly... very, very tightly, in fact. Oh my. His eyes fluttered weakly, meeting my own in the cramped space, us being barely able to move a thing without bumping into wall or each other by that point. The scraping grew louder yet, our ears being met with a loud squeal of happiness and frantic banging on the outside of... whatever we're inside. I banged back in response, Minty letting off a groan and moving to grab at his ears - okay, yeah, confined space and loud noises, I think we've played this song before. And yet I still haven't learned a thing...

After a few more moments of frantic scraping outside, the brilliant, white light of day met both of our eyes, along with a sudden chill of the wind blowing in. Okay, yeah, we're pressing up against each other a little less tightly now, at least. What happened to our barding, anyways? Shielding our eyes as they adjusted to the light, we were met with the sight of Featherweight and Buzzy, Bloodbeak and Sweetie Bot, and Cross Stitch all standing over us where we were laying, the royal blue unicorn helping to levitate us both out and wrap us both in warm blankets, him taking to hugging Minty tightly while Featherweight did the same to myself, rolling over in the snow as his leaping hug came to a stop. I let off a light chuckle, looking back to the small crater we were pulled out of. The door they pulled open fell back into place, a formed metal handle sticking out of it's smooth exterior, the thing looking practically brand new as is. I let off a laugh of my own as I finally figured out what that was.

"Well, I'll be damned, a fridge does work."

"Helloooo, wasteland! And good afternoon too, what a Goddess-send of an afternoon it is! Ow! I don't know about you kiddies, but old Bertie here is still running off the amazement of the news came in from Mooscow just a few hours ago. Make sure you're sitting down for this one, because I sure as hell wish that I were when a certain pegasus and certain unicorn came trotting in through that Stable door to say hi. I'm not kidding you, kiddies, this is some goddess-send of a miracle - these two ponies, Twintails and Minty Candy, they were the ones that went up to see what the fuss in that NEAMO place was, and they were the only ones left there when those warheads went off and shook the whole goddess-damned wasteland from here to Stalliongrad. They stuck themselves direct at ground zero of that boom so their friends could have some time to escape, and their selfless act paid off in full, as nopony else perished when the time ran out.

"Now, getting back to them and their stop by just a few hours ago, we were still recovering from the explosion here so some of the equipment was acting on the fritz, which is why we didn't nab an interview of their escape live. But, you won't believe me when I tell you how they just managed to ride out that Stable-shaking blast unscathed and unharmed. Celestia strike me down if I tell a lie, turns out Stable-Tec refrigerators are just as goddess-damned strong as their Stables! Tommy's still trying to figure that one out, with the help of the Steel Rangers' Paladin Nova, so I'll keep you posted later on once they figure out how in hell it made it that far.

"The boys let us know that they were headed back to Mooscow to try and recover from what they'd just managed - I don't blame 'em in the slightest. Hey, you two crazy stallions out there, this song's going straight out to you both, I sure as hell hope you both get a good long rest after saving all our asses from that 'Cherry' asshole! This is Bert the Turtle on CONELRAD, six-forty twelve-forty on the AM band, and this song is dedicated to Minty Candy and Twintails - Vera Lynn, letting us all know that we'll all meet again, some sunny day."

"We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.

So will you please say hello,
To the folks that I know, tell them,
I won't be long.

They'll be happy to know,
that as you saw me go,
I was singing this song.

We'll meet again,
Don't know where,don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.

So will you please say hello,
To the folks that I know, tell them,
I won't be long.

They'll be happy to know,
that as you saw me go,
I was sing-ing this song.

We'll meet again,
Don't know where,
don't know when...

But I know we'll meet again, some sun-ny, day!"

Author's Note

Well, this is it, the very last chapter of Occupational Hazards. Both myself and Minty really hope that you all had an enjoyable time reading it - we sure had a fun as hell time in writing it out, even if we went a little overboard in parts or didn't quite meet our weekly deadlines. We will be writing again, eventually though, so don't you worry about that! Minty's off in college, and I might be starting a job of my own soon, so don't expect the sequel to come within weeks of the first - but rest assured, the world of Occupational Hazards hasn't been shelved just yet.

Regardless, for all of you who have been reading with us for the past year, thank you for putting up with us both and giving your time, and thank you to anyone coming here new and have stuck with for so long in finishing it. We hope that the ride has been as enjoyable for you as it has been for us!

Cheers, and catch you later!
~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan

The Stables

So, this is how it was going to end for me. In retrospect, I guess I should have seen this one coming; now my curiosity was becoming reality. It was definitely quieter than I'd imagined it to be, more like watching those videos way back when I was just a young colt - but that didn't take away from the fact. The sky was turning green with each flash, dark clouds rolling over the hills and consuming each town before they went up in a brilliant flash, the process repeating itself. The world was burning that day, gone up as the tensions could not wait any longer. Equestria as I knew it died - and I had a front-row seat. Each flash drew closer and closer, the blasts' sounds drawing together, almost making a coherent word within their collective roars, deep, growling, breathing of unavoidable death. I looked up, frozen, an evil, striped warhead screaming in at myself from above. I tried to let out a scream.

Flash. Gone. Nothing.

My eyes burst open, blinded with brightness from above, my golden coat damp. I snapped upwards, about to scream again before looking at my surroundings; the little porcelain figurine of the orange earth pony rested on the night stand, the desk littered with pages and papers of diagrams nearly overflowing into the wastebasket beside it. Cold gray walls surrounded myself, the fluorescent bulbs overhead casting their flickering light throughout the room. Wings drooped to my sides, I laid back in my damp bedding, breathing, calming myself down. "Damn... that was one hell of a dream..."

Laying there for a few minutes more, I finally found the strength to drop out of bed, shaking myself dry of the sweat and sliding into the denim jumpsuit, ready to greet another day in the hole. It was somewhat interesting, our situation - we all knew that the war was centuries over, and most of the fallout had fallen-out and decayed, yet nopony really wanted to leave and try to contact the outside. Sure, every now and again you'd hear talk of leaving the Stable to explore the wasteland above, but it's usually just some filly or colt trying to impress their friends. No, everypony enjoyed their lives just fine, hidden away behind the heavy steel-composite door of Stable 34, unbothered by what went on in the grim world above.

It was almost ideal down here - all things treated fairly, nopony was viewed in any higher regard to anypony else, not even the Overmare. Titles are just titles; as long as you were able to contribute productively to the stable, be it in maintaining it, beautifying it, or entertaining it, you were justified to be treated as a friend... no matter how loosely that term would apply. Even in the closeness of living in a Stable, introverts persisted.

You know, probably one of the better perks of not being so social, you can really focus on your task, without all of the distractions that come with 'friends'. Friendship didn't win the war... granted, nobody really -won- the great war... but still. When you've got a two-century-old nuclear reactor to tend to, friends usually become an afterthought. The way that you tend to glow for a minute or two after a long shift with the beast doesn't help much either, unless you want to attract weirdos. Yep, that's me - Stable 34's designated reactor repairpony. Really, you kinda get used to the radiation after awhile, it's low enough that you usually only need to down a Radaway or two every few weeks. Stable-Tec sure knew what they were doing when they built these things - most smaller-scale reactors I've read about from before the war had to be replaced after a few years of use, or at the very least had the main graphite mediator rods cleaned and swapped for newer ones. Our reactor's been chugging away non-stop since they fired it up, all the original bits and parts still in place... or, at least that's what Gamma Ray tells me. Part of me is convinced she's old enough to have been around to have witnessed the damn thing's christening. Anyways, all in all, it's a pretty monotonous job, more like babysitting than actually repairing.

In the offtime when Gamma takes over the reactor, nothing really compares to kicking back with a nice cola and a few old reels of megaspell and captured balefire bomb tests. Just to think that these massive, brilliant things were made over the course of only a few decades is an honest testament to how fast equestrian technology advanced - it genuinely makes you think what other creations may have come out if everything didn't go up in balefire. Robotic Augmentations? Self-propelled carriages? Heavier-than-air craft? Yes, the war was terrible, but just think of the technology that it caused to come to be! Call it morbid, but I'd give my left wing just to see even a small weaponized megaspell or balefire explosion live... outside of the danger zone, of course. I'm not THAT crazy, I know what these bombs can do - and it sure as hell would take a lot more than a Luna-damned schooldesk to save somepony's flank from one... 'Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Star Warriors' notwithstanding. Somepony could've managed to survive the bombs inside a fridge, you couldn't know for sure!

Seemingly ludicrous film scenes aside, it certainly fills afternoons working out how different bombs affect various areas, and learning all about what they did a few decades shy of two centuries ago. Did you know, in fact, that you had about 2-3 seconds after seeing the flash of a small balefire bomb detonated in the air about a mile away, to duck beneath a thick embankment or hardened building? Believe it or not, that part from the old message of Duck and Cover does actually work! Sure, you might come out of it with a few bones smashed from the negative blast wave smacking into you like a train, but even the smallest bit of cover will actually save you from an otherwise ugly demise due to organ-liquefying radiation. I do often wonder if anypony managed to survive the bombs and balefire without being in a Stable - they'd have to have either been miles underground and have been able to stay down there for a few months at the very least, long enough for the fallout and radiation to subside, or miles away from any significant population center. A mineshaft up north, maybe, a good few miles from Stalliongrad, or at least on the opposite side of a mountain range near it...

Ah, back inside the wonderfully pleasant blue glow from Stable 34's Reactor, affectionately named 'Bruce' by generations earlier. There's just something so curious about how the damn thing works - every few years or so, they have to take these large silvery-metal slugs and drop them into place in the fuel rods. Last time they did that, I was still a blank flank, hard to imagine... huh. Yanno, maybe that's why I've got that mark of a helium atom. All it is is just an alpha particle with two beta particles in orbit, after all... or it could've been because I may have inhaled a -bit- too much helium at Tablet's cutecienera. You can't blame me, I thought it'd make me fly better - I was just a colt at the time, for cryin' out loud! Caught sight of the fuel rods when I was down recovering in the infirmary, strange things they were back then, and they sill are now. No magic running them at all, just their unstable atoms shedding off a few pounds in the form of an alpha or beta particle. Plop them into the core, they heat up some coolant fluid, the coolant boils water, water makes steam, steam runs generators, generators power ninety percent of the Stable. Just pure science... I wonder if all Stables have the same thing? Can't take out an electrical talisman with an Anti-Magical Pulse when there aren't any talismans wired on the grid in the first place!

Being one of those deep-water reactors, Bruce is a rather reliable workhorse, so to say. Hardly ever have to fiddle with the graphite moderators, fuel runs out slower than it takes a bone to heal, very self-sufficient design. Most days I wind up doing more reading than repairing, just sitting on the lip of the reactor pool near the terminal bank and occasionally glancing up at the screens to make sure nothing starts screaming at me in RobronCo code. Worst day so far was when they found Junebug's pet rabbit Mr. Skritters' remains lodged inside a cooling vent - poor kid. Wish I could've told her that he went peacefully, but, well, nuclear heat and radiation just don't work that way. Let's just say it was a closed-box funeral. Try to not think about how many ways somepony could get hurt messing around this reactor, just have to be glad that nopony ever really comes down here. Just have to-...

Was that the bulkhead opening?

Tossing the copy of 'Daring Do and the Temple of Boom' inside the reactor manual binder aside, I scanned over the screens, trying to find any alerts, alarms, or frowny-faces - In other words, trying to look busy. The sound of hooves clacking against metal scaffold and floor drew closer as I closely examined a few lines of code that looked suspiciously like a smudge on the screen, nudging the novel further into the binder with a free hoof and sliding the whole ordeal over some extraneous papers.

"Twintails? Have a minute?" Peeling my eyeballs off of the Cathode-Ray screen, I was greeted by the sight of the aging soft-blue mare with the neon-green mane that had tutored me for the longest time. Streaks of gray cut over her coat and mane, some faint spots where her profession had it's impact showing thinning all over her body. She trotted over to a second chair, sitting herself down easily as I followed her with my gaze.

"Yeah, Gamma? What is it?" She stretched lazily as she turned to look at myself, returning a gaze of curiosity as she faintly smiled. I sat myself up, leaning forwards in the chair, wings folded.

"You know... you know how all of the little colts and fillies always say that they're going to be the first ones to step out of the Stable? Well..." She drew in a softly labored breath, letting out a sigh as she continued on. "...I think you'll might have to be the first. Remember the Skritters incident?" I blinked, in disbelief and surprise, feeling my mouth go a bit dry. Leaving the Stable? But why? I kept shut, nodding lightly as I leaned back in my chair. "Well... as it turns out, not all of him came out. A few bits of leg bone fell into a vital component of the reactor's system, and we just don't have any way to permanently fix or replace it on hand - damn thing's too advanced for a repair talisman, Celestia knows why it didn't come with one made for it in the first place. It's a special part of the vent system, called a neutron-dampening radiothermic coil - it keeps the stray particles going right up where they should be, helping vent the excess heat out. With it busted, sooner or later the reactor level's going to get hotter and more ambiently radioactive than a bomb crater."

I leaned back, resting my head on the back of the chair and looking up at the soft blue glow reflecting off of the metal ceiling, trying to piece together it all. Swinging myself side to side in contemplation... and because swivel-chairs are fun... I finally came to a rest and looked over at Gamma Ray. "So let me get this straight... you're asking me to go out into that desolate, cold-as-the-moon wasteland to try and find one of these things? I don't even know what it looks like!" Lengthy and informative as a reactor manual is, known for pictures it isn't. Gamma chuckled lightly, levitating out a small photograph of a strange conical-shaped device, bristling with coils and a light on it's end, suspended inside the main reactor vent. I stared at it for a few moments, then looked back up at the unicorn mare sitting across from me.

"It's about the size of three terminals placed back to front, keyboards and all. Ought to only be a couple pounds, twenty-five at most is the best guess. We jury-rigged a smaller cooling system for the exhaust pipe, but there's no way we can get it to last for more than a few more months with that... it's for the best of the Stable, Twintails. Nopony else has your same mobility options, and the sooner we can get a fully-functioning one installed, the better." Gazing at myself with eyes beginning to glint with dampness, and the faintest hints of a frown trying to permeate her softhearted smile, Gamma rested a hoof upon my shoulder, drawing in a light sniffle. We sat for a few moments as I stared at the photograph, sliding it inbetween my Pip-buck and foreleg before looking into the solemn face of the elder unicorn, a light smile upon mine.

"When should I start off?"

The sending-off party wasn't especially large - Gamma Ray was sniffling, brushing her thinning mane out of her eyes every now and again as she rested herself against the railing nearby. Tablet had arrived, pulling out the design for the mural she had planned to commemorate me in Stable 34's history, a gesture I really felt quite undeserving of. I was just stepping hoof out into the wasteland, I would be back someday, eventually. She insisted, regardless... bless her heart, she'd draw the world happy if she could. Always knew just how to make anypony feel better just from her pictures, most of the time, anyways. Junebug, the Overmare's daughter, also was in attendance - I couldn't tell if she still harbored sadness about her pet's accident or not, she mostly just sat and watched the proceedings. I suppose Mayflower was just busy with the rest of the Stable, needed somepony to open up the Stable's heavy cog door with the password. It was still a bit strange, watching her just sit there while everything went forwards. Disconcerting, even.

Gamma had fished out an old but unused piece of riot armor from the Stable security's armory and helped me fit into it - I imagine they weren't expecting many pegasi to keep on the ground when the bombs started to fall. The lack of armored wings wasn't much of a concern, probably would be better I had them out in the open if fight had to become flight. There wasn't a helmet to go along with it, unfortunately, but for having sat around for about two centuries it was otherwise in almost perfect condition... hopefully it'd keep like that for a while. Gamma Ray rested a hoof upon my shoulder as I pulled the saddlebags on tightly, her expression twisted to the brink of tears as she looked over myself. Looking back to her with saddened eyes, I stepped forwards and drew her into a tight embrace, feeling her do the same as she began to quietly whimper through her lips. Her mane smelled faintly of decay and age, covered in a weak perfume of coolant fluid and oil - my own eyes began to water as I took a deep lungful of the familiar scents, hugging her tighter against myself as we stood in the long-vacant Stable entrance. Whimpering began to turn into faint crying as she worked out what she wanted to say.

"I... I wish that there was another, w-way..." The elder unicorn let out a small exclamation of tears, squeezing myself tighter against her body. "Oh, Twintails... I'm so sorry..." Nuzzling and rubbing into my mane with damp eyes, she tightened her embrace, much as a mother would when seeing their little fillies and colts growing up in the world. She didn't want to let go - and neither did I. We stood there for a few moments more, softly weeping and wetting each other's coats and manes, standing on the inside of the Stable door as Junebug hefted herself up to the control panel.

"D-don't be, it's for the good of the Stable, after all... I promise you, we'll meet each other again, some sunny day. Just like how the old song goes..." We took a step back from each other as we let go, Gamma managing out a chuckle through her tears, wiping them clean with a hoof. Her cheeks were already stained with them as she longingly looked over myself, a saddened smile worked upon her face, her magic aura alighting around her horn. From her saddlebags, she lifted out a hardwood case, emblazoned with a radioactive trefoil surrounded upon three sides by strange symbols, one of which the old mare sported upon her flank. She lowered it into my hooves, flicking the latches.

"A... a small parting gift. Radiation family sidearm... I hope that you'll put it to good use. Been passed down generations, one family member to the next." She lifted open the lid of the case, revealing a very curious semi-auto pistol; it was pure black metal with a stiff plastic mouth grip, save for the receiver lever which was a deep, almost military-green color. The barrel of the weapon was almost ridiculous - it looked like it could blow somepony's hoof off with one shot! Or, at the very least, break my jaw the first time I fire it... "Old design, chambered in .45 Auto rounds. One of the few ones not made by Ironshod..." Shutting the lid, her horn lit up strongly for a few moments, a small, concentrated ball of neon-green glowing at the bottom of the trefoil burned into the lid. The ball of magic faded, and Gamma Ray slumped against the railing, panting heavily and looking up at myself as I moved to catch her. She moved a hoof out, resting it upon my shoulder for a moment before moving and turning the box upright, holding it in my view. Four symbols surrounded the fan-shaped mark upon the cover of the box now; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and the newest addition, a diagram of a helium atom, matching precisely the one upon my flank. I looked at it for a few moments in shock and surprise, as Gamma regained herself. "Welcome to the... my, family." She worked out a weakened smile as she gently rested a hoof around my neck, lifting the hefty sidearm and case and sliding them both into my saddlebags gingerly. I bit at my lower lip hard, trying to keep back the tears - I didn't want to leave now at all...

But the health of the Stable had to come first.

"Gamma, I... I... I don't know what to say. Thank you, for everything..." I pulled her into another close hug, holding it for a few moments before the sound of a little hoof tapping against metal floor broke us apart. We turned to see Junebug leaning against the console awkwardly upon her hind legs, her curled, shiny blue mane hanging over her annoyed peach-colored face.

"Come on, that radio-whatever thing isn't getting any more fixed! Go out and find a new one already, don't make me have to get mommy to kick you out." Ah, the awkward days of youth, when your voice still has to decide whether or not it's going to continue being hooves on a chalkboard or not. Junebug's seemed to be fine mimicking a chipmunk caught in a Stable air conditioning unit... yeah. That bad. I turned back to Gamma Ray, leaning forwards and nuzzling her softly for a moment, getting one last look into her eyes as the warning lights began to flash overhead near the giant cog door.

"Go get it, Twinnie... and please come back in one piece." With a soft parting kiss upon the forehead, I watched Gamma stepping back, away from the entrance to the place that we all had called home for generations. The giant steel door screeched open with the retort of aged metal upon aged metal, rolling aside and allowing the cool, musty air of the short tunnel entrance outside to come in. I took one look back at the three behind - Tablet had already started laying the groundwork for the mural. Gamma was wiping her eyes dry. And Junebug looked solemn, stepping forwards towards myself, slightly annoyed that I hadn't left yet. I took one last breath inside the Stable, taking the first few steps outside the heavy steel door of Stable 34 in nearly two centuries. The air was cool, and I was rather thankful that between the riot barding and my saddlebags it was only my face and wings that could really feel it. A warning klaxon sounded, the mechanics of the stable's door whirring and slowly fitting it back into place. I turned around to get one last look; Gamma Ray was still in tears, though the bore the widest smile I'd ever seen across her face. Tablet took time to give a parting wave of the hoof, a paintbrush held in her mouth along with two others levitated in her magic. And Junebug was smiling... but not in the 'wish i didn't have to see you go, be back soon' sense. No, this was... the really freaky 'I know something you don't and I'm getting my way' smile...

The door screeched shut a moment later. I was on the outside of the Stable, the first pony to do so in generations, facing a wide, new world that I knew I was likely to explore every inch of, intentionally or not.

And I was all alone.

A loud beeping filled my ears, my left leg vibrating violently. I grunted, rubbing my eyes as I sat up in bed. The lights blinded me for a faint moment, as I looked down at the blur that was my Pip-Buck and flicked a little switch on the side. The alarm switched off and the image of the little colt on the screen waking up flickered out to be replaced by a mess of blurry words. Looking over to my bedside table, I picked up my glasses and slid them onto my face, prompting me to blink as they magnified the lights overhead, my eyes eventually adjusting and the room coming into focus. I rubbed my temples, throwing aside the covers of my bed and making way to the dresser nearby; oh, let’s see, what should I wear today? The Stable-Tec Stable 76 Standardized Jumpsuit, the Stable-Tec Stable 76 Standardized Jumpsuit, or the Stable-Tec Stable 76 Standardized Jumpsuit?

Slipping into one of the jumpsuits, I managed to drag myself over a short plug extending from the wall, hooves heavy on the floor. I slipped my mane aside, revealing a small jack on my temple. Right, just slip in the plug, and... oooooh, yeaah, that's the stuff. The electricity flowed through the wire and into my head, the tiny wires, talismans and coils clicking as they powered up, the very faint hum returning to my ears as my horn gave a spark, my magic returning to full strength. I unplugged the wire, a shiver running through my body - oh, electricity is -so- much better than caffeine.

The door slid upwards as I approached it, the hallways quiet, aside from the occasional echoes of the hooves of a security pony changing shifts. I trotted down the hallway, climbing the stairs to the main hall, spotting a few ponies sitting around on some of the chairs, one flipping through a magazine. Entering the cafeteria, I picked up a tray and slid it along the tray line, disinterestedly looking behind the splash guards. One of the cafeteria ponies placed a bowl of oatmeal onto the tray, as I grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter near the end of the line. Trotting myself over to one of the long tables, I idly took a bite out of the apple, taking a curious look at it. I have no clue how they grow this stuff so far underground, but eh, hey, if it works, it works.

As I ate, a royal blue unicorn trotted in; I watched his purple tail swish back and forth as he slid his own tray along the line, picking up a pack of fancy filly snack cakes and giving that soft mane of his a gentle flick. Eyes fallen out of focus on everything else for a moment, I snapped back to reality as he turned to face me, smiling and sliding in on the bench beside myself. “Hey, Minty. How’re you doing?” Cross Stitch rested his forehooves on the table, levitating and tearing open the package of cakes and taking a bite, as I swallowed my mouthful of oatmeal down.

“Alright. Same old stuff yesterday.” I ate more of the bland oatmeal as he chomped down on the other cake, giving a small muffled chuckle of acknowledgement. We ate in silence for a while, before I spoke up again. “Anything interesting happen for you, yesterday?” He shook his head in response, as he finished up with the snack cakes.

“Nah, I was just fixing up some more jumpsuits. Stir Fry’s shot up over the past weeks.” I nodded in response as I finished up my breakfast. “And what do you mean same old stuff yesterday? It wasn’t exactly a secret you broke into the armory again.” He smirked as he levitated the trays onto a pile of dirty ones.

“Can I help it if that’s where the only cool pieces of tech are being stored here?” I asked, grinning. Cross Stitch only rolled his eyes in response, trotting beside me. “Hey, you said it yourself you wanted to check it out sometime.” We walked out of the mess hall, heading to Cross Stitch’s job at the jumpsuit repair room.

“I said I wanted to check out the maintenance areas with you, not get in trouble with the Overmare.” He said as we turned a corner, a security guard walking in the opposite direction to us. “Maybe then I’d get your obsession with those giant boxes of gems.” I gave a roll of my eyes in response.

“Said the seamstress.” I chuckled, Cross Stitch sticking his tongue out at me teasingly. We reached his room, him punching the code in. “I’ll see you later.” I said, smiling, himself smiling back before turning into the room. I trotted back down the hallway, heading towards the maintenance areas, passing another security pony who I nodded to in acknowledgement. He grunted a little, but nothing else. I turned and headed down the steps, my hooves clacking against the metal softly.

I entered the small maintenance office, Squeaky Hinges pouring over some paperwork. He looked up as I walked in, spitting his pencil out of his mouth. “Hey, Minty. We’ve got some complaints about computers losing power, probably just a busted tube. Go check the mainframe.” He waved me away, and I immediately turned around, heading even deeper into the guts of the Stable. The door to the large generator slid open, the mechanical beast rumbling loudly. I snatched up a pair of headphones from the wall, slipping them over my ears with a small grumble, before trotting over to the back of the machine.

My metal horn glowed as the screws undid themselves and I lifted the panel away, revealing the mess of wires, tubes, bulbs and talismans littered throughout. Sure enough, there were a few shattered vacuum tubes near the back, still idly sparking... brilliant. These things burst more often than I can care to keep track of. I unscrewed them and slipped what I could find of the glass into a bucket, pulling out a few extra ones out of the toolbox and securing them and the wires. As I did, an arc of lighting flew from the end of one, connecting with my horn. Gah, mother of Celestia! Why is it they haven’t found a good way of insulating body parts yet? Rubbing my horn gingerly, I used my mouth to screw the panel back into place, as my magic throbbed.

I soon found myself trotting out of the noisy room, emptying the bucket of broken vacuum tubes into a trashcan, setting the headphones back onto their rack. As I trotted back up to the office, a little niggling feeling poked at me, stopping me in my tracks, and making me look to my right. Down the hall was another secured door, the lights behind the sign “Armory” flickering slightly above it. I glanced back up the stairs to the office - no one should be coming down soon, right? The generator’s fixed, Hinges should see that on his computer, and he didn’t need anything else today. I looked back down the hallway to the armory, an ear twitching slightly. Slowly, I walked towards it, checking over my shoulder that no one was coming.

Trotting up to the terminal beside the door, I took to inspecting it. They probably beefed up the security system on this thing since my last break in… Even with all those misspent days of hacking into the systems, before I got my job, probably wouldn’t help much. I pulled out the screwdriver from the toolbox and a bobby pin tucked in my mane - good thing that wasn’t the only thing I misspent my days on...

I bent the bobby pin, carefully sliding it into the small keyhole in the door, using my screwdriver as leverage. I placed my ear against the door and jiggled the pin around, sliding it left and right. It didn’t sound too difficult a lock… honestly, it should have been a lot more complex for an armory door. Listening as a few tumblers clicked, I twisted the screwdriver, and the latch popped open. No blaring alarms? This is my lucky day! I slipped through the door, shutting it behind me before I looked over the Stable's positively loaded armory. I giggled a little to myself as I saw the myriad of weaponry, pistols, revolvers, a few grenades, but the cream of the crop lay on a large metal table near the center. I lifted up a small brass gun in my aura, looking over the various wires and cathodes attached to it.

The plasma pistol’s cool casing shone slightly in the light as I twisted it this way and that to look it over. Oooh, what I could do with this little thing… I glanced over my shoulder again, the door to the armory still shut tight. A smile crossed my face as I pulled out a small screwdriver, pliers, and other various tools. I began to undo the casing around the plasma emitting hull, and levitated over a nearby laser pistol, beginning to unscrew the front end. The prism was soon glittering in the Stable lights, the laser emitter distorted through it. I carefully lifted it out and laid the laser pistol case on the table, looking back its plasma counterpart.

The cool plasma warped in its glass container, various magnets and heating elements hooked up to it, keeping it live. I looked over the gun, trying to figure the best way to fit in the prism. The glass should be able to withstand the heat, those lasers weren’t too much cooler than good old plas-

I froze in place as I suddenly heard hoofsteps outside the door, sounding like they were trotting closer. They stopped outside the door, my heart stuck firm in my throat - fuck me... I could barely hear the beeping of the terminal as the door slid open. Security officer Kevlar looked in, sighing before trotting herself up to me, irritated. “Minty… how many times are we going to have to do this?” My ears lowered as I set the guns down on the table, gathering up my tools. Last time I tried to put up a fight I received a large dose of high-voltage electricity through my horn… definitely don’t need that again.

Kevlar escorted me out of the room, locking the door behind her. She lead me through the halls, and I glanced into Hinges’ office as we passed by, who didn’t seem to notice us. “You know the Overmare’s not going to be happy about this. What is it, the eighth time this month? She really needs to boost the security down there already.”

We trotted up the stairs towards the Overmare’s office, Kevlar opening the door and stepping in behind me. Bonbon looked up, only to see me and sigh, her expression immediately going sour. “Please, for once just tell me this was for vandalizing a soda machine or drawing graffiti.” Kevlar shook her head, Bonbon sighing. “Minty, you know we’re not allowed to give access to the armory to anypony but security officers. It’s bad enough knowing those that we give those roles could get a wire crossed and start killing people off without some tech obsessed colt breaking in every day too!” She was growing steadily angrier by the minute. Welp, yeah, I messed up big this time...

“Every day I keep getting reports back of failing augmentations and ponies needing to be put down and now you-” She stopped short, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. I stepped back a bit, staring at her in disbelief. Augmentations… failing? Ponies dying? Bonbon looked over to Kevlar, who glanced nervously between her and me. Bonbon’s expression became stern again. “Take Minty back to his room. Have his room confiscated.” She turned back to me - this certainly did not seem like it was going to be a slap on the hoof this time... “You are hereby under solitary confinement for an undetermined amount of time. Your room will be guarded and your job duties revoked until further notice.” She lowered her voice, giving a firm glare that rather well hammered it in for me. “If you tell anypony about what you've just heard, I’ll see to it you won’t be heard from again.”

Kevlar led me back to my room, a few ponies watching with small snickers as we passed, only to be scared off as she glared at them. As we made our way down the hallways, a few more security officers started to follow a short ways behind us, trying not to draw suspicion as we approached my room. The door to my room slid upwards, and Kevlar walked me over to the bed as we waited for the other guards to arrive. “What the hell’s going on? Why are these augmentations failing? I thought they’d been tested to be safe!” I said, almost shouting at Kevlar.

“Shut up.” She gave me a swift smack across the back of my head, her normally cheery nature gone completely. I took to leaning away from her as we waited. Soon, three other guards entered the room, one looking slightly confused as to what was going on. “Alright, the Overmare ordered this room to be cleared out. Search for any contraband items first, then we’ll get to work on removing the comfort items. Clothing is to be searched, but will remain, got it?” The guards nodded, and promptly began to dig through my stuff. I was about to protest when Kevlar drew a pistol, pointing it at me. “Any protests, and I am authorized to use deadly force.”

I drew back in fear, as the guards opened up drawers and rifled through the contents. One dragged out an old empty box from the closet and began to pile books into it. I almost spoke up again as Rusty’s Electronics was thrown in, it's weathered spine and faded pages almost falling apart from the guard’s lack of care. One guard was digging in the dresser, pulling out several tools and dismantled weapon parts. I glanced back to Kevlar and shrunk back further. She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. “Well, I suppose that’s at least a month of low rations. Assuming we don’t find any more.” She regained her composure, muttering something along the lines of ‘idiot, probably’d have a whole rail gun stashed in here if he could.’

It wasn’t long before the guards had emptied the room of everything but my jackets and a hotplate, the last of the guards trotting out with a box balanced on their back. Kevlar turned to me once the guards were out of earshot. “As the Overmare said, you are to remain in your room at all times, except when going to the bathroom, where you will be accompanied by a guard. Your food will be delivered to you and you are to have no visitors while you are in confinement.” She leaned in, her eyes narrowing a bit. “Any attempts to break free or contact someone about what you heard will be taken as an offer to volunteer for experimental augmentations.” She turned and left the room, the door sliding shut and locking behind her.

I simply sat on my bed, staring at the door. I could barely gather my thoughts together - failing augmentations, the Overmare’s sudden brutality, room arrest… I looked around at my room, which now felt much colder and harsher without my collection of books and junk strewn about. I looked back to the door again, unsure of what to do, almost too scared to move. This was going to be bad…

Days began to drag by, each blurring into the other as I sat in my room all day. At noon and six the guard would open the door and bring in a few cans of beans and a fork, which I then cooked on the hotplate that was my only source of entertainment aside from my Pip-Buck. When you’re trapped in a room for weeks on end, boiling spit becomes strangely diverting. Kevlar would occasionally stop by to check I hadn’t gone mad, though that was becoming more and more questionable as time went on. A few times I thought I heard Cross passing by the door, but he was swiftly ordered to move along by the guard.

I rolled over in bed, staring at my Pip-Buck. A month? It had only been a month? I groaned, the dates having blurred together, convincing me it had been nearly a year. I flipped back and forth between screens, feeling my psyche cracking from boredom. Empty map, Stable 76 PA, to-do list full of unfulfilled ideas, health monitor, empty map, PA, to-do list… I whimpered quietly, my ear twitching. I had to leave. If I stayed here any longer I was sure I was going to go crazy. I looked back at the door, trying to think of a way past the guard. Ok… if I can just knock him out, I should be able to run by… I stood up and quietly trotted towards the door, my heart starting to beat faster and faster. “U-uh, guard? I need to use the restroom.” I said, turning and bending my haunches slightly. There was an annoyed grunt from outside the room, and after a moment the door slid up as the guard stepped in. Before he could say anything, I kicked backwards, my hooves landing squarely on his jaw. He immediately fell to the ground, out cold. My heart was racing in my chest as I stared down at him, before glancing towards the open door. I couldn’t help but give a little mad chuckle before rushing out the door, and down the hall towards the armory.

The door was an easy pick - thank the goddesses the Overmare never sent anypony down here to boost security. The door slid open to reveal the collection of small guns and energy pistols, a few tools laying out on the workbench in the center of the room. I rushed over to the rack of smaller sidearms, my horn flaring up as I levitated one of the plasma pistols off of the shelf. Looking it over more closely, I grimaced at it's sight, noticing the diodes were more than a little bent and the battery casing was worryingly borderline corroded.

Looking over the other pistols on display, it was no comfort at all to see all of them were in agonizingly worse shape. Yeesh, it’s almost like I was the only one bothering to fix things around here... I was cut short on debating whether or not to bother tinkering with them by hoofsteps running down the hall towards me. Scooping up a few energy cells and stuffing them into my jumpsuit pockets in a rush, I dove into the shadows.

The hoofsteps grew steadily louder before passing by, rushing towards the maintenance areas. I let out a soft sigh before starting to head back up the stairs, tense at every noise. Alright just need to head to the door and… I started to slow down as I passed by the living quarters. Cross Stitch… shit, I can’t leave him here… but I can’t hang around too long… I shook my head and began racing towards his room. Damn it, Minty, you’re going to get caught doing this. I pounded my forehoof loudly on his door, glancing back and forth down the hallway in case more guards were on their way.

The door slid upwards and I leapt into the room, slamming the door behind me. “Minty?! What in Equestria’s going on? Where have you been?” Cross asked, but I put a hoof over his mouth, muting him. I couldn’t hear anypony coming, but I still stayed silent for several moments before Cross stepped back. “Minty, what’re you doing? And...and why do you have a gun?!” Turning to him, his nervous and frightened expression was obvious on his face.

“Cross, they’ve… they’ve been keeping me under arrest in my room. The augmentations aren’t working right, the Overmare said it’s causing ponies to die.” Upon this revelation, his expression immediately went from confused to horrified. Before he could speak up, I continued. “I’m leaving, right now. I need to get the code for the door from the Overmare, then I’m heading out.” I stared into his eyes, stepping close and grabbing one of his forelegs with my own. “Please, Cross, come with me.” He didn’t say anything, likely too dumbfounded by what was going on. My ears twitched - I could hear guards shouting down the end of the hall. I moved towards the door, but Cross didn’t follow me. I turned back for a moment; we both stared at each other, I could see his eyes starting to well up, looking over myself. He shook his head, before looking away worriedly. I was about to move back towards him, comfort him, when I heard the guards coming closer. I bit back a small sob as I turned and rushed out the door, the guards managing to miss me as they inspected another pony’s room.

Sprinting down the hallway and up the stairs towards the Overmare’s office, I prayed that there weren’t any guards standing outside her room. I stole a look through the window as I passed, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw it was empty. Come on, just need to get there before anypony thinks to return… I slipped into the Overmare’s office, catching my breath as I came to a halt. Ok… ok, where would she keep the password… My eyes fell onto the main terminal on her desk, and I headed towards it. My horn sparked as I lowered it towards a small port near the keyboard, my vision beginning to fill with a stream of numbers, letters, and random symbols. I found a file labeled: Important Codes, DO NOT ERASE. Well, thank Celestia the Overmare has a bad memory and no sense of file protection. I opened it, scanning the long list of codes before spotting one. Main Door Code: Transistor.

I unplugged my horn from the port, feeling a little drained from the effort of hacking the terminal. Whipping out an energy cell, I plugged it into the small port at my temple before running back downstairs towards the main entrance. As I ran towards the atrium, a few guards spotted me, pulling out their batons and rushing me. I fired a few shots of plasma sporadically, managing to scorch one of their hooves, which sent the guard tumbling over and crashing into the other. I leapt over them and entered the atrium, freezing in place.

The door was massive, shaped like an enormous cog, at least twice my size and who knows how thick. The number 76 was emblazoned on the center in peeling, yellow paint on two bolted-on steel plates. I stepped up to the control panel and punched in the code. A siren began to blare as a warning light spun on the ceiling, a large mechanical arm lowering down and attaching itself to a connection area on the door, releasing a hiss of steam as it did so. There was a deafening screech as the metal door slid out of its frame before being rolled aside by the arm, revealing a dark cave tunnel as the siren died down. A bit of air rushed out of the vault and into the frigid cave as I slowly walked down the steps, trotting across the smooth metal floor before stepping onto the rough, cold, damp stone that was the outside. I could still hear a few ponies shouting behind me, struggling with the door to the atrium as I quickly punched in the code to the outside panel. The alarm began again as the door was rolled back into place.

I turned and began to walk down the tunnel, towards a dim light that filtered through at the end. A small wooden door soon came into focus as I approached the exit, nothing to be heard except the occasional drop of water from the cave ceiling and an ominous whistling from outside - wind? Taking one glance back at the dim interior, I placed a hoof on the handle of the door, and pushed it open.

Author's Note

This is the start to, really, the first fic both myself and my friend Minty had undertaken! We're hoping to continue updating this every week till we get it finished, each new page accompanied by pictures as you see up above. The chapters'll keep increasing in length as we go along - just bear with us, folks, and enjoy the ride!
-Twintails aka the-furry-railfan

Rust

Twintails, Buzzy, and myself all sat at the small table as Featherweight stood over a stove, cooking a stew of some kind. Buzzy shifted a little, having to stand on the chair so more than just the top of her mane was visible. She pushed a couple bottle caps forward into the small pile in the center of the table. “I’ll raise ya two.” Twintails and I tossed a pair of caps each into the pile. I flipped another card onto the table. Ok, two diamonds in my hand, two down already, one club, one heart. 52 cards in a deck, subtract ten for the ones in play, assume Buzzy and Twintails only have 3 or 4 diamonds together... so that’s 5 out of 42 chance... 12%?

Twintails tapped his hoof lightly on the table, Buzzy doing the same. I spun a cap around slowly in my magic, unsure if I should raise them. I glanced back at the pot - 30 caps wasn’t bad as is, and I definitely wouldn’t want to lose anymore with that bill to pay. Then again, the bill was pretty high, and I could use all the help I can get... I shrugged and tossed the cap in. Twintails grumbled and folded his cards to the table. Buzzy happily tossed another cap into the pile, Featherweight speaking up. “You better not be throwing away all our food money, Buzzy.” He stirred the pot a few times before shaking a bit of salt into the mix.

Buzzy rolled her eyes as I flipped another card. Another club, damn. “Calm down, Feaths, got a great hand here!” She looked at me expectantly. I tapped my hoof lightly on the table, Buzzy looking a bit disappointed. She did the same and we revealed our cards. “Full house!” She said, grinning widely. I groaned and smacked my head on the table. Stupid pair of fours. Twintails looked equally upset, having folded two pairs. Buzzy scooped the pile of caps towards herself, giggling a little. “Nice game, guys. Wanna play another?”

Featherweight looked over his shoulder at us again. “Come on, Buzzy, you don’t need to steal all their caps either. Besides, lunch is ready.” I gathered the cards and placed them back into their worn case before tossing them onto a bookshelf. Featherweight ladled a few scoops into each bowl before sitting down at the table, the rest of us grabbing our own bowls and spoons. Whatever was in the stew, it was great. I quickly gulped down the mixture of beans, plants, and small chunks of meat. “Were you two planning on sticking around for much longer?” Featherweight asked.

Twintails swallowed his mouthful of stew. “Ah, well, uh..." I passed him an idle look, seeing him blushing a bit. He cleared his throat, setrting the spoon down with his wing. "As much as I’d like to stay here, we... we probably ought to head out soon. Have a job we’re supposed to be doing, and Minty sleeping with his cousin didn’t help things along, either.” He smirked at me, myself glaring back with contempt. You’re just lucky they don’t have any snow on the floor here. He went back to eating his soup, as I smacked him on the head with my spoon. “Ach, geez.” He rubbed his head, looking back up at the large grey stallion that sat across from us. “We’ll probably stop by here on the way back to Mooscow though. Besides, lonmg as we can keep pulling caps together I’ll probably have a new toy to test out with you guys by then, too.” Twintails chuckled, leaning back as I grumbled into my bowl of stew. "Saw a BEL back in Gun Runner's that totally had my name on it~"

Dinner continued in relative silence, aside from the occasional... ahem... release of helium from the three pegasi. Twintails tossed his bowl and spoon into the rusty sink, having finished first, myself doing the same afterwards. “You suuuuure you don’t want to play again?” Buzzy asked, tossing a cap into the air. I winced as she spoke - was her voice higher than before? Featherweight chuckled, his voice definitely an octave or two up. At hearing the normally baritone voice at Alto,Twintails laughed too - oh geez, this is awful. I put a hoof over my mouth, doing my best to keep from busting out as well.

“Yeah. Snrk. Yeah, I think we better go.” I said, grinning widely. I dropped my saddlebags and Ivan onto my back, caressing him a bit while Twintails hitched up his own bags, giggling a little as we left their house. We trotted through the gate created from the passenger cars and began to head down the snow covered road. Wind blew up from the testing range, my pip-leg's Geiger counter ticking a bit from the ambient radiation and fallout.

We trotted along the western road, nothing coming between us and our destination for the first leg of the walk, minus a few bloatsprites. As we continued along the small stretch, Twintails stopped me, pointing out some small creature standing in the bottom of the basin to the south. I squinted towards it, shifting Ivan a bit. As much as I love him, even with the carbon-whatever parts, he’s going to snap my back at this rate... The creature looked somewhat like a bear, though much, MUCH larger, with longer forelegs. It slowly trudged back and forth idly, as if it was looking for something. I heard a bang, looking right and seeing Twintails regaining himself from firing his grenade rifle.

The small bundle of explosives flew through the air in a smooth arc, landing just short of a direct hit - talk about a lucky shot. The bear... thing, roared in pain, turning towards us with claws outstretched. That was... that was MUCH bigger than a bear... oh, crap! I wrapped my augmented leg around Ivan, pointing him towards the creature, which was currently barreling towards us with a growling roar that made me glad that stew was still in my stomach. Flicking the trigger, the pent up electricity discharged towards the animal in a massive blue bolt - thank the goddesses it was such a big target. The lightning jumped across the thing’s skin, a couple exposed bits of metal covering its body shining from the voltage. Who thought it was a good idea to augment this thing?! I let the drained charge pack fall into the snow, plugging another into the back.

Twintails fired a few more grenades into the thing’s face as fast as he could load them into the rifle, blowing one of its ears off. The beast swiped at Twintails, who leapt out of the way, if just barely, switching to his machine guns and starting to unload them into the beast - good, I don’t need to be caught in the middle of that grenade rifle-thing’s blast. I fired another jolt of electricity at the animal, lightning swirling around it once again, my mane standing on end. The thing started to stumble, some of the motors in its leg whirring as it strained to continue to support it. Twintails fired off a few more shots before the giant mechanical dog fell to the ground, dead. I panted a bit, recovering the dead batteries. “Okay... lesson learned, don’t fire at things we don’t know what they are, right?” I looked at Twintails. He nodded, double checking his rifle was properly secured to his waist before we turned to continue down the road, on the lookout for more of those beasts - and hoping the Doc won't start charging us for clothes washing.

We trotted up to the outskirts of Trotisk, still a little shaken from fighting off whatever that gigantic dog-robot-monster was. I saw a couple ponies in tattered robes gathered around a small fire in a trash can, lowering the heat lamp a little so it was a little more out of sight. It’s not that I don’t trust them it’s just... yeah. We headed through town, a couple other ponies milling about. “I suppose you’d want to head back to the Plasma Spaz?” Twintails asked, smirking at me a bit.

I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of all those energy rifles, pistols, and grenades. “Well... we- I mean, I do still need to pay off my debt.” I said, chuckling weakly. We walked through town, snow starting to slowly drift down from the sky, bringing with it the faint, familiar tick-ticking of our pip-bucks. We turned into the Plasma Spaz, my doppelganger fixing up a -very- beautiful plasma caster. She looked up as the bell above the door rang, smiling a bit as she saw Ivan. It was still a hundred levels of weird seeing me... her.

“It’s nice to see you two got back safe and sound.” She said, completely ignoring Twintails. He slipped off to the side, seming to idly inspect a few Plasma and Pulse mines on display. “And it’s nice you actually bothered to show up. It probably would’ve been more trouble than it’s worth trying to hire some mercs to get my payment back.” She said. I bit my lower lip a bit, my eyes shifting away from hers.

“Daah, well... I may not actually be able to... pay off the debt.” I said, my ears lowering a bit. Mare-Minty looked disapprovingly at me. “B-but I can at least pay off part of it now, though! Eheh...” I pulled out my cap bag wit some haste, pouring out the contents onto the counter, letting Not-Me count them up.

“125 caps... that’s still 325 caps left. Least you seem serious enough about it.” She said, leaning forwards onto the counter, adjusting her glasses idly. “If you don’t mind, I have a couple odd jobs from my employers you could pick up to make up the difference.” I looked over to Twintails, who was absent mindedly kicking at some lint and tin cans on the floor otherwise looking bored. Oh, come on Twintails, this stuff is awesome! Better than your silly bullets, anyways.

“What kind of jobs?” I asked, a bit eagerly. Not-Me took a step back, seeming a bit surprised at my enthusiasm, myself clearing my throat and pulling myself back. “Ah, I prefer to keep out of assassination, if you don’t mind. B-but I’d happily take something else! Eheh, these Emerald Charge Packs are expensive, let alone the repairs...” I chuckled, grinning weakly, shifting Ivan a bit on my back. Lightning jumped about inside the glass casing, my mane standing a bit on end.

“Hey now, the repairs were free!” She said, sticking her tongue out playfully. “It’s the other stuff that was expensive. And don’t worry, it’s nothing like that. You guys know about a group up north from here called the Steel Rangers, right?” She asked. I nodded. Puh, better than you'd suspect... "I- my employers, I mean, were hoping we could possibly set up some kind of trade with them. I know how crazy they are for old world tech, so I understand they'll be reluctant - Just tell them I'll take anything, no matter how busted up it is. Silver tongue might help."

I thought it over a bit. Getting a bunch of xenophobic mares and stallions wearing tin cans and sporting gigantic guns to open up trade? Well, I did need to pay off that debt... hopefully also won't have to get Nova to put in a good word. No thank you, I'll stick to ponies who don't drug me. "Ah, well, we'll try our best, but don't be surprised if they're unwilling to even give up recycled ammo. Do you have something they might be interested in?" Smirking, not-me nodded to Ivan.

"Well, I fixed that puppy up pretty well, didn't I? Tell them we'd be willing to help fix up anything they need in exchange for a regular supply of standard or heavy beam weapons, or at the very least energy cells." She said, smiling lightly. "My name's Sugar Rush, by the way." Twintails' ears perked up a bit at the name. Did he know her?... "Now, if you come back with an agreement, I'll wipe off... 200 of the caps. You could try rummaging around the broken down R&G facility in the inner city too. There's bound to be some stuff there I'd get, had I the time..." She seemed to let the rest of the sentence dangle off, as if she were hiding something, but... oh, forget it, I can't go around the wasteland a bill-dodger!

"Sounds like a plan. Better than having this debt with us..." Sugar nodded lightly, returning to her repairs. I walked to the door, Twintails following me out onto the snowy street. I turned to face him, catching him peering over at the windows of Gun Runners - don't worry you crazy pegasus, that Egg Launcher isn't going anywhere. "We're heading back to EQUAD, hopefully those ponies aren't too against helping out non-members. Oh, and, uh, do you know Sugar?" Twintails smirked, looking over at myself. Don't tell me he slept with two ponies while I was off kidnapped...

"The salespony, or is that your new nickname for Nova?" He asked, laughing. I smacked him upside the head. "Ow! Sorry, sorry. You walked into that one though. Buzzy mentioned her name when she told me that you were pony-napped - I can see why there'd be the mix-up, heh. That was all." I rolled my eyes, looking to the heavy metal wall that seperated the main boulevard from the rest of the city. A pair of fillies were busily drawing on the side of a dilapidated building in chalk, another wiping his tongue as his piece of chalk rolled down the cracked road.

We passed by the Gun Runners as another yellow and black maned pegasus wearing a green duster shot into the air, carrying a package on her back. I shook my head, doing a double take. Wait just a bucking minute here, does Twintails have a twin he never told me about? He seemed to have not noticed, the entrance to the inner city passing by as we moved through the outskirts, heading north to EQUAD. Looking back, you could see the large rusted sign of "R&G Manufacturing", the lowest of the high windows boarded up, graffiti scrawled on the bottom edge of the brick wall, reaching just over the metal barricade. I made a mental note of it's relative location as we continued up the road.

Several minutes, songs, and errant PSAs later, the road began to curve around and rise up the side of a mountain, overlooking the large expanse of frozen nothing labeled as 'Horseshoe Basin'. A couple ponies in power armor stood at a makeshift checkpoint, one brandishing an almost embarrasingly small assault rifle and another with a more respectable laser rifle. We trotted up to the barrier, one of the ponies drawing his weapon and aiming it at us both, the circuitry whining to charge. “State your business here.”

“We’re trying to set up a trade between you and Pripytrot.” I placed bluntly, smiling. Twintails fidgeted, taking a step back and lowering his head for his rifles' bit. The power-armored stallion didn’t move. “Ah, I’m that pony you guys captured the other day?” I waved my augmented leg at them. The guard still said nothing, but turned to the winch on the side of the blocker across the road. He started to crank it, the arm raising into the air to allow us through. Gee, friendly.

We walked through the gate, trotting towards the tunnel enterance. The two mounted laser miniguns had been replaced, one of the steel rangers seeming to cross his hind legs as Twintails passed between them. He wore a smug smirk as we approached the main enterance, a large metallic door in the side of the hill, well far back within the tunnel. We trotted down the steps leading into the bunker, which opened into a large atrium, a flag of a sword and gears over a large green apple, purplish stars substituted for the gears' axle holes... whatever those things are called. Scribes and soldiers trotted back and forth, a few carrying large pieces of machinery about upon the backs of their power armor. Oooh, how much I wish I had that...

“Hey, I didn’t expect you two to be back so soon!” A familiar voice shrieked up over the hustle and bustle, drawing our attemtion. Twintails and I looked to our left, Nova trotting up to meet us. She shook our hooves, motioning to follow, starting to lead us through the bunker. “I see you’ve taken good care of your new toy.” She chuckled, pointing to Ivan. Well, I may not have gotten to use him much, but at least I haven't electrocuted myself, eheh. “Knight Fringe just radioed in that you two were coming in hoping to start some trading agreement... ah, I just hope my mom’s not too against it.” She led us through another large door and down a flight of stairs. We were soon in the Elder’s office, Quasar digging through a couple files in the round desk. “Hey, mo- ah, sorry, Elder Quazar? Minty and his friend are back!” She said.

Quasar looked up from her papers as we approached her desk. She seemed rather unamused, setting her reading glasses down upon the desk idly, resting her elbows on the desk and holding her forehooves together. “Right, what Is the purpose of your visit? I'd thought we'd made amends enough after that small incident concerning my daughter and yourself.” She asked, almost disinterested, and otherwise seeming to be annoyed. I knew she was probably a very busy mare, but, sheesh, the wasteland seemed warmer... Twintails spoke up as Nova stepped back to stand by the door, along with the other guards.

“Ah, well, there’s a shop in Trotisk, ‘The Plasma Spaz’. The owner wants to know if you would be interested in opening trade with them.” He said, shifting his weight about on his hooves awkwardly. The Elder grimaced a little, clearly not keen on the idea. “The mare at the counter said she’s willing to fix up anything that may need help with.” I slid Ivan off of my back, placing it gently on her desk with my magic.

“She’s already fixed up the beat up Tesla Cannon you guys had.” Quasar inspected the weapon, her expression only changing slightly as her eyes slid across the wires, glass and flashing lights - she seemed a little surprised. I shifted a little, hoping she’d accept the offer.

“I’m sorry, but even with this evidence of her experience in repair, I can’t allow such a trade to occur.” She said, allowing me to levitate Ivan back onto my back. “Only members are allowed to attempt to restore the technology we house here, as much of it would likely cause more damage to the surrounding areas if they were to be released. As well, I can admit to having never seen this particular cannon before, either.” I groaned a little on the inside. She tapped her hooves idly, looking between both of us. “However... we have heard of the 'R&G Manufacturing' factory in Trotisk that may hold something we need. I would have sent a scout in, but we aren’t exactly viewed highly in the city, and any activity may arouse suspicion. The pre-war owners of the factory supposedly built and designed technology to aid the war efforts, as a functioning subsidiary of the Ministry of Wartime technology - unfortunately, many of their schematics have likely either been lost or stolen. I’ve heard rumors the owners designed a safe house in the facility. I’d like you to investigate, and if you can find any schematics, and return them, we’ll... we'll agree to supply you with some of the recruit-standard weapons from our storage. ONLY if you return the schematics."

I nodded, looking back at Twintails, who just shrugged. “Fair enough. We’ll go see if we can find anything.” We turned to leave, Nova trotting ahead of us to see us out. We were climbing up the first flight of stairs as Twintails groaned a bit. “Ugh, I wish we didn’t walk all the way here just to walk right back...”

I nudged Nova, wearing a smirk and looking back at Twintails. “Say, did I ever show you what this baby can do with a generator?” I smirked, tapping my horn. She immediately brightened up and led us to the testing room, Twintails' head dropping as he let off a groan. C'mon, a little bit of high-voltage electricity never hurt anypony!

“All wired up?” She asked, flicking some switches to a portable generator. I nodded, Twintails huddled close to me, grumbling. Nova glanced down at the paper measuring my brain waves. “This is so cooooool! According to this, you shouldn’t be able to consciously function right now!” She squealed a bit. “You guys better come back soon! I wanna see what happens when you’re hooked up to a nuclear reactor!” I chuckled a bit as my horn started to warm up. There was a flash of blue light, and I found myself underneath Twintails in front of the R&G factory.

Twintails shook his head a bit, wobbling as he stood up. “I’m never going to get used to that...” I stood myself up, picking Ivan up from off the ground as we turned to face the building, the rusted letters and dark, dilapilated street not exactly creating an inviting atmosphere. “Well, let’s see what we can find. Hopefully it's not too deep in, this place is seriously giving me the creeps...” We trotted into the factory, the walls protecting us from the biting wind. Unlike the old RobronCo facility, the factory looked much more designed for the building of hardware or basic mechanics. What kind of schematics did the Elder expect to find here?

I walked to a broken door labeled “Authorized Personnel Only”. Pushing on it gently, the door fell completely off of its hinges, creating a cloud of dust as it slammed to the ground. Jeez, that's the second time that's happened to me... Behind the door were a few cubicles, a large cockroach crawling out from under one of the desks. Oh, this is going to be gross. I levitated out my well-worn Plasma pistol, quickly firing a few shots at the bug. The first burst of energy knocked it on its back, allowing the second to pierce through its softer underbelly. I made a couple retching noises as bug guts spilled onto the floor, Twintails following me through, putting a hoof up to his mouth to stop himself from losing his lunch. Oh, why can't they all just melt all the time...

We trotted through the cubicles, checking the filing cabinets and desks for any clues. Finding nothing, we headed upstairs, being greeted by more old, dilapilated offices. Twintails finished off a pair of roaches with his pistol - thanks for the tinnitus, Twintails - as I opened the door to what looked like an executive’s office. “Huh, maybe in h-eep!” I leapt back in surprise, finding a skeleton lying in the center of the room. It didn’t possess any bones suggesting a horn or wings, and it looked as if it was clutching a Holotape in an outstretched hoof. I gingerly removed it as Twintails trotted up behind me.

“Minty, what's wrong!? Are you... who the heck is that?” He asked, moving up to the lone skeleton, poking at the bridge of the nose on the skull. He jumped a bit as it fell over, making the room fill with bones rattling. “Ah... you think it was the original owner, or something?” I shrugged, allowing the Holotape to download onto my Pip-leg. An audio file appeared, and I let it play. The voice was... distinctly not pony in origin, a heavy, foregin accent sticking to it. I knew I've heard that diction before...

“Agent 014, your objective is to locate and retrieve weapon schematics held by the R&G company. This holotape contains the password to one of the owner’s computers. Download the information and return to base. The will of the people be with you.” My eyes burst wide open, memories of days in the Stable's school rushing into my mind - the posters, the scary stories on Nightmare Night, the videos, the audio recordings... and now this. This confirmed everything.

Goddesses above, I -hate- zebras.

Man, this place was already fifty shades of creepy. And now the skeleton... huh, come to think, I'm surprised there aren't more of them laying around the place. Let's see, there was a row of filing cabinets behind the desk, a bookshelf full of... pulp, and a wall safe. And the smell of ozone. I blinked a few times, turning around just in time to see Minty reared on his back haunches, his tesla cannon glowing a brilliant blue, and his mane standing on end as faint bolts arced between the metal casing on his cannon and his augmented horn. Goddesses, I really should've worn brown pants.

"M-Minty?..." His red eyes were flared with hatred as he balanced with the cannon, the barrel aimed directly at... the head of the skeleton? Uh, oh, well, um... alright? Electricity arced from the exposed bits of the floor, my own mane beginning to rise from my head and become frizzled, tingling filling the air. Only just now remembering how much metal I had on me - whoever designed this engraved metal neckpiece for the bulletproof vest part of my getup never considered something like this! - I dove behind the desk, ducking and covering. Balefire bomb, crazed unicorn with a lightning gun, same difference!

A massive crackling sound burst the air in the room, a dull thud following as the acrid smell of smouldering carpet and metal rose from the center. Shaking the tingles out of my body - oooh, how can Minty stand this stuff? - I rose to my hooves, peering over from behind the desk and seeing Minty laying against the far wall, his cannon smoking and sparking idly as it layed a few feet from him. He seemed to be breathing, at least, as he lifted his head and stared up at myself from behind his fogged over glasses. He coughed once, pulling off his glasses and shaking his mane down.

"I. -Hate-. Zebras."

Errant arcs of static crackled as we both rose back to our hooves, Minty moving and peering down into the burned hole in the floor his cannon had left behind. At least he didn't hit any gas lines with it, eheh, right? I joined him, arriving just in time to hear a loud howl and groan from the bottom of the facility resonate up through the hole. Well, good thing I was already terrified, otherwise I might REALLY need a new pair of pants! We both looked up at each other, Minty gulping and collecting his cannon with his magic, myself already going for the door. Ah, eheh, yeah, if there are any schematics in this place, I'm sure as hell not going to be the one sticking around to find them! I felt my tails snap, caught in something, my hooves now just clawing against the floor and my mouth biting back a scream of pain. Minty trotted up beside myself, releasing my tails from his magic and letting me fall face-first onto the musty carpet. Stupid unicorns with their stupid magic...

"C-c'mon, we can... we can get through this. Besides, wouldn't want you getting lost, or succumbing to your fear of heights again, would we, ya landlocked pegasus?" He snickered, myself getting back onto my hooves and spitting the taste of two-century-old carpet out of my mouth, looking back and tenderly flicking my tails. Hey, you try being a flying pony born underground in a cramped living space! I let out a huff, watching it cloud up in the cool air.

"Alright, fine. Let's just find wherever they keep these blueprints or whatever, and get out of here already. What's the plan, half of whatever we get to Quazar and half to Sugar Rush?" Minty shrugged as we trotted along, heading down the hallway to another flight of stairs. Man, is it too much to ask for a functioning elevator in one of these places? My rifles jingled a bit, the new forty mil rested within easy reach on my back, and Gamma's .45 Luger in my hoof-holster. Minty levitated out his plasma pistol - oh, it's dripping something, that's gotta be bad - and his plasma rifle, both at the ready, with the cannon still across his back. Goddesses, we're both practically one-pony tanks or something.

A tinny voice and sound of metallic hooves trotting around in the hallway above, and Minty's face seemed to light up with glee - oh, for crying out loud, I am not going to let him program a sex robot! That's just... that's just weird. I pulled the bit for my rifles into my mouth, climbing up behind him in time to see a missile fly overhead and Minty hiding behind an overturned filing cabinet, madly firing both of his plasma-guns at what appeared to be one very angry security robot. I opened up both rifles, watching the rounds impact, some of them plinkng off of the armor and others finding their way inbetween the joints, hydraulic fluid spraying out and staining the carpets. Light machine gun fire pinged off of the back of the cabinet as the security robot limped forwards and I dove behind with Minty, both barrels smoking as he reloaded both his guns. I spit the bit for the rifles out, hitting the eject lever and pulling two fresh clips out of my saddlebags, ducking another rocket as it exploded in the stairwell.

"Gee, if you want to reprogam that thing, talk about very angry sex!" I chuckled, Minty shooting myself a look as one of the bullets pinged up and sliced through his ear. His glance of disapproval turned to one of pain as he screamed, falling down beside the filing cabinets as red stained his mane. I dropped Gamma's pistol from my mouth and hopped over to him, watching as he pulled out a healing potion and getting a few small-caliber rounds in my flanks for my trouble. Fuck me with a fuel rod, that really felt like... well, fucking me with a fuel rod! Better than a missile, at least. I dropped back behind the cabinet, picking up Gamma's pistol and opening fire, one of the rockets flying overhead. Shoulder-mounted launchers, eh? Interesting... I wonder what happens when .45 inches of lead hits one of those rockets!

I began to open up on the robot, aiming for the two blatantly obvious rocket pods either side of it's asthetic head, the rounds pinging through. Goddess-damn, I forgot how much recoil this thing had... and there goes another tooth. If I can survive to lose my teeth of natural causes and/or binging on sweet Sparkle-Cola, I'll have lived a happy life. As it opened up with it's machine gun again, I grimaced and ducked, feeling one of the rounds slice off the tip of my ear - I'll be happy if I can survive to drink another Sparkle-cola at this rate! Ooooh, stupid sonic shockwave! Another pop up from behind the barrier yielded a chance for three more shots, the third thankfully - finally - causing the remaining missiles in the shoulder pods to detonate, the hydraulic fluid spraying with the explosion and coating the hall in a firey, gooey mess. I slumped back, dropping Gamma's pistol back into it's holster and looking to Minty as he gulped down a healing potion, kicking out one of the spots of fire that had been blown past us. He coughed, us both breathing heavily and relaxing for the moment, myself looking back at my tails again. They were starting to be stained with red as they fell about my flanks, myself groaning and digging about in my saddlebags. Note to self, invest in steel-plate underwear.

Minty gasped as he felt the hole in his ear reform together, myself finally gulping down one of the healing potions I managed to find. Okay, we're definitely going to need a shopping trip after this is over. Bleck, now that was a really strange feeling, five millimeter holes closing up on my rear end. I peered over the cabinets, looking at the flaming wreck of a security robot, and the firey ooze that licked at the walls and burned out on the floor. Okay, remember to have cover next time you go blowing up one of these things - I don't care how cold the wasteland gets, getting bathed in fire is NOT on my bucket list!

"Right, so, point taken, won't charge ahead blindly again. Not all going to be easy-to-hack secretarial bots." Minty rose back onto his hooves, myself taking the reprieve to reload my rifles, finally. Buh, 20 rounds is not a lot for light machine guns... but I guess it does depend on the caliber. Heh, dinky 5mm rounds for that robot, you can kill, what, a roach with those things? Maybe at point-blank. Pff. The fresh clips were tapped home, the comforting sound of new rounds loaded in the recievers and empty clips collected. We trotted down the hallway carefully, Minty pushing aside some of the flaming fluids to get to the robot as I idly perused the contents of the various desks in the side rooms. The sound of idle shuffling and wires being ripped out filled the air along with a soft hum of small fans in the few still-functioning desktop consoles. Oooh, personal user files, this ought to be juicy~

The screen lit up with the familiar greenish text, buzzing idly and casting a soft glow out from the display. RobronCo UI code scrolled across the screen as the startup sequence finished, ending with the readouts:

Welcome R&G Employee 015

Inter-Office mail service
Drafts
Novel

"Novel? What..." A jittering sound came from the hallway, drawing my attention away from the screen as the first selected option began to scroll out. As I reached the door, I found Minty sparking idly from beside the robot, shuddering and regaining himself. He shakily held up a very large spark battery, chuckling for a bit before dropping the battery and falling against the wall with a thud. Okay, maybe we should head back to town sooner than later! I slid up beside him, watching as he held his non-augmented hoof against his head, moaning softly in pain. "M-Minty! Are you alright?"

"Ow... who the hell would overcharge a battery like that?..." He shook his head, breathing heavily and brushing down his mane, recollecting his weapons and saddlebags. They visibly sagged with weight - sheesh man, you're going to overload yourself. "Y-yeah, I think I'm d-done scavenging from this robot. F-find anything?" He swayed a little on his hooves, myself a bit more concerned that my half-robot friend may have just fried himself than over some long-dead pony's book. Probably wouldn't have been that good, anyways.

"I think it's all just offices from this floor up. We'd have better luck seeing what's underground, I... I'm pretty sure they wouldn't store important designs somewhere a Balefire bomb could destroy them. B-besides, I think we should think about heading out... are you sure you're alright?" Minty shook his hoof, taking a quick sniff of the chilled air and turning to head for the stairwell again. I followed alongside, watching as he stumbled a bit with his weapons and saddlebags, holding himself against the railings to get down the small stairwell and pass through the hallway. I'm sure he's accidentally electrocuted himself before, but...

"Look, we'll check downstairs, and then we'll h-head out, alright? First door we can't get through, we'll turn back and... and... we'll turn back." Minty pushed open a door labeled 'Factory enterance', the long stairwell leading deeper into the facility smelling of age and burning oil. I put a hoof up against his shoulder, stopping him as he swayed, ready to head down the stairway. He looked over at myself, his pupils seeming to adjust randomly to the lights around. That can't be good. "What? I'm fine, Twintails, just a little... shocked, I guess. We have to at least confirm there is a safe house or something-whatever down here, and... and... lift motors! Yeah, that's what Doc asked for... told us... lift motors for Mary." He chuckled weakly, starting down the stairs and leaning his weight against the railing, breathing heavily. Oh, he was SO not fine...

"The minute we find something that even partially resembles a bunker door, we're turning around and heading right back out. You need a doctor, Minty." The overhead lights flickered in the hallway as we trotted forth, cracked pipes errantly spewing clouds of steam into the cool air, water dripping from where it condensed. There was another howl from deep within the depths of the facility - oh right, forgot about that. Grenade rifle loaded and at the ready, please, can't be too careful. Luna knows what other fun firey explosive brutal death mught be awaiting us further on in.

The metal hallways wound deeper underground, a set of double doors reading 'Factory' in the above lit indicator easily swinging open to a small reception area. Sheesh, isn't this a nice place to have worked, crawl down into a Stable to get to your job, and pray you don't get a direct hit from a warhead. Least it seemed to have survived well. We pushed on, Minty's walking only getting more unsteady, himself seeming to be taking a lot of breaks to rub at his temples and groan about his headache. I hate to say I told you so... "Guh, stupid lights. I'm not... can't... words and stuff. Guh."

"Minty, I'm serious. We're leaving the second we find a bunker do-oof!" I'd looked back at him concernedly, in the low-light conditions of the hallway I'd hardly noticed the large, inert metal figure laying in the center of the corridor. I stumbled a bit, sniffing and getting a whiff of a familiar stench - hydraulic fluid? Another security robot... what could have killed this without lighting it up? EMP? Short circuit? Clown with a seltzer sprayer? I looked at the carcass of the body, Minty coming up alongside and fizzling some light with his horn, casting shadows over the outer shell of the machine. Deep, deep scrape marks were left on the armored metal, some turning into gashes where the armor was brutally cut through by... something. The head looked like it was covered with... with bite marks, of all things, and bits and pieces were scattered about the floor. Minty gasped, his horn's light sputtering out as he held his head and braced himself against the wall, letting out another groan.

"Oooh, fuck me... huh?" There was a dull ringing as Minty tapped his hoof against the side of the wall, myself -seriously- wanting to get the hell out of here as soon as we could. The wall seemed to ring, as though it were hollow on the other side, one of the lights overhead flickering as they all did. I looked over at him and the large expanse of steel, a circular ring cut in half and surrounded by plexiglass viewports was on the noticeably less rusted surface, each section of clear material revealing in the flickering lights a very heavy cylindrical piece of metal. A square-ish piece of metal plate hung off of the wall beside it by only a few corroded wires, Minty stepping backwards with myself to look at it as well, rubbing his temples in pain. He let off a half-grunt, half-chuckle. "Well... here's the door." I smirked, resting a hoof around his neck and smiling.

"Heh, gee, now I'm kind of disappointed I used that balefire egg on those raiders. Don't suppose we could find another missile and lug the warhead back here, do y-" A whining howl arose from the deeper hallways, catching both of our attention. A dull sound of feet... claws, against metal and stone, echoed up through to us, almost sounding like thunder. Hokay, no need to show us the door, we'll find our own way out! Minty levitated up his big cannon, if just barely, resting much of it on his back and following along behind myself. The sound was getting closer, roaring like a bomb aftershock and not making the current situation any more relaxing. We charged past the opening to the factory doors, not exactly wanting to look much longer, the sounds of snarling, growling, and gnashing teeth drawing nearer and nearer. Oooh, we're going to break NEAMO's wash facilities at this rate! I wonder if there's anywhere in the wasteland we could get diapers...

A howl went up as we burst through the outer doors, both of us exhausted and ready to collapse... Minty already getting a head start on doing so. I jumped over to him, hefting his cannon off of his back as a chilling rain/snow mix fell about us, steam coming up in bursts again from the sides of the city streets. Minty was still breathing - at least - as I rolled him onto his back, pulling out another healing potion... that had a five millimeter hole in it. Well, least I won't have to muck about with opening up the top. With a free hoof, I gently pulled open his jaw, setting the pack against his mouth hole-side in, watching him gently gulp down the potion. Come on ya crazy unicorn, get up, damnit...

Slowly he cracked open his eyes, rolling about in the snow and easing up to his hooves with myself as a guide, grimacing and looking to his cannon. The large thing levitated up into the air, the butt end dragging along in one of the drifts of snow as it reached Minty's back, himself stumbling with it slightly and nearly toppling myself over. He breathed heavily out into the chilly air, one of my wings wrapping about his back and keeping him steady. Just got to get to the hotel now.

We stumbled idly through the long canyons of the inner city, the wind biting at our exposed coats and chilling us both to the bone. Every now and again a growl could just barely be heard over the icy blast, the exterior walls of what was now the inhabited section of Trotisk coming into view. Our pace picked up, Minty's headaches getting worse. Oh, hang in there, just one more block and we're home free. You'll get medical attention, I'll see if I can't find something easier for us to do, and we can just take some time and not have to worry over all this for a while. Maybe... maybe we just need some music, yeah, that ought to help. We slowed to a trot as I looked down at my pip-buck, my free wing fiddling with the dials and buttons, tuning in to Hi-fi and Tom's station.

"...and that'll do it for the fallout prediction reports, folks. Again, to anypony living in Quebuck, Mooscow, or Celestia forbid, Emerald Ridge, the balefire warhead that detonated yesterday afternoon kicked up a cloud of radiation that'll almost be sure to set off your geiger counters - best if you all would keep your doors and windows shut, only go out if you have to." There was a light shuffling of papers, Minty's eyes looking a bit distant as he adjusted the cannon on his back. "And, heh, to whoever around the Stable... 76, right? Yeah, Stable 76, whoever's out that way sending out static and the letters 'C S' in morse, I'd think you'll probably want to hole up in that big-ass fallout shelter for a while - assuming you ain't in there already, haha. Anyways, I've talked long enough, let's get some tunes going! Up next is another from storage, something called 'Folded Flags' by Roger Trotters. A bit somber, but hey, it ain't gonna kill ya. Let's listen..." 'C S'... huh. Wonder what that could mean, 'can't swim'? 'Crappy shoes'? 'Crossed-'... wait a minute. Minty's eyes blinked wide, looking down at my pip-buck, listening as the song played on. He glanced back to me, an expression of astonishment, worry, and fear rolling over his face. I slowly started to return the expression as I spotted something behind his head, something big, whitish-brown furred, snarling, and growling - and looking straight at us.

"Oh SHIT!" Minty glanced back in time to see as the giant monster-thing jumped off of the wall of the building, myself getting my grenade rifle and shoving my augmented friend out if the way. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shitshitshitthefuckingbed, this is not good in any way shape or form! Oh, wait, right, I have wings. I snapped them together just in time to feel a really sharp, really massive claw scrape past the tips of my tails, breathing quickly through the mouthpiece of the launcher. Aiming and common sense be damned, we want to live! A blue bolt of lightning blasted the thing in the rear, Minty hobbling behind a crashed wagon with his cannon, the beast spazzing as the electricity ran through it's body. It quickly spun about, charging towards the snowbank the augmented unicorn was hiding behind, giving me a chance to give it a faceful of 40 millimeters' worth of high explosives. It growled and stumbled as I dived down alongside Minty, watching him reload his cannon for another shot - ooh, c'mon, c'mon you bastard, die already! I dropped the rifle in the snow, picking up the bit for the battle saddle and opening up both of the smaller automatics, pelting the beast's hide with bullets. It just seemed to get even angrier.

Minty placed another bolt from his cannon into the thing's gut, the massive beast letting out a growling scream of sorts, the bluish blast carving a deep gash into it's belly and frying the augmentations it had inside. It seemed to seize up and twitch every so often as it fell into the icy snow, Minty falling to the side and dropping his cannon, it's electrified end sizzling in the white fluffy snowbank. I breathed in long, heavy breaths, stumbling up alongside him and resting a hoof on his shoulder, looking down through his fogged-over glasses. Our breaths condensed into gentle clouds that were carried along the wind, us both seriously no doubt just wanting a good few days to recover at this point. Minty looked up at myself with a smile, chuckling gently.

"C-Cross... Cross Stitch... he's... AAAAHHHH!" It was Minty's turn to scream in mortal terror, looking past myself and up at the second gowling, snarling beast that decided to come after us. Again, I really need a pair of brown pants. I grabbed Minty with my hooves, snapping my wings back and propelling us both forwards out of the lethal range... mostly. An intense pain surged up from my tails, myself tumbling through the air and dropping Minty to the side, the snowy street offering little to help in the back-down impact. A second, more intense, positively brutal sharp pain burst from my shoulderblades, every little movement I made now having the effect of making me really wish I was dead. A growl roared up from behind us, and it sure looked like that wish in particular would come true pretty damn fast. The beast charged, mu head falling to the side and looking towards Minty, my extended hoof reached towards his own, himself inching towards me with visible red streaks staining through his face and out of his ears. So, this is how it was going to end for me... for us.

A sharp crack rang through the air, the massive body of the beast flying off to the side, a bloody stump where it's head once was. Breathing heavily, I let off a groan and rolled my head to the side, seeing a silver-clad figure with a massive-bore rifle racing towards us both as we layed in the snow, red starting to stain everything around us. He knelt down, a peculiar emblem etched - painted? - on the breastplate of his powered armor; it was of a short sword, along either side which pegasus wings spread outwards above the handle, a small banner that ran across the blade sporting the phrase 'Who Dares Wins'. Something tells me that the Ministry of Wartime Technology and Ministry of Arcane Sciences-supported Steelponies would not have that as standard markings... the stallion inside grunted, the speaker on the outside of his face covering letting out a sigh and speaking as I felt my vision fading out.

"Dogs... I hate dogs."

I groaned myself awake, my heart racing. Th-th-the, the monster! The monster was attacking us, and, and... where's Minty?! Where are my clothes!? Who was... who... kissing me... oh my. The blue-eyed pegasus stallion smiled, his mane gently brushing against my bandaged forehead and lips pressing against my own, the blood rushing to my cheeks as he broke the kiss. He smiled, grinning softly, the small green filly on his back idly drinking down a bottle of Sparkle-Cola. She looked over at myself as I sat up, tugging at the blankets that covered most of my body, setting the bottle of soda down and tapping a hoof against Featherweight's neck. "Told ya it'd work. Just like the fairy tale, 'cept he's not a princess and you ain't a prince." She snickered, Featherweight blushing idly and chuckling. I rubbed at my head, looking over at the augmented unicorn in the bed beside my own, the sound of medical equipment humming in the room finally reaching my ears. "O'course, the prince only had t' kiss the princess once, I think... tenth time's the charm, I guess!" Ah, Buzzy, never change. Wait... -tenth- time?

"How... how long were we out for? And, and how did we get back?" I looked behind myself at my mummified wing, an excess of healing bandages seeming to be around the joint specifically. Well, I wasn't planning on doing much flying for a while, anyways... Minty let off a soft groan, shuffling and rolling over in his cot. A mare with an... interesting mane style and pair of rimless glasses trotted between us, levitating with her a series of healing potions and other medical stuff. She looked up at Featherweight and Buzzy, and they both passed on gentle smiles and nodded, trotting out of the medical bay area. She cleared her throat, letting off a sigh.

"In order; about a week, and those two brought both of you in. I can't believe you two were still alive with the condition you were in, this one had an electrocution-induced stroke and you had a paperweight's worth of lead in your ass and a wing nearly shattered beyond saving. It's a miracle you both woke up." She hummed lightly, Minty letting off a slight yelp of pain as he felt a needle jabbed in his flank. Thank the goddesses you're alive, ya big baby. "I'm Doctor CA, by the way. Come back if you need any more life-threatening injuries that need a miracle, a steelpony paid for a month's worth of bed rest if you needed it. How he knew you two would be along like this, Celestia knows..." She shrugged and trotted out, leaving myself and Minty alone again. I layed back, looking over to Minty as he adjusted himself, laying on his stomach on the bed and burying his face into the pillow. I chuckled idly, cosying myself up underneath the blankets and smirking.

"C'mon now, Minty, don't tell me your flanks hurt from just a small little needle!" He grunted, rolling to look at myself, his eyes red. He just seemed a little annoyed at this point. I looked out the window, seeing the setting sun casting it's rays over the far-off snowy mountains, shuffling in for a bit more rest. "...unless, that reminds you of Cross Stitch~" I smirked wider, hardly hearing the sound of his hirn flaring up.

Where the hell does he get all these snowballs from!?

I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes and letting off a heavy groan. These non-scheduled naps were becoming seriously irritating... my head swam a bit as I put a hoof to my temple., looking over at Twintails in the other bed. Ugh... why did I trust that battery? My pegasus friend wiped the snowball off of his face, myself shaking my head a bit, as if that would somehow fix the headache that I still had. “*ptoo*, guh, ah... sorry...” I laid my head back down onto the pillow, rolled over to face him, hearing the bell above the enterance door to the clinic ringing as the door opened and shut.

“I... I just need to sleep.” I said as Twintails rolled over in the cot beside. I tried to get comfortable in bed, rolling onto my side and shutting my eyes, trying to relax and get to some sense of normalcy. Most of all, though, I tried to push Cross Stitch out of my mind for the moment, but my stomach only sunk a bit more as the thought of Twintails’ Stable and Cross Stitch’s message. I sighed as Twintails shifted his bandaged wings beneath the sheets of his hospital bed, myself finally starting to drift off to sleep, mind flooded with memories - his kind eyes, that beautiful mane, his adorable laugh and happy outlook...

I never said goodbye.

I sat up in bed, groaning a bit, my vision cloudy for the few moments it took me to levitate back on my glasses. My left leg felt stiff, requiring a strong whack to break the thin layer of ice that’d formed around the rubber knee - did they ever make anti-freeze for augmentations? I looked over to Twintails, who was already up and eating some sticky oatmeal. He glanced over to me, as I shuffled up, a bit of the gunky stuff hanging around his mouth.

“You feeling better?” He bit into another glob of food, still looking over at myself with concerned eyes. I nodded slowly as I swung my hind legs over the edge of the bed, the door easing open. Doctor CA trotted back into the room, carrying another bowl of oatmeal with her. She placed it on the bed next to me, checking her clipboard and walking over to Twintails, inspecting his wing. She seemed pleased as she began to slowly take off the bandages. I scooped up a glob of oatmeal, suddenly realizing how hungry I was. The oatmeal was just as bland as the stuff back in the Stable, but I didn’t care much. I swallowed the ball of oatmeal, quickly finishing off the rest of it. CA looked me over, making sure I didn’t have any further injuries.

“You two seem to be doing fine, at least compared to the last week.” She said, smiling and sliding the pencil back into the crook of the clipboard. “If you two feel fine enough, you’re clear to leave. Your stuff’s in the hooflockers under the beds.” She nodded to the floor, walking out with a light smile. I looked over to Twintails, who was testing his wing. I hopped off my bed, digging around beneath the bed for the footlocker, dragging it out; surprised they’d managed to fit Ivan into it somehow. I pulled out my armor and weapons, slipping into the warm nylon. Twintails did the same, mounting his guns after fitting into his Kevlar vest and green duster - pff, wow, the poor thing's holding on by threads. Cross Stitch would've been amazed it was still holding together...

“Minty… are you sure you’re ok?” He walked over to me, looking concenerned and resting his hoof on my shoulder. I stifled a tear, rubbing at my eyes and tugging at the armor plating on my barding. I sighed, trying to find the right way to say what was going through my mind.

“I... I don’t know.” I hoisted my saddlebags onto my back, settling Ivan onto my shoulder. I turned to face him, seeing he was slipping his magnum into one of his bags. My ears were at the sides of my head as we prepared to head out. “I just hope Cross Stitch is alright.” Twintails hung his head a bit.

“I know... h-hey, we can stop by Stable 76, if you’d like.” He said, smiling weakly. We trotted out of the small clinic, the door ringing behind us as we were almost immediately greeted by a gust of cold air. Nice to see you again, wasteland. We walked through the snow as a few other ponies in white medical coats walked back and forth between exterior tents surrounding the lone structure. The small camp was surrounded by another crashed train, the entrance comprised of a gate of railway ties, set along wheels to easily roll it. We trotted through the gate, Twintails’ saddlebags jangling a bit from the collection of bullets and grenades.

“Thanks.” I smiled at him as we crunched through the snow, breathing in the frigid wasteland air again. We walked through town, passing by Buzzy and Featherweight’s small caboose of a house. The door opened as we passed, Buzzy zipping out, just as energetic as ever.

“Hey, you two aren’t dead!” She trotted up to us, Featherweight following behind. “I knew you guys’d be fine.” She said as Featherweight walked along with us as we started to walk towards the entrance to town. “You guys are heading out already? I thought we could have another game of poker!” She snickered.

“Buzzy, I thought we talked about taking money from other ponies.” He snapped the small filly a stern look, making her eyeroll and hover up onto his back as we trotted through town. There was a pony preaching about some kind of church of magical sparks or something. We approached the entrance to the Turnpike, passing by Stockcar Supplies. “Though, are you sure you guys want to head out so soon? I mean, we’d gladly have you stick around for a bit, if you wanted." Twintails looked towards myself, then over to Featherweight.

“Minty’s Stable was releasing a distress call. We’re planning on heading out there as soon as we can.” Twintails let out a breath, watching as Featherweight nodded and looked over at me. I tried to smile so I wouldn’t worry him, but it likely wasn’t too convincing... goddesses, I just wanted to see Cross Stitch again. Featherweight thought silently for a moment as we walked through the entrance to the Turnpike.

“You know, you might want a little extra firepower for the trip.” Featherweight said, smiling a little. “Buzzy and I haven’t checked that area out lately, and a distress call doesn’t make me too confident about what might be going on there. I could fly you two over there.” Twintails perked up, myself looking at him for a moment before letting off a chuckle, rolling my eyes a bit. Jeez, don’t get any ideas about this, I'm pretty sure getting kissed ten times like in an old fairy tale would've satisfied you more than enough.

“That’d be great... ah, though, mind accompanying us to that old RobronCo factory north of Quebuck, first? I guess Sugar Rush fould us something a little less, ah, life-threatening to do to work off the debt. I've apparently got an invoice to fill for a couple robots for her, eheh... it’d also be nice to have a bit of extra firepower.” I chuckled weakly, bringing up the note on my pip-leg screen. When did she toss that in for us to do? Guh, losing a whole week to being knocked out really is disorienting as hell... Twintails and Featherweight nodded.

“Sounds like a plan.” Buzzy said, idly flapping her wings, a smile coming across her face. “Hey, that’d even give us time t' run back here for the firepower! Ol’ Feathers may be strong, but I don’t think he could carry all of us and his big guns.” She snickered, Featherweight smiling a bit. Twintails’ grin widened, no doubt excited for any excuse for more explosions. Featherweight lowered himself to the ground, letting myself and Twintails... well, myself, mostly... hop on. Oh, quit blushing, you atom happy pegasus. Buzzy flew into the air as Featherweight spread his wings and took off.

We landed a bit roughly just outside the factory, Twintails releasing the death hug he had around me and Featherweight, sliding off into the snow. I followed suit, if in a less graceful manner. Twintails was practically hugging the ground, still shaken from the heights we’d reached. I helped him up, smirking a bit at him. “Sheesh, if you were so worried, we could’ve walked. I thought you would've loved any chance to ride Featherweight~”

“Sh-shut up.” He said, blushing and shaking, but still smiling as we turned to face Buzzy and Featherweight. Buzzy had flopped down into the snow, exhausted from the flight. Featherweight showed equal signs of fatigue, rubbing his wings a bit. Twintails bit his lip, a little nervous. “Eheh... sorry... I'm not used to h-heights yet.” He rubbed at the back of his head, Featherweight passing on a gentle smile and nodding lightly.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve been through worse.” He picked up Buzzy, helping her onto his back. “We’ll just need a bit of time to relax before heading back.” We entered the factory, ponies and robots bustling back and forth. A mister handy floated over, sticking one of his robotic claws towards us. it's garbled voice speaking up. Aw, I missed that secretary ponybot...

"Good afternoon, sirs! How may I serve you two?" I shook the outstretched claw as Twintails grabbed another one of the three, shaking it.

"Ah, we have a payment invoice from the Plasma Spaz in Trotisk for some securimares." I said, digging out the sheet of paper. The eye stalk of the robot bent up and down, rusted metal grinding against itself. It turned and started to float towards the manufacturing door. A grin appeared on my face. A look at a completely fully operational RobronCo factory? How could I resist? Twintails and I followed the robot through the doors as Buzzy and Featherweight sat down on a bench near the enterance, seeming to rest back and watch the bustling.

My gaze flew around the large room as we walked down the steps of a narrow catwalk above the larger press machines. Huge machinery rumbled and groaned as mechanical arms methodically built Mr. Handys, Securi-mares, and mounted turrets. Ponies milled about, inspecting the moving parts, flicking various switches and knobs, and pouring scrap metal into large hoppers on the sides of the hulking constructors. The Mr. Handy led us to a brown-coated pony, her jumpsuit stained with grease, oil, and dirt. She shooed the bot away before stepping up to meet us. "So you guys are pickup for the Plasma Spaz's new security bot?"

We nodded. "Yeah, that sounds right. Ah, here’s the invoce for the caps.” Twintails said, pulling the slip of paper out of my magic and showing it to her. The mare nodded, leading us over to three deactivated robots leaning against one of the machines.

"Well, we got three models here. There's the Securi-mare Mark III." She motioned to a metallic pony with a laser emmiter mounted on the shoulder. "Basic model, comes with a laser rifle. Then there's Mr. Gutsy," She pointed to the robot in the middle. "Equipped with a Plasma rifle and flamethrower. A little less sturdy than the mark III, but a lot more fire power. Then there's the beauty." My gaze fell on the third robot, which matched the ones we had found in R&G. “The Mark IX Security bot, complete with gatling lasers, missile launchers, and metal so thick you need Anti-Tank rounds to pierce it!” The mare chuckled. “Of course, she costs quite the pretty cap. The invoice says two basic bots, so I’ll get them fired up for you.”

I nodded slowly, wearing a wide grin across my face and chuckling stupidly as the mare trotted over to the deactivated robots. She fiddled a bit with the two rather alluring robots, before the circuit boards and lights beneath the thick glass casing on their heads began to light up and hum with activity. The robots stood straight up, their heads turning towards us both. “Companion Protocol: Initiate.” The mare said.

The robot nodded and walked up to us. “Hello, Sir or Madam, I am ready to assist in any security related needs.” It said, its voice stopping and starting at odd intervals. We thanked the mare, and started up the stairs, the security bots following quickly behind. We left the manufacturing section of the building, noticing Buzzy and Featherweight had already left.

“Think we should ask for Jumper Cables? You need any more ammo?” Twintails asked idly as we reached the entrance to the factory floor. I shook my head, loking back at the pair of robots as they paused mid-step. Besides, she’d probably be asleep after those weeks of staying up... poor mare needs all that she could get. We trotted out the door, starting down the road. “So, we’ll stop by Stable 76 before returning the bots?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yeah... I just...” I didn’t finish the sentence, Twintails looking a little depressed. He nodded, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder, trying to comfort me. I sighed, flipping on my radio. There was a crackle of static before Hi-Fi’s voice replaced the crunching of our hooves.

“-so bundle up out there, ‘cause it’s going to be cold! Though that’s not real news now, is it? In other news, there’s a new distress signal confirmed to be coming from Stable 76. How it’s so strong, nopony's really sure, but if anyone’s listening who’s willing to help them out, a friend of ours would be happy for the assistance. Be glad all that fallout kcked up by that bo-” I flicked the radio back off, feeling a pit forming in my stomach again; oh, that didn’t help at all. We continued on down the road in silence, soon passing outside of Mooscow and approaching the road leading into Emerald Ridge. My heart rate slowly grew faster as we approached the hill Stable 76 was embedded in, not sure what we would find... fearing the worst.

We began to climb up the hill towards the entrance; a little surprised nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I glanced at my Pip-Buck, trying to find the distress station, but it wasn’t on. No... no he has to be okay! I started to speed up towards the small door, my breath condensing heavily in the dry air. Please, he’s alright! He’s alright! I burst through the wooden door, running into the dark cave as Twintails followed close behind.

I charged up to the metal door of the Stable, still sealed. But, but this doesn’t make sense! Where is he? What happened?! I jumped over to the control panel, my glasses beginning to fog up with condensation, col tears pooling and running down my cheeks. Password... password, what was the password?! I punched in random numbers and phrases, each new one being met with the 'invalid' return on the display. With each passing moment, the button presses were more violent, the panel starting to bend and sound of cracking as I pounded away at it with my hooves. “Damn it, damnit, Damnitall! WHAT’S THE FUCKING PASSWORD?!" I shouted, slamming my hoof into the keypad. It sounded like it might've cracked as I fell to the cave floor, letting the tears flow from my eyes freely, sniffling and breathing heavily. Twintails wrapped a wing and hoof around me, gently rubbing my mane and resting his chin atop my head, softly 'shh'-ing into my ears. The sputtering slowed down, my vision clearing up enough to see him holding something in his hoof.

“Y-you missed this, it was by the door. He's f-fine... I think...” He handed me a crumpled note, myself adjusting my glasses and rubbing my eyes dry, sniffling again. It looked like it was written in a rush. As my eyes scanned the note, Twintails handed me something else, the tears starting to well up again as I got a good look at it. Oh, Cross Stitch... it was a small plushie of Cross, his purple mane falling over the shoulders of his jacket. The amount of care put into the toy… I felt myself breaking down again, setting the note to the side and squeezing the plush figure tightly in my hooves, leaning against the heavy steel door. Twintails wrapped his wing around myself again, gently embracing myself, a cool wind blowing in from the door.

'Minty, I’m sorry. I should’ve left when you first asked, I should’ve went with you. I managed to tap into the emergency broadcasting system, but I won’t know if you managed to pick it up or not. I tried to get out after you did, but the Overmare caught me. I’m honestly lucky she even let me write this... I just hope you find this letter. I hope you’re still ok, Minty. I’m sorry. Just know I wish I’d gone with you every day. I hope we meet again. Your special somepony, always and forever - Cross Stitch.'

We stepped out through the old wooden door of Minty's Stable's enterance cavern, his eyes sore and reddened behind his glasses and the small plush of the royal-blue unicorn with a purple mane held tightly under his non-augmented foreleg, errant sniffs being drawn in as we approached the pair of waiting robots. A faint ticking sound could barely be heard coming from our pip-bucks, light snow falling. Fallout from that warhead, probably. Stuff drifts for months if it's a ground burst, the blast just kicks everything it doesn't vaporize up into the sky. Still though, it was pretty goddess-damned amazing... We both stopped to look up at the storm front overhead, Minty glancing back down to his plush and nuzzling it lovingly, as if he were nuzzling and hugging the real pony behind it. I found myself chewing on my bottom lip idly, the robots stiffly moving about and scanning their mounted lasers back and forth. Keep your mind off of it all, Twintails, you can't let it get to you...

"Sensors indicate elevated levels of radiation in the immediate area. All non-essential personell should consider evacuating punctually in accordance with Safety and Health Information Training." The tinny voice of the security robots broke the silence of the wind, our breath condensing in clouds as we made our way back up the road. It was weird having the mountain on the other side, coming out of a Stable doorway and turning right up the road instead of left, hearing the wind through the valley and taking a breath of the cool air. The rifles clinked at my sides as we trotted along, Gamma's pistol in it's holster at the ready on my hoof. Emerald Ridge came into view quickly enough, my mind starting to become clouded with distant, faded memories. The geiger counters continued to click.

Hoofprints still kept in the snow along the main square, where it was run over by almost half of a Stable's population so long ago. I slowed down, looking back down the road that led off to my own Stable, my vision starting to blur a little, one of the security robots stopping beside myself, Minty trotting on ahead. I looked over to it's unchanging expression in it's digital eyes, sniffling in and wiping the tears off, moving to catch up with Minty again. How the past still hurt so very much. I glanced down to my left foreleg, looking at my pip-buck and the radio screen. There was a certain reluctance to turning it on - leave it to Hi-fi to know just exactly what song to play when it'd make things go from bad to worse. It'd be Vera, I just knew it. Neither of us needed that.

The trip back through to Mooscow was uneventful - Minty kept the small plush cradled tightly against himself, the sun already beginning to fade as the arcane streetlights of the outer city came into view. A large pony-shaped form passed underneath them, gliding on a pair of wings and sporting a pair of equally large cannons at his sides. A small smile crossed my face for a moment, seeing the large pegasus with his light-blue mane landing beside us, the smaller pegasus resting on his back. He returned the smile, his heavy guns clacking gently in the cool night air.

"How'd everything with the Stable go? Is... ah... n-nevermind." Minty sniffed again, his face scrunched into tearing up and plush held against his cheek tightly. Featherweight sighed softly into the air, looking up at the sky, and the distant mountains that were slowly hiding the sun. Buzzy was unusually silent, leaned up against the drum clips of Featherweight's autocannons, only looking about at the lights as they passed overhead and cast stark shadows of all six of us. "You'll never make it all the way to Trotisk in one day. We'll stay with you for as long as we can." I looked up to the larger stallion, seeing him smiling softly as we reached the Mooscow gate. A shuffling and clicking could be heard inside, the doors swinging open to allow us through, Bloodbeak holding onto the handle and watching us all. Featherweight let off a chuckle. "Besides, it'll be a lot nicer already... you being able to, heh, kiss back, now." He gave a wink, the blood rushing to my cheeks... and trousers... a bit dumbfounded. Well, this whole trip just became a lot more fun!

We all trotted into the hotel, Featherweight having to duck a bit to keep from hitting his head on the doorframe. The two robots stood idly in the foyer, Minty heading upstairs ahead of us all, still keeping that plush held firm in his hooves. I fet a small twinge in my gut, watching my friend's solemn gait, Featherweight nosing forwards and gently nuzzling at my cheek. He wore a soft smile, a gentle, heartwarming rub of one of his massive wings caressing the back of my head illiciting a quick blush for myself. And yet... I let off a sigh, trotting up the stairs and finally catching up with Minty at the doorway. He hadn't even bothered to remove the armor plating, having just climbed up onto the bed after dropping his saddlebags and cuddling in with his small plush. Featherweight wrapped his wing around my body once more, looking between myself and the bedroom.

"I... Featherweight-" His large black hoof rose to cover my mouth, the light smile still across his muzzle as he nodded. He gently caressed my cheek, looking back up to the bedroom. Minty seemed to let out a soft groan, shuffling on the bed, and finally levitating the armor portions off, dropping them at the bedside.

"Your friend could use some support right now. I think that's more important." His smile widened, slowly nodding and closing his eyes. I turned back to look into the bedroom, Minty seeming to have finally found himself a comfortable position, the blanket wrapped around him. A warm breath could be felt over the back of my neck, Featherweight having leaned in closely to my ear, whispering. "I'll try to get a room with an extra bed for Buzzy. I'll still be up for a while longer, if, well..." A gentle, light sigh filled my ear, followed by the sensation of his soft lips pressing against my cheek for a good, long while. "Goodnight, Twinnie~" His large hooves trotted down the hallway, myself blinking a few times, looking back and seeing his short blue tail and grey, meaty flanks disappearing down the stairway. I lingered in the doorway, thoughts filling my mind... could he have known? No, no, it's just another coincidence...

Trotting up to the other side of the bed after dropping most of my barding onto the floor, Minty seemed to stir, looking longingly into the button eyes of the small plush, his own eyes dampened and reddened with tears. He sniffled as I slid in under the blanket beside him, resting my head to meet his own eyes, a frown growing on my face. This wasn't any kind of Minty I'd really known. I mean, I've seen him depressed about Cross Stitch, but... he seemed defeated. Broken. This wasn't Minty. I rested a hoof softly on his shoulder, watching as he refocused his eyes, blinking them tightly shut and shuffling over to wrap me in a hug, the plush between us. He began to weep silently, a form of crying I'd know all too well.

One way or another, we had to get that Stable open again.

The sun had just risen over the eastern mountain ranges, casting our shadows long across the snowy wasteland. Featherweight and Buzzy picked up behind us, the two security robots traveling in the center, with myself, Minty, and the small plush of Cross Stitch taking point ahead. Mooscow had vanished to the glare of the wasteland a while back, and we were currently about halfway between there and Quebuck. A pair of familiar skywagon wrecks stuck out of a ditch at the side of the road, myself slowing to a trot as we neared them. Minty looked at me, a bit half-hearted yet quizzical, as I dove into the ditch where they layed and began rummaging about. Had to be more of them somewhere, no way we could've cleaned them -all- out... a-ha! Smiling, I trotted out of the skywagon, carrying a brownish bottle with a faded yellow label in each wing and one in my mouth, looking up the embankment at the rest of the group. Minty's jaw hung slack as I climbed back up, his dumbstruck expression staying even as I handed him the three bottles with a light smile. "What? You looked like you could use them, and we were passing by anyways, so..." I shrugged, Minty levitating up one of the bottles and opening it, slowly taking a few sips of it. I trotted ahead, Featherweight and Buzzy sharing glances of confusion as the two robots followed behind me.

"I, um... th-thanks, Twintails." Minty smiled, catching up with myself, the bottle of chilled soda levitated beside him still. He looked at it, letting loose a few weak chuckles as he looked at the bottle. Taking another sip of the soda, he let off a long sigh, the smile turning into a light frown. "Y'know, I, uh, I didn't always love this soda... matter-of-fact, I loved Sparkle-Cola for the longest time, actually..." Well, uh, okay then. What's next, his father was a Zebra? Or, a robot? Robot Zebra? I stopped my gait, trotting forwards again when one of the robots' chests pushed against my rear.

"Wait wait wait, no kidding? Uh... so, ah, why the switch? Found a cockroach in one, or something?" I shuddered, some bad memories welling back up. Oooh, that was not a pleasant Nightmare Night surprise... what's worse, it was half of one. I know that the soda can get ice in it, makes it freeze and crunch, but, oh goddesses, keep your lunch down, Twintails. Minty chuckled again, letting it fade out on the wasteland air. We were just reaching the eastern edge of the Snowdrop Megaspell test range, the large expanse of subsidence craters extending far off to the distance, silvery figures moving about between makeshift structures. Steel rangers, of course.

"No, no, not that... Cross Stitch loved it. I was still a foal at the time, we both were. Met during lunchtime inbetween math and history... I opened up the fridge, his aura wrapped around the first bottle of Sunrise, and so did mine... the Sparkle-Cola was behind it. We both shared a blush, looked at each other, and, well..." A smile crossed his face, his vision gazing off into the distance warmly, a hoof rubbing at the plushie around his neck. "We, ah, got to know each other a bit more when we went on a short field trip of the Stable maintainence areas. Broke away from the group. Heh..." A blush appeared on his cheeks, himself chuckling lightly. Wow, uh, well, talk about getting to know one another fast... "Oh, that was before he got his Pip-buck. Used to bug him for hours on end if I could fiddle with it, his birthday was a few months before mine and I was just impatient." He snickered, looking down to his pip-leg idly, the smile slowly fading back into a frown. "Sometimes I just wonder if I really should have left or not... I mean, when I can hear myself think, what with your snoring~"

"H-hey! I don't snore!" Er, well, at least I thought I didn't. I can't record myself sleeping, dangit! Minty let out a more honest laugh, the smile across his face once more. Nice to have you back, you snarky unicorn. I chuckled along with him, rummaging through my saddlebags and opening up a bottle of Sparkle-Cola - subconsciously checking to see if there was a cockroach in it - and taking a healthy gulp. Mmm, nicely cooled radioactive fizzy soda~ "Mm, so, I guess things weren't really that weird down in your Stable, after all. Yanno, aside from the whole 'all Zebras are chaos incarnate' and battery-powered ponies part, at least..." A soft grunt and roll of the eyes was his response, my own mind filling with memories from my own Stable again. Pleasant ones, at least. The little talking toys... ooh, there was an old one of Celestia, her white coat faded a bit pinkish from age, you could push her cutie mark and she'd say things. I found myself falling back behind Minty a bit, snickers escaping me as my vision moved to his armor-covered flanks. Worth a shot...

"Hey, ponies could always decide not to be augmented... they usually worked as janitors, or with the rea- hey!" Minty seemed to jump as I pressed a forehoof firmly against the side of his flank, mouth a wide grin that subsequently turned into an outburst of laughter, myself falling backwards onto the snowy road. I regained myself, eventually, still chuckling and looking up at Minty's confused, surprised, and blushing face. "W-what's the big idea, huh?" Still snickering, I sat up in the snow, brushing my mane of it and adjusting the battle saddle, my augmented friend still looking rather unamused.

"Battery-powered unicorn... I wanted to see if you had any push-n-say phrases~" I broke down into laughter again, the crunch of snow being lifted up by magic heard faintly over it before a discharge of a very red, hot, and energetic laser flashed overhead. I sat in place fr a moment, the laughter dying off, Minty dropping down as another beam flased over our heads. Huh, whaddayaknow, steam is actually pretty good for washing your mane. A small barrage of lasers followed, the sound of robotic hooves stepping upon pavement and snowdrifts edging closer before ceasing entirely. I blinked a few times, lifting myself back to my hooves again, the tinny, robotic voice of the securimares speaking up behind us.

"Threat analysis; neutralized. Have a nice day." Well, eheh, ah, thanks, I guess? Both Minty and myself looked at the robots, the pair quietly humming as they returned to resting, the fins on the front of their laser-thingies softly steaming out in the cold air. Oh, that's right, getting distracted in the wasteland is a good way to usually get yourself killed. I coughed a bit, shaking my head free of snow once more, the rifles clinking idly at my sides while my wings shuddered as well. Featherweight and Buzzy both trotted up to us, seeming to scan the area slowly as they passed between the robots, the bit for his autocannons held in Featherweight's mouth. Buzzy climbed up ontop of his head, looking down at us both.

"I got a bad feelin', guys. I think we might be bein' followed..." Her eyes moved to the far distance, over the megaspell test range, myself looking with her. Just snow, wind, and the odd Steel ranger here and there, and I'm pretty sure they'd have better things to concern themselves with than just us four. Couldn't have been whatever the robots were firing at, they, uh, neutralized it already, I guess. Though, if Featherweight has his cannons at the ready... Minty pulled out his plasma weapons, myself getting the bit of my own battle saddle held firm in my mouth, moving forwards. Ooh, I really wanted Quebuck over the highway, at least there we could -see- what was about to kill us. The silence of the wasteland might just be getting to us, yeah, maybe we should tune in on Hi-fi and Tom. I kept my radio at a low volume, still looking about, a bit unnerved.

"Gooood morning, North Equestrian Wasteland! This is your resident DJ Bert the Turtle finally tuning in, bringing you all of that wonderfully heart-wrenching news from Mooscow to Trotisk and all points inbetween! So, let's get to it, shall we? Out of Mooscow, most of the fallout Tommy predicted seems to have fallen out, needless to say giving the old stallion a bit of a surprise. Still tells me you should check what you're eating before you go cramming it down your throat, becoming a ghoul from the inside out likely wouldn't be very pleasant. Then again, neither is from the outside in - isn't that right, Tom?" Hi-fi chuckled, a faint annoyed grumbling able to be heard off to the side of the microphone. Personally, I'd just want to avoid being a zombie... oh, right, -that's- what's waiting for us in Quebuck. Well, at least we're better armed this time... I wonder what a grenade would do to them?

"In other news, scattered reports are being heard of big-ass snarling monsters fighting tin can ponies to the far north. To anypony thinking they might be brave enough to take one of these things head-on, here's a word of advice; don't. The reports describe these things as being able to, and, ah, I quote, 'tear your sorry flank a new asshole before you can even think about what's happening, oh my god, they burrowed through, help me, help me, aaaah.' Yeah. Unless you're packing some kind of mini-megaspell with you, or have armor made of the goddesses' manes, general consensus is to avoid at all physically possible costs, or you WILL die. I don't like being the instigator of bad decisions, but to whoever set off that balefire bomb last week... could you spare another one?"

"And finally, a bit of heartwarming - the first foal from what was left of Stable 34 was born in Mooscow today, to a very greatful mother. No mutations here, unless it's actually an earth pony and just happens to have a horn-shaped bone jutting from it's skull, and the mother extends her thanks to the pegasus with the auto-rifles who came back and led them out, and his unicorn friend. If you two are listening in, congrats boys, you're officially a pair of wasteland heroes... as little that title really carries. Try not to get killed, a lot of ponies around here actually kinda like you guys. Anyways, that's the morning news reports from this little tortoise, let's get cracking in with some music already! Here's an oldie from Tommy... boy, how he wasn't slaughtered for this one, Celestia knows. As a great leader once said, 'Send the Marines!'" The song started up, the large structures of Quebuck appearing on the horizon, everyone seeming to have relaxed a bit. A small smile was on my face, as much as I could manage with the bit, at least, a gentle bounce in Minty's step as well. Heroes? Us? Well, er, I guess... hey, least we were helping. We continued onwards, singing along with the music.

"When somepony makes a move,
of which we don't approve,
who is it that always intervenes?

M.O.M. and O.I.A.,
they've got their places I'd say,
but first! Send the marines!..."

We'd gotten as far as the middle of the city, passing by more than a few building facades that still held shadows burned into them of ponies and structures. Buzzy and Featherweight had taken point after more than a few incidents where the robots just stood there while the hordes of zombies came and figured us a tasty lunch. Thankfully, 20mm and .30 caliber rounds are very good means of clearing crowds in a pinch. After the second or third wave, a storm had managed to roll in, the security robots remarking again about the elevated radiation levels and non-essential personnell, us all as a group heading for the nearest structure that didn't look like it'd collapse on our heads. It was an old apartment building in the entertainment district; well, at the very least we won't have to worry about sleeping arrangements for the night. The heavier the snow fell outside the frosted window, the more it seemed like we'd have to...

"This... well, it kinda sucks." Buzzy kicked shut the door of a personal fridge, featherweight having taken to pulling together some old musty blankets. Minty cringed as I helped wrap some of the healing bandages we'd found about the places where the zombie ghouls managed to break through his armor and pierced skin, squeezing the plush of Cross Stitch tightly against himself. Nopony ever said this was going to be a fun trip.

"Buzzy, you saw how late it was starting to get by the time we got here. We would've had to stay the night, anyways... at least the feral ghoul population seems to be staying away from us. Be glad we at least have some kind of roof over us." The large pegasus stallion had set the pair of autocannons to the side, rubbing over the old, heavy comforters on the second bed. He watched uneasily out the window, Minty levitating out the heat lamp from his saddlebags and placing it on the nightstand, rising to his hooves with a small gasp of pain. Stupid zombies with their sharp teeth...

"Well, it still sucks. You know well as me that Quebuck is where all those food caravans carryin' bear meat come in from, an' we only have two full reloads for your guns." The pegasus filly pouted, resting on the decrepit counter of the small kitchen, looking over at her older brother. He chuckled idly, easing up onto the bed and spreading himself out, looking over at me with a soft grin. I paused, blinking a few times, looking into his deep, dreamy eyes as he winked. Oh my...

"Buzzy, I'm pretty sure a bear can't survive more than a few hits from twenty millimeter rounds. Besides, we're not that far south in the city, either. We really just ought to... well, relax~" The stallion let out a long sigh, stretching his wings widely and letting them droop against the sheets, resting his head on his large forelegs. Goddess-damnit, why did he have to be such of a tease? Minty coughed, poking me in my wings, getting my attention away from the stallion I probably would be sleeping with tonight. His expression was a bit concerned, sitting on the bed and breathing with the bandages around his stomach.

"We're gonna head out first thing in the morning, right? I've been thinking, maybe whatever's in that factory could help get the door open, and... well..." He paused, looking down at his plush solemnly for a few moments. Well, I'm sure there's some kind of exterior lever to that big heavy safehouse door, and if not, a few Balefire eggs and plastic explosive ought to do it. Worst case, we could probably just blast our way through the floor... but, he didn't mean that door, did he? I slid up next to him, wrapping him in a tight hug for a few moments, hearing him let off a sigh. "I just... I want to see him again."

"I know you do... I promise, as soon as we get what we need from the factory to the Doc, we'll head back to your Stable and try everything to get Cross Stitch out." He looked to my eyes, a small smile on his face, wrapping the augmented foreleg around my neck and keeping the plush held close to his body.

"You're a good friend, Twintails." He squeezed myself in a hug again, a buzzing noise filling our ears a few feet away, along with some stifled giggling. We both looked up to see Buzzy hovering a few feet away, a wide grin across her face trying to hide behind her small hooves. Little laughs escaped her as Minty blushed, cuddling the small plushie closer against himself. I knew she was rather blunt, but... this was just plain mean.

"Well, gee, Featherweight, I guess he's into more stallions than just you after all! C'mon, ain't you two gonna kiss?" She puckered her lips, hovering over beside Featherweight, Minty having buried his face into the bed as both myself and Featherweight glared at her. Yeah, this was where it stopped being cute. She continued laughing, laying against Featherweight's flanks and grinning widely, each one of her mocking breaths condensing in the air of the old apartment. "You- you really had me goin' for a while there, I figured somethin' was going on between you two, b-but all this sappy stuff? Really!? Oh, this is just too m-OUCH!" I blinked, seeing the little filly laying on the floor and rubbing at the side of her head, groaning in pain. Featherweight was breathing heavily, lowering his hoof back down onto the bed, looking especially mad at this point. Well, chalk that up to the second out-of-character moment within 24 hours... this was actually more startling than the first. The large stallion sniffed in, taking a deep breath and looking down at Buzzy as she rolled over onto her back, tears streaming from her closed eyes.

"Are you alright, sis?" She sniffled, looking up at her head and keeping a hoof held to it, nodding gently. All eyes were moving between Featherweight and Buzzy, the room filled with a bit of shocked silence. The small filly rose to her hooves, her wings slowly flapping and lifting her up into the air, sputtering whiles coming from her mouth. Featherweight huffed out a cloudy breath, moving to slide underneath the covers, still watching her. "You really need to learn when to shut your mouth. You'll sleep with Minty tonight, so you can think about what you did. Understand me?" She whined, setting herself down on the bed, and softly trotting over beside the unicorn who layed on it, setting herself down. A frown stuck on her face, Minty returning a softened look of annoyance, holding the plush of Cross Stitch closer against himself. Featherweight let off a small grunt, looking up towards myself again, the light having faded outside the window.

Minty rolled himself over, sliding beneath the heavy blankets and confiding himself to getting some rest, Buzzy sliding her smaller self in underneath what spare blanket he left her. Tugging the tattered remains of my pants and other barding off - I probably wouldn't need much cover with Featherweight being beside me - I trotted around to the other side of the bed, looking between them. Featherweight had turned over to face away from Buzzy, looking up at myself, a small smile having returned to his face. I paused for a moment, looking out the window and to the snowy streets below, illuminated by arcane lanterns that caught the thick flakes in their glow and turned the streets into a strange, wintry ballet of dancing lights. The pip-buck on my foreleg clicked a few times as it neared the windowsil; fallout. I wonder how much of it is from the great war? Fallout from Equesria... Featherweight shuffled, lifting himself up on a foreleg, watching myself.

"I... I'm sorry that you had to see that. Both of you. I don't like doing it, but..." He whispered softly as I slid in beside him, feeling his large body radiating heat between us. He placed his large wing about my back beneath the covers, looking into my eyes, letting off a small sigh and nuzzling into my forehead. Well... he still could make me blush... why does there always have to be something on my mind whenever I get a chance with him?

"Featherweight, it's... it's fine. Minty's just going through a lot. And..." I found myself resting a forehoof on his large shoulder, feeling the firm muscles beneath it, brushing his cool blue mane gently. Memories of my own Stable started coming to me as I thought about Minty and Cross Stitch. The happiness I saw in other ponies' lives. The love I felt from Gamma Ray... the way she'd rub my mane and nuzzle my forehead, softly scratch right in the crook where my wing met my back, the way she would cuddle and hold me when I woke up from a bad dream... her nickname for me... Featherweight shuffled back a bit, looking at myself, lifting my head up with his hoof, meeting my blurry vision with his blue eyes, worry in his face.

"Twintails... Twinnie, is something wrong?" My eyes wrenched shut, silent weeps and shuddering cries escaping me as Featherweight held me under the covers. It'd been almost two weeks since we picked up that distress signal, two weeks since my Stable was forced out into the snowy wasteland above, two weeks since, since... Gamma Ray died. The disabled pip-buck for a grave marker. She looked so peaceful once we cleaned her muzzle of the blood. She looked like she was sleeping, she just wasn't breathing. The blanket only moved when we moved it, Lonelyheart covered her face and helped me with digging a small hole in the permafrost. We'd set her down in it carefully, the first few shovels of dirt and snow painful to put in, but soon enough there was just a small mound left. I set her pip-buck on top, pressing the small button with a wing, watching as the screen flickered and died... like it's owner.

Featherweight pulled myself against his large body, wrapping his wings and hooves about me and letting me rest my cheek against his neck, pulig the covers around us. My nose started to run as I let myself cry out, the large stallion gently stroking my mane, just like she did. Comfortingly, softly, shushing in my ears, just like she did. I'm not sure when I started slowing down, when my aching body overcame the want to keep mourning, when the crying gave way to soft tears and finally the tender embrace of sleep. It didn't matter. Featherweight kept me held close through the night, soon falling to sleep himself, the cool wasteland air hardly being felt as we warmed each other.

A roar filled our ears, along with a wooden thrashing and cracking sound, the light of dawn shining in through the frozen glass. Featherweight was first up, his snap to action managing to roll myself over underneath the covers, the jarring movement causing a bit of a headrush. Oooh, that wasn't much fun... I held my forehead, hearing the roaring growl again, and looking over to Minty, laying in the cold snow, red spreading out from our bodies, his eyes fading in and out. We were... we... oh, no, no, we were in the apartment building still. Featherweight had already slid into his autocannons, a crashing sound coming from the doorway below, Buzzy rushing to the window and looking out of it as I finally slid myself out from beneath the heavy blankets. she let off a scream, darting over to Featherweight and wrapping her hooves around his neck, myself almost reluctant to look now. But, goddess-damn my curiosity...

"What the FUCK is that!?" I peered down out of the window, seeing a large, furry beast lumbering about in the streets below, clawing at the front doors of the buildings. That wasn't the beast we saw back in Trotisk, but fuck me with a fuel rod if it wasn't just as terrifying! It looked like it was as big as an entire skywagon, and, and... there were two of them!! Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? Featherweight and Buzzy waited for us by the doorway as myself and Minty both picked up our saddlebags and guns, the bit of my battle saddle held firm in my mouth and Minty's cannon at the ready. The pair of robots hummed to life as my augmented friend fiddled with their on switches, and, for the moment at least, sat useless in the corner. They might have guns, but if these new beasts are half as destructive as the ones from Trotisk...

We charged out the doorway, myself and Featherweight alongside one another while Minty worked with the robots, leading them behind us. As we reached the enterance area, the snarling head of the massive animal smashed through the weak wood door, biting at the air. In a panic, the rifles at my sides discharged into what was left of the doorway, each round sending off splinters... and otherwise making the beast on the other side even more angry. It let off a roar and finally pulled it's head - and the door - free, rearing up on it's back legs and screaming into the air. Featherweight's cannons opened up, along with Buzzy's smaller machine guns, filling the beast's exposed stomach with lead and high explosive shrapnel. Its guts and entrails spilled from the open gashes, staining the snow in the street a murky red, the second beast standing over it and roaring as well. Well, shit.

Minty fired his cannon and plasma weapons as our own guns clicked on empty chambers, the beast's fur being singed and burned, and the beast itself stunned for a moment, before roaring into our faces once again. A dawning realization fell upon us all as it reared upon it's back legs like the one before it, the robots peppering it's exposed stomach with red light that was about as effective as shining a laser pointer at it - it likely would take us about twice as long to reload as it would that thing to come in here and turn us all into modern art. We all dove behind the desks in the front room, frantically trying to re-arm before the inevitable, or at the very least try to put up a fight.

A loud, booming crack went up from outside, the massive beast landing with a dull thud - and no head - in the street. We were all breathing heavily, slowly emerging from behind the desks, staring out into the large gaping hole where a wall and doorway once was, and where two massive carcasses layed now. A glinting, silvery figure caught my eye, standing across the street in an alley between two buildings. I blinked a few times, stepping out into the bloodstained snow, noticing a massive, slender rifle supported upon the back of the figure, smoke pouring from the muzzlebrake. I couldn't help but feel that I'd seen it somewhere before... the figure nodded once, slowly turning about and looking back at myself, heading down the alley. A steel ranger...

The day had gotten to noon... I think... as we finally approached Trotisk township. Buzzy and Featherweight had went back to their home in Turnpike to re-arm and, as they put it, bring along some fireworks for help later on. From what I'd seen them packing, and prior experience, if it was anything less than high explosives, it'd have to literally be fireworks. We stepped up to the front of the Plasma Spaz with the two robots still in tow, a few scrapes and marks where the zombie ponies attempted to bite through their metal skin left behind, but otherwise miraculously unscathed. Minty tapped on the bell, the plush held around his neck, his mare doppleganger - Sugar Rush, right? - approaching the counter with a light smile.

"Glad you made it back! I was starting to get a bit worried, these robots aren't cheap yanno!" She chuckled lightly, Minty rubbing at the back of his head as I glanced down at the various guns and other things on display... as well as a glowing trail of green goop that led to where Minty was standing. Oh, that's lovely. "Cute scarf, too. Pick it up out of Quebuck or something?" The mare behind the counter nodded towards the Cross Stitch plush, smiling and looking to the robots. A bolt of energy shot from her horn and hit both of them, the pair trotting outside and standing in the doorway as Minty took to gnawing at his lip, gently stroking the small hooves of the plushie.

"Not exactly. Ah, Minty, I think you might want to, um, get that plasma pistol checked out..." I carefully trotted around the trail of goop, my augmented friend and his doppleganger both looking down at the floor in surprise. Minty blushed and chuckled weakly, levitating out the small thing, the casing quite cracked and fluid dripping from every point it could. Sugar Rush bore a look of pure shock on her face as her aura encompassed the leaky gun, her one eye twitching as she examined the pistol.

"You... how... this... what... how in Equestria did this happen!? Did, did you throw it in the jaws of a snow dog or somethi-" She cut herself off, coughing a bit, a blush coming to her face as she moved the pistol underneath the desk, levitating out a brand new one without a word. She cleared her throat, glancing to the back of the store and then leaning forwards, sliding the pistol into Minty's saddlebags. "Consider your debt repaid in full. Don't try to go back to the R&G Facility. Please." Well, um, right, this was rather surprising, to say the least. Minty blinked a few times, a stern look coming to his face.

"I need to get back into my Stable. We have to go back there." Sugar Rush stared at him, dumbfounded, barely noticing as he tossed a small bag of bottlecaps onto the counter and exited the store. I shared a glance with her, shrugging a bit.

"Thanks for the new plasma pistol-thingie, but he really wants to get back in touch with his coltfriend. We just... we just can't -not- go back." She seemed to try and look for what she wanted to say next, myself following the goop trail back to the entrance and slowly heading towards it. There was a sudden tug at my tails, the mare's magic aura surrounding them, making me glance back towards her as she rested against the counter. She let loose a sigh, stepping out from behind it, a frown upon her face.

"Look, there's a good reason nopony lives inside Trotisk anymore. When I heard you two were recovering in the clinic over in Turnpike... please, don't get yourselves killed. I couldn't..." She paused, letting loose a soft sigh, and dropping my tails, finally. "Be careful. I don't want your deaths on my conscience. I... I already have enough of that..." She turned away from the counter, looking at myself for a moment before heading into the back of the store. Slowly, I made my way out into the wintry main street, Minty carrying two ammunition boxes along with him as he stepped out of Gun Runner's. He passed a small smile, opening them and levitating over all of the clips and grenades into my saddlebags.

"Armor-Piercing rounds for your rifles and some special grenades they had in stock, Incendiary and Plasma. No clue what the incendiaries do, but hey, it can't be anything hurtful to us." Minty chuckled and rested a hoof on my shoulder, looking over to the inner wall. With a soft smile, he let loose a sigh, trotting forwards a few steps. "We'll be back together soon, Cross."

"Ah, Minty, we're waiting for Buzzy and Featherweight, remember?" I trotted forwards, my friend looking behind at myself for a moment, then up to the sky. A smile came across his face, poinying his augmented hoof up towards the clouds above. I blinked a few times, following his pip-leg up till I found myself looking at Featherweight coming in for a landing, a massive green steel cylinder held under his body. He set it down in the snow, the two autocannons at his sides jingling as the weight was taken off of the saddle, grinning widely, Buzzy popping up from behind him.

"One-hundred fifty kilos of balefire and high-explosive fun, ready for use! Let's try to not get ourselves killed, eh? Featherweight's thinking of making some bear meat stew later!" The litle filly grinned widely, my eyes falling back to the large cylinder. Balefire eggs -and- high explosive? One-fifty kilograms... that's a few hundred pounds! And Featherweight still managed to carry his cannons and Buzzy with that thing?! Holy smokes... Minty trotted up between all of us, a small string of spark batteries wired up and laying on the ground in front of himself, motioning for us to get up close to him. Well, if it does go bad, at least it'll be quick...

The bright flash and smell of ozone really was starting to get a bit commonplace, I'll admit. Still doesn't shake the fact each jump leaves me with a headache... at least the bomb didn't go off. Minty was carrying it, if just barely, as we all made way into the depths of the facility once more. Featherweight and Buzzy both took point, the bit for his cannons being held carefully in his mouth and at the ready, myself following close behind with my own rifles. The double doors to the reception area of the factory floor were both mauled off their hinges, deep scratch marks in the metal walls giving little to guess as to why. I paused for a moment, contemplating it, the rest of the group heading down the stairwell. We should be careful...

As I caught up with them all again, Minty was carefully setting the heavy bomb down infront of the blast door, Featherweight and Buzzy having moved down the hallway a bit. I found my eyes falling to the bomb, and the innder functionings of it - it looked sort of like a squashed sphere, the panel that Minty had opened on one side revealing a disc of plastic explosives seperating a pair of two balefire eggs, with small needle-like things sticking out of it. Must be detonators... yes, the plastic explosives would best trigger the eggs if it went off all at once, that explains why there were more than one or two. Honestly, an ingenious design. Likely makes one hell of a boom... This was gonna be fun. Featherweight and Buzzy both came back, Minty shutting the hatch on the bomb carefully, the small filly producing a detonation trigger.

"C'mon, we've gotta get out of the blast zone. Never really got a chance to test this puppy before, in a dual setup, at least. Found a storage room that ought to keep us shielded till the smoke all clears." The large stallion smiled, nodding towards the deeper reaches of the hallway, the little filly on his back carefully holding the trigger with her wing. The closet, admittedly, didn't look particularly spacious... but, well, it was better than nothing. Squeezing ourselves in, Buzzy hopped off of Featherweight's back, standing outside of the opened doorway. The way it swung outwards should deflect the blast wave well enough, so we might have a ringing in our ears, but we'll at least be left alive.

"Fire in th' hole!" The young filly pulled the trigger and jumped inside the closet, landing on my head and slamming the door shut behind her. There was a short lull, before a thunderous blast shook the small room, shaking some of the boxes of cleaning solution and tools loose and leaving myself momentarily deaf. I shook my head, groaning - more feeling it in my throat than actually hearing it - and looking at the small pile of whitish powder left on the floor. I blinked a few times, Buzzy climbing back over onto Featherweight, my forehoof opening the door. Thankfully it swung outwards, a silent laugh escaping myself as I moved out into the scorched, smoky hallway. My wings flapped as if out of habit, the smoke forming into clouds I found myself pushing aside as I made way back down the hall, the overhead lights sparking to life and cutting through the haze. Hey, maybe the blast caused the backup generators to start! I chuckled to myself, the sound now just a bit muted, some voice calling for me from behind. I blinked a few times, turning to face the closet, seeing Featherweight's head poking out from behind the door before hiding behind it again. The look on his face for the split second I saw it could be best described as 'oh crap.'

I had time to blink once or twice more before a second, but still pretty damn big explosion sent me hurtling through the hallway head-over-hooves, landing with a hard thud on the cold steel floor up against the carcass of a destroyed security robot. My head was ringing, vision a bit wonky, but the sound was at least coming back. Letting loose another groan, and seeing my tails hanging in my upside-down perspective, the sound of old metal groaning against old metal filled the hall, the... unfortunately, still-intact... door lowering. The black haze had mostly cleared, and on the opposite side of the doorway was stood a very surprised mare - her brownish mane hung in tatters, red coat almost invisibly scarred where it peeled and was shorn away by intense radiation, and wings... surprisingly, still somewhat feathered. She looked down at myself, the sounds of the others' hooves trotting down the hallway breaking the silence as well, her dumbfounded expression returning three words that were likely the most appropriate for somepony who just had a balefire knock at their front door.

"What the hell?"

Author's Note

Ho-lee smokes. Even we're amazed that this chapter went on for as long as it did, this length was sure as heck not intentional! Either way, what we've to celebrate this time around is almost a whole half-year of Occupational Hazards! It's been extremely fun for both of us so far, even if we might miss our deadlines every now and again, but regardless, I'd really like to thank you for reading with us for so long! We hope to keep this up and going for a good long while yet!
~Twintails, aka the-furry-railfan