Fallout Equestria: Sky High

They say you have to hit rock bottom before you start going up, before things get better.

Looking at the path ahead of me, that's where I was headed. Literally.

After stumbling my way through the darkness for what felt like forever, my armour realised I couldn't see, or something, and activated night vision. The constant green tinge was definitely something I had to get used to, and quick, but at least I could see.

Not that I wanted to.

The damp tunnel descended steeply with a loose flooring and nothing to grab on to should I slip, and it was way too narrow for me to fly my way down safely as well. I looked behind me to see that I'd made the same descent to where I was, but it was easier when I couldn't see my nose, let alone the path.

"I can't turn back now." I muttered to myself, the sound echoing softly along the tunnel. I took a step, testing the ground gingerly before firmly placing it down. So far so good. Slowly I continued, focusing on moving one hoof at a time, until finally the path levelled out and stopped abruptly at a metal door. I pushed the switch to open it and was greeted by a dim hanging light and a zebra impaled against the wall. I took a step back, shocked by the cut open corpse that left no organ to imagination, and swallowed away my urge to vomit.

When I collected myself I stepped forwards again and peeked around the room, eyes avoiding the zebra wall painting. There seemed to be nothing close by, so I moved into the room and quickly searched for anything that might help. A couple rounds of ammunition for guns I don't have, of course, a health potion and some dirty water.

Moving in to the next room I spotted another dead zebra, alongside a broken robopony. Thankfully the zebra had died due to energy beams and not as brutally as the last one, so I had no reservations about inspecting her. Her face was scarred in a pattern, and by how pronounced the markings were it was obviously done multiple times over a short period of time. I pondered a moment - something about the scars seemed familiar - before searching her. Some zebra currency. Great, some vendor fodder, if there's even anything down here to sell it to.

I edged on into the central room, circular with a missile in the middle I could only hope wasn't edges away from exploding. I kept my distance as I went around the edges because my armour seemed to detect a small level of radiation coming off it. Better safe than sorry. The stairs on the other side of the room were rusted beyond repair, but they looked like the only way up so I risked it. They creaked under every step, but held through to the end, barely. I continued my ascent, passing by more dead zebra with the same, familiar scarring and destroyed robots, until I reached the top. The radiation levels were slightly higher here, so I ducked away into a room quickly.

And into a zebra who was very, very much alive. Who's first reaction was to attack.

She jumped at me, then used my surprised state to vault herself backwards in a graceful arc before landing on her hind hooves, braced for combat. A red square appeared around her, stating the obvious threat as if I only had half a brain and hadn't figured it out already.

"I don't want to fight!" I shouted at her. "Who are you?"

She watched me silently, unchanging in her stance.

"Please, I just wanted to pass through quietly." I pleaded to the statuesque figure.

"Why are you here?" She said with a thick accent.

"I have to go through here to get home."

"You are touched by them. Why must I believe you?"

"I... I dunno! This is the only way I can save my mum. My word's all I got." She showed no sign of standing down and I worried I would have to defend myself. She could strike at any moment, and I figured the armour was the only thing stopping her from killing me.

"You have their touch yet you stand here without aggression. Perhaps you are not yet tainted." She dropped from her stance to all fours. "I am Anahera of the Marked Mares."

"The... Marked Mares?" Was that the scarring they had?

"Yes. We are a tribe that hunts down anypony that is touched and purges them of their taint."

"That's just fancy for killing, right?" She nodded. "And whaddya mean by touched?"

"When the fallen star crashed to this world millennia ago, it's corruption spread through the ground and coagulated into a special, magic resistant metal. It is the same metal with which Nightmare Moon forged her armour and was the source of her anger, and it is the same metal we have detected within you, though you've shown no signs of the corruption."

"Must be the beer. So, since you kill anypony touched by this... starmetal... why am I alive?"

"Because I cannot attack through your armour. That and I'm having this conversation with you, so you are not yet the threat we deemed you to be."

"Uh, thanks, I guess. I can go now?"

"Yes." Anahera stood to the side. "And I will accompany you. There are many dangers within these tunnels, and I must watch over you as is the will of my tribe. This is not open for negotiation. Show any signs of corruption and you will die swiftly." Great, a religious zebra who could, and would, kill me in a heartbeat is now my only source of aid. This can only end badly, especially considering she still remained surrounded by a red box that just screamed "Enemy! Kill!"

"Uh, sure, I s'pose the help part is nice. Not so keen on the whole dying aspect, so I guess I'll keep whatever corruption I can under control, yeah." I began to quickly search the room, finding that everything had already been looted. Damn locals.

The next door lead out of the building that I had since learnt housed prewar zebra weaponry. The radiation in the middle room was caused by the megaspell beginning to lose stability, and could go off at any time apparently. Anahera was a wealth of knowledge on the matter.

As we walked single file down the tunnel I had grown to ignore my Enclave target finder and the great big arrow it had pointing to my left saying that enemies were behind me. Sure she said she could kill me whenever, but that was no reason not to trust her, right? As long as I slept with the power armour on. Another thing I noticed was how dangerously silent she was when she moved. I turned my head back to make sure she was there (again), but this time she wasn't. I spun around for a better look as Anahera emerged from what seemed nothing more than a crack in the wall.

"This way. It is... A better way." She said before disappearing again. I ran up to where she was standing and, sure enough a crack the size of a pony waited for me. I forced myself into the gap, power armour scraping along the edges, and headed towards a light at the other end. Naturally the pathway narrowed, my rump getting stuck just when I was halfway out. I pressed my forehooves against the opening and tried to push with all my might, to no avail.

"Fuck, I've gotten a beer-butt. Uh, could ya lend a hoof here?" Anahera seemed apprehensive at first, but then she moved towards me, grasping me by the shoulders and planting her hind hooves firmly against the wall as she put all her effort into dislodging me. I noticed the wall beginning to crack so I chipped in, helping however much I could in my position until finally it gave way and we went tumbling. Anahera flicked me off her with ease as she rolled to her hooves whereas I just flew, landed, tumbled and slid to a halt. As I recovered from my dizziness I saw Anahera facing the wall and smiling faintly, so I looked past her and saw the hole.

"Oh come on! My ass ain't that big!" That only served to increase her smile. "I swear it's the armour! Being all protecty!" I rose to my hooves and glanced to my rear. No scratches on the armour. I've gotta ask somepony how it does that one day.

Looking around, the first thing I noticed was that we were in a giant cavern. The next thing I noticed was the large amount of buildings that had been set up in the space and the zebra walking around casually. I'd imagined that a tribe of zebra would be more... Militant, but here I was seeing foals playing and mares watching on, quietly laughing. The housing was rough, cobbled together shacks made of rocks, not looking overly comfortable but still safe.

"This is our village." Anahera spoke up beside me. "We haven't lived here longer than a generation, but as you can see we are quite at home. Come with me, the elder would wish to speak with you." As she walked ahead I didn't move.

"This ain't a shortcut at all, is it?"

"No. I merely needed to convince you to follow me to where you are outnumbered if our elder deems you to be dangerous." She stated bluntly. "And now that you're here I don't have to deceive you any longer."

I blinked behind my helmet before following. "I would have come if you asked anyway." She just shrugged.

"Same result, different method. You're here now, and if you turn back remember that you're outnumbered." Anahera gestured to the door of a larger-than-the-rest building with two guards outside wearing plate armour. With no owhere else to go, I wandered up to them.

"I'm here to see the bloke in charge." They glared at me. "Uh, the sheila in charge?" The one on the right sighed.

"If you wish to see elder, you surrender all weapons and drugs." He said.

"But weapons and drugs are all that I have!"

"Then give us whole bag. Will be returned when you leave." I dropped my bags on the ground and pulled Bolt off from around my neck.

"I get to keep the armour right?" I asked. I didn't want to risk being so exposed when it was all I had from being killed by anyone here.

"Yes." Phew. I trotted through the door and straight ahead down the hallway was a very, very old mare sitting on a throne made of rocks. There were a bunch of rooms branching off either side of the hallway but I didn't inspect further than a quick glance. The main room at the end was as wide as the structure itself, with a side room on each end and what looked like a bedroom behind the throne. There were guards everywhere too, watching my every movement as my E.F.S. went wild.

"Who is this?" The throne-mare asked Anahera.

"She is a mare who has been Touched, Elder. I was uncertain to her corruption, and her armour prevented any attack, so I brought her here under the guise that I would help her." Wow, and I thought that part was genuine.

"She could slaughter us all! Do you know what she could be capable of if she knew that we were to kill her?"

"I can understand ya y'know." I spoke up, drawing both of their attentions. "And I ain't gonna kill ya 'cause I don't wanna, and I'd probably die from it." The elder looked at me long and hard as if I would explode under pressure before looking back at Anahera.

"She is uncorrupted, at least for now." She could tell that by staring at my helmet? "Perhaps her fury can be redirected. Leave us." I turned around to the door. "Not you pegasus, the males. You can remove your helmet." I turned back to her and pulled off the helmet a lot less gracefully than I'd hoped, setting it down at my hooves.

The elder got up off her throne and trotted down to me, pulling a pendant out from a socket in it before she did so. She was noticeably shorter than me so she had to get up on her hind legs to hold the pendant in front of my eyes, waving it from side to side with my eyes following every movement.

"The corruption is not in your head yet. Remove your armour." I hesitated at that. "We will not harm you, yet." Oh, okay. I hoped she kept her word as I began to pull off my power armour, the cool air of the caverns hitting me instantly. I never realised how hot it got in that. The elder guided the now blue glowing pendant all over my body which brightened when it went around my upper right foreleg and flank. I heard her mutter something about a good breeder but I didn't catch all of it.

"Do you wish to prove yourself, Touched One?" She said.

"I... I guess? Prove myself... how?" The pendant was placed around my neck, still glowing brightly. I took a moment to admire it, a bone crafted into a circle, with a gem embedded on the right half that was sculpted to look like a unicorn. It was rough, but for non magic users it was still really cool. The dark blue gem itself was the part that was glowing, but it was easily bright enough to mistake it for the whole pendant.

"To prove you have no ill will against us, we have prepared for you to take the greatest test of perseverance and dedication we can supply."

"Oh yeah no worries, whatever I have to do." I can do dedication, and perseverance just comes with living in the wastelands.

"It will be painful." Anahera said, concerned. Was I meant to not be so keen? "Excruciatingly so." I've had a buzz saw cut into my foreleg, what could be worse than that?

"Pain schmain. Let's just get 'er done."

.*.    .*.    .*.     *     .*.    .*.    .*.

I don't always dismiss the details of things I agree to, but when I do it's always important to know them.

I was lying on my belly in what looked like the medical building of the tribe, tied down with lengths of heaven knows what, and a stallion was sharpening various tools with the occasional glance to me in case I broke out. The tools all had blades of different thicknesses and a strap to attach it. Hooves must have been easier than a mouth for this as I'd imagine it let you see what you were doing.

Oh, and it hurt like a fucking BITCH!

He made a very deep cut from my forehead down to my nose, and I did everything I could to not black out from either the pain, the scratching feeling on my skull, or both. My test was to go through this process without screaming or fainting, set by the wonderful elder, and I didn't want to use my super painkillers because it felt like cheating. I wished I did at this point.

The next cut was around the base of my eyes, not as deep this time. My teeth were grinding against each other with so much strength I worried they'd break, and my eyes were clenched shut the whole time so the work wasn't messed up and he'd have to start again. I could hear the tears hitting the rocky flooring... Or was it blood? I didn't want to look, and the fact that my face felt really damp didn't aid that. The stallion rattled around with the tools, probably changing his blade, before I felt that familiar stabbing pain near the bottom of my left cheek. This was a star? Must have been. He cut three more of these randomly over the left side of my face, and a smaller one slightly lower than one of the hot patches of fresh blood stars.

More rattling, giving me time to breathe. Just a few deep breaths might be enough to stop the tears. I opened my right eye - the left side of my face in such a blinding pain it couldn't the same - and looked down to see all of the blood being collected in a little tub. The amount of liquid in there had me feeling faint suddenly, like my body realising finally that something was missing.

The stallion took the tub away and placed a fresh one under me to replace it before pouring the contents into a large cauldron, stirring it in carefully. This didn't help my feeling of wanting to throw up and pass out, but I managed to swallow away anything that tried to come up. Satisfied with the result he poured it into a small cup and trotted back to me.

"Drink." He said. No please or anything, just drink. I turned away - I had seen what went in it and I didn't have the stomach to drink that right now. "It will help." Still nope. My mouth was closed tighter than a stallion's sphincter after being kicked in the nuts. He sighed and ran a hoof gently down the back of my neck before pressing a spot near my shoulder really, really hard. My mouth swung open like he'd pressed a switch and I couldn't close it, even as he poured the beverage down my throat. It tasted disgusting, like day old gecko in the sun dipped in off milk and radiation. When the sickly drink was finally all safe down my throat he massaged the spot he'd jabbed before and I very quickly shut my mouth. I had to admit though, while horrible, that drink removed my fainting feeling, and the sharp pain on my face was reduced to a dull yet pronounced throb.

The stallion went and re-equipped the hooked blade before coming back to me. I was prepared for the pain this time, or so I thought before he ran the tool along the old lines.

I never screamed so hard in my life. It felt like he was stabbing really tender bruises, times ten. He went back over the main scars quickly with practised ease while I thrashed against my bindings, then he went back to the pot and got another dose of potion, coming back to force it down my throat. It was a welcome relief, calming me down but doing little to alleviate the pain this time. He left the room as the elder walked in and stood in front of me.

"Well done," the words barely registered in my mind. "it would be inequine for anyone to last that process without succumbing to the pain." She undid the bindings and I reflexively covered my face with my forehooves. The test was just to see if I could feel pain? "Those markings show you are a welcome guest of our tribe -" Please stop talking. I was pissed now I know that I'd been scarred permanently just to prove something small. "- and should grant you no trouble with any zebra you cross -" Stopping now "- and allows you t-" I slammed down a hoof, cutting her off as I glared at her from my position.

"Not in the fucking mood. Pain now, talks later." My pendant glowed hotly and cooled just as suddenly as I slipped off the table and walked out the door into the unsuspecting Anahera. She must have noticed my pissy mood as she said nothing when I staggered past her. In hindsight I shouldn't have gotten up so quickly; my vision was blurred and I couldn't walk straight, and combined with my pounding headache and stinging face meant I had no sense of direction. Or walls. I swear they jump in front of you.

Eventually someone decided to guide me through the area, nudging me away from obstacles and other zebra. I barely noticed, I was just walking forwards. My guide lead me into a small hut and left once I was safely inside. I collapsed on the floor, curled up into a ball and cried. Everything that had happened this past week, I cried about. I cried about my choices, the Enclave, the Undertakers, my family, everything. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, lying there in silence for whoever knows how long.

.*.    .*.    .*.     *     .*.    .*.    .*.

The feeling my face was going to burst and a looming dizziness greeted me when I woke. I didn't care, all I wanted was to leave, to find my mum and live my old life. I knew it wasn't possible - I'd made too big a splash - but I wished for it anyway. I slipped on my power armour with the occasional stumble, the helmet being a welcome safeguard against my tender face, before putting the pendant on. I liked it - it distinguished me from the Enclave and could possibly save me a shooting. Not that I'm lucky enough for that, but there's a chance.

A stallion was waiting for me outside, which couldn't ever mean a good thing.

"Come." He said sharply.

"Aren't you gonna buy me dinner first?" I returned quickly, not even earning a smile as he grunted as walked off. Damned zebras with no sense of humour. We walked back to the elder's domain and he almost pushed me inside before muttering something. The elder had a smile on her face as I approached, so I couldn't be in trouble unless she was a sadist.

"I trust you're feeling more approachable, Touched One. One would hope so."

"Yeah, sure. I suppose you'll give me some kind of task that'll put me in danger and send me on my way then? That's how this works, right?"

"Rather the opposite, actually. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, after all you are part of the tribe now." Waitwhat? "But I fear you have your own mission ahead of you. I have instructed Anahera to aid you should you leave, and you may have your choice of male to carry your items."

"Ohnonono," I quickly spat out. "You can keep your stallions, I don't need no male to do shit for me. 'sides, I don't even want Anahera, but I figure with you that's not negotiable."

"Of course. Well do keep it in mind, restock yourself while you're here and remember, you are welcome back at any time should you survive. You may go." She waved me away with a hoof.

"Gee, thanks." I muttered under my breath as I made my way out. Now I can finally explore this place without some looming presence, though I would have thought a secluded tribe would be more... hesitant, towards outsiders. Whatever, as long as they don't kill me, they're mates.

As I made my way through the buildings, the zebras gave me a wide berth, ushering away their foals and whispering to each other. I'd walk past some stalls where food was being sold and the merchant would have disappeared mysteriously by the time I approached. I heard something clang against my armour so I turned around to see a mare ready to throw another spear at me. I sighed and turned away, a second and third clang hitting the back of my helmet as I walked off to the edge of the cavern, where I came in from.

"Leaving already?" Anahera's voice poked out from the shadows. "You're hardly prepared for the path ahead."

"It's harder when the merchants are lobbin' spears at ya." My eyes stared down the tunnel. "Figured if I just buggered off I'd save 'em the trouble."

"You know if you removed your helmet they'd see your markings and know you're an ally."

"And give 'em a clear shot? Fuck that noise." I jumped up into the crevice, now made easier by my ass hole.

Anahera sighed. "Lucky for you I have your gear." Oh, shit, forgot about that. I heard her jump into the crevice behind me as I made my way through, popping out on the other side with the looming feeling that I wasted too much time in the village. I flicked through my radio channels - most of which were static - before settling on Enclave Two-Way, which had neither static nor noise. With the familiar weight of my bags now with me and Bolt slung around my neck, I made my way off down the tunnel in the direction I had before getting sidetracked. Between the clangs of my armoured hoofsteps I could hear a faint scuttling behind the walls, disappearing temporarily before coming back slightly louder.

"Stop." Anahera said with a hushed tone. "Hellhounds are following us."

"Hellwhats?" I responded loudly, turning around before getting scolded for my loudness.

"Creatures mutated after the war. They are exceptional tunnellers with keen hearing, a hide that is impervious to many attacks and claws that could shred your armour like it was a snack cake." I scoffed.

"Get real. If shit like that existed, you zebras would either be dead, or have enough trophies that I'd be dead. I bet next you'll tell me the Enclave controls them or some shit."

"Lower your voice!" She whisper-shouted at me. "Hellhounds attack indiscriminately, violently, and in packs. We survive by not venturing near their territory, but your path goes straight through the middle."

"Fuck 'em! Half the shit I've dealt with on caravan escorts would probably make these things look like foals."

"May the stars be merciful on you, Touched One." Anahera muttered, defeated by my astounding argument with her head bowed low.

"Quit callin' me that. M' name's Hawk, ma--"

The ground beneath me cracked and there was a sharp pain on my underside that knocked the wind out of me. My hooves lifted off the ground as I was tossed to the roof of the tunnel before being slammed back down. I scrambled to my hooves but was stopped by a firm grip on my hind leg, pulling me back down and into a hole. Slowly I was dragged backwards until Anahera grabbed me by the hoof, staring at the visor of my helmet. "Good luck." was all she said when she let go, leaving me to be sucked away like water down a plug hole screaming "Bitch!"

.*.    .*.    .*.     *     .*.    .*.    .*.

I was backed into a corner, surrounded by 4 hulking creatures with a hungering malice plastered across their face.

"Me love can food." Said one as he licked his lips

"Pony tastier than zebra. Tenderer." Another said as he grabbed me by the throat and held me up against the wall, crushing my armour slightly under his grip. The hellhound opened up it's mouth and have my about a test bite, denting the plating easily.

"No play wit food." A voice came from behind my captors. "Me get first dibs." I was dropped, gasping for air, only to be picked up again by one who was easily one and a half times larger than the rest. Definitely in charge, yep. It's teeth were as long as my hooves and had breath worse than the smell at the raider camps I stopped at in Equestria. Combined. It spun me around while sniffing all over and all I could do was try not to throw up and flail around.

"Pony is bird pony. No meat, only bone." The beast tossed me away like a discarded toy and I landed on my wing, sending a surge of pain through my body that reminded me of every injury that happened in the past day or two from my face down my back to my belly. As I got to my hooves the original four were back, ready to strike for a meal. I had to think quick, so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Four of ya after me? Who gets the best bit?" I emphasised it with a wiggle of my flank. Okay, offering myself to them probably isn't the greatest plan, but it's one nonetheless. They looked between each other, back to me, back at each other, then back to me, each with a wide grin.

"Me!" They all shouted in unison as they pounced. I didn't stick around for too long and jumped forwards through a gap between two of them before they all collided heads. Now they were pissed, and I was running my heart out. Straight out the tunnel lead to a five-way fork in the path. Shit. Picking one at random out of panic I sprinted, the sound of raging hellhounds disappearing in the distance, but that daunting sound of digging drawing nearer.

T-bone bend, go right. a little voice in my mind said, and I obeyed.

Behind me my pursuers were bursting out of the walls and floor, narrowly missing both me and each other.

Four way fork - middle left.

I couldn't tell if it was my imagination or some higher power telling me these things, but I had no better options and hesitating ended in being turned into canned dog food.

Left - prepare to jump.

I ran left and prepared to... Wait, jump!? My confusion distracted me as I sprinted straight off the edge of a broken bridge, barely managing to grasp on to the other side. One of the hellhounds followed me off the edge, skimmed me with a claw and disappeared into the depths below. I didn't hear it land so it must have survived somehow. Using my wings I lifted myself up to the platform and took a quick breather. I couldn't hear the burrowing any more so I was safe for the moment as I moved on, as carefully and as silently as I could manage.

My pathway lead me to a closed metal door. That was fixed with the push of a button as the door unlocked and slid away into the walls like the badly oiled centuries old machine it is. I closed it behind me for a sense of safety, as useless as it probably was. Inside the building was a bunch of pre-war posters, showing off some Ministry of Wartime Technologies in particular, as well as a couple for a Ministry of Awesome. Okay, that was stupid, what does a ministry of 'awesome' even do? I had to admit though, it did look pretty awesome showing off those pegasi like that. I'd have to ask Brick about it one day.

Wandering around the place I found a heap of Spritebots floating around and paying me no mind, as well as one or two roboponies that would take a moment to scan me before rolling away to do whatever it is they do.

Ain't it beautiful? All this pre-war tech just sittin' around waitin' to be used. Better yet it seems to recognise us as it's masters and lets us pass by.

The voice came back, and I still had no idea where it was coming from. My pendant perhaps? Nah, it wasn't doing anything aside from sitting pretty.

You should collect a sample. Take a Spritebot and call it Pon-E or something. Might come in handy.

Well the voice hasn't lied to me yet, no reason not to do what it says. Besides, it saved me before. I found a red-striped Spritebot lying deactivated on a bench in one of the rooms. Could this be what the voice meant? I picked it up and turned it over, some scratched out letters on the back drawing my attention. "###-E". Someone had the courtesy to confuse me greatly by leaving that last bit, bastard. I located the power button on the bot - curiously placed on the top - and pushed it in, the wings kicking to life as soon as I did. The bot flew around haphazardly for a moment until it found it's balance, at which point it turned to me and buzzed happily.

"Uh, g'day?" It felt weird talking to a robot, and I only hoped it could communicate somehow. All I got in return was a buzz.

"Er, well, I guess I turned you on, huh." It buzzed in a way that made it sound like it said "Mhm."

"Well, I guess I'll call you Pon-E then." It shook it's head... body... thing from side to side. "Um, how's about BLU-E?" A nodding motion with a buzz. BLU-E it is then!

"I'm Hawk Eye, but you can just buzz at me." An angry buzz. "Sorry, sorry, uh, d'you know how to get out of here?" Bluey nodded and flitted away through a door, waiting on the other side for me to follow. It led me up some rickety old stairs and past a deactivated turret. Well, I thought it was deactivated until it pointed at me and charged up to fire before Bluey shocked it for long enough that I could get out of it's sights.

"Thanks mate." I guess Bluey was one of them so only I had to deal with the troubles of being shot at. "Hey, what is this place?" Bluey turned to me and started buzzing. I couldn't decipher anything it tried to say, and it seemed to pick up on this as it switched to a recorded voice.

"This station is set up to monitor a good portion of Ausneighlia for the duration of the war. They're not really a threat, but they're just as much an ally. Can't be too careful." A stallion's voice came through the Spritebot.

"And what do the locals think about this, Wrench?" an older mare's voice now. Not old old, but past her prime old, enough to say that she was in charge.

"They don't have to, Ms Dash, in fact they never will unless somepony decides to go spelunking. We've kept this as under the radar as equinely possible. Only you, MWT superiors and our workers know. The workers which aren't to leave until it can watch over everything, I might add."

"Awesome." The recording ended with the mare's cool word and all I felt was pity, pity that they were so paranoid back then that they had to monitor everything possible.

Bluey had moved on to another room so I trotted after it to be greeted with a door marked "EXIT". Happily I slammed my hoof down on the button to open the door and greeted the fresh air with open arms, but then the doors actually opened and I was blinded by the bright light hitting my eyes which were still enhanced by the night vision. By the time the armour turned it off it was too late, my eyes were shut and watering with nothing I could do to wipe it away. Slowly I adjusted my eyes to the sudden change in brightness before daring to walk outside.

"Well you certainly took your time, princess." A faintly familiar voice spoke to me, making me acknowledge my surroundings.

Enclave.

Gum Leaves.

"Oh blow it out your tail hole." I responded. I had actually forgotten about him until now thanks to my encounter with the zebra distracting me.

"Come now, that's no way to talk to the guy who just saved your life, Hawk."

"You made it hell, how'd you save it?"

"You thought those little directions were you?" He guffawed. "Listen babe, as soon as you tuned on to our two way channel we had your position down to the millimetre. That hellhound attack was unexpected, but lucky for you we've had those tunnels mapped out for years with no real purpose, and so I directed you to our little camp with the help of your Spritebot buddy. You're just so damned trusting, filly."

"I have a policy that everyone's a mate until they try to kill me. Worked for me so far."

"And that'll get you killed in the end. Now, hop in the Vertibuck and we'll head to my office where the real business can take place." He gestured to the vehicle hovering just off the edge of the cliff so I flew in to it and sat down, removing my helmet. Gum sat opposite me and when he finally looked at me after giving some orders he was disgusted.

"The fuck happened to you!? Didn't think hellhounds were the artsy kind."

"Not hellhounds, zebras. I'm part of their tribe or something." He ran a hoof along the still tender scars, reminding me of just exactly where they were.

"Fuckin' savages, ruining a perfect fuckin' face like that." What? "I'll have my troops slaughter every last one of those fucks! Gotta get it approved but I reckon if the officials see how you've been fucked over they'd say yes the the blink of an eye." I tried to protest against his plan but he was already distracted by shouting through his communications to organise an urgent meeting with the government officials.

"Hey Gum." He waved a dismissive hoof. "Oi, listen to me." He tried to hush me this time. "Look, fuck the zebra issue, I just wanna know if my mum's okay!" He paused, looked at me, excused himself from the comms and put it away.

"About that, Hawk." I swear I could hit this guy. "See, she didn't take too kindly to being held prisoner - she's a real fighter, I'll give her that - and we had no choice but to brand her as a Dashite." I lunged forwards at him and pushed him against the back of the seat. "Wait! Hear me out! It wasn't a public branding, we did it all hush hush, but it was as a punishment for her trying to escape. I didn't want it to happen, but higher ups demanded it. I'm so sorry for that."

"She's otherwise fine, right?" I twisted my hoof around against his chest, settling with the edge at his throat.

"Of course! Of course! I personally made sure she had the best food we could offer, even I was jealous of what she was eating. The cell's a bit less desirable, but it's a prison after all."

"If I find you've lied..." I ran my hoof along his throat before backing off and sitting back down. "Until then you're a mate. Don't push it."

"I getcha, Hawk, you're worried for her. Your stallion didn't get the same privileges but he could be worse off, at least he hasn't been branded." Oh yeah, Pyre was captured too. Whoops. "First thing though, we need to patch up those cuts on your side. Hellhound wounds can get nasty infected." I remembered that my armour was shredded around the midsection and scolded myself for being so objective-oriented that I could only focus on one thing at a time. That's gonna be a double-edged sword.

The Vertibuck made it's landing and I looked outside. We were sitting atop a mountain that had been flattened off to make for a landing pad well above the cloud line. A bunch of pegasi were bringing in clouds from the north to patch up small holes in the flooring, and I realised how big of a job that must have been. The city was walled off between the mountains on the south side, and looking over from the Vertibuck platform I could barely make out the dark blotch that was my old home. The cloud cover stretched all the way north and was tethered somehow to the mountains so it wouldn't drift south with the breeze. Ponies that weren't military personnel were happily chatting and going on with their lives, ignorant of anything below them. It was peaceful, the kind of place you could raise a family as they did before the war.

"You ain't never been this high, have you Hawk?" I shook my head. "It's pretty amazing, considering the shit that happens on the surface. We get our clouds from above Equestria - they seem to have no shortage of them - and mountains stop us from floating south allowing us to keep a generally low profile in Ausneighlia."

We left the vehicle and he lead me through the cloud streets, merchants and customers alike saluting us as we passed. It was strange, having all this unconditional respect from these ponies that barely know anything about the surface or myself, but Gum Leaves seemed to revel in it. The stores we passed were numerous and large, I could barely understand half of what they sold. The concepts behind "Wing Lee" and "Big H" baffled me, and there wasn't a gun or ammo store in sight!

Our trail lead us into an area protected by two stallions with wide-brimmed hats that were folded up on one side - who also saluted us as we trotted past - and into a large building that looked important just by the lack of ponies wandering aimlessly about. Everypony around had a purpose - somewhere to go - and did so with great haste, often while shuffling papers around with their wings. Inside the building was magnificent, ornate pillars decorating the outsides of the circular atrium that spanned multiple levels until it reaches the dome cap at the top. As if drawn by an external force I ran to the railing surrounding the cylindrical space and looked down to see the peak of a mountain sitting just below the floor of the building.

"In here, Hawk. Take a seat by the desk." Gum Leaves was standing in a doorway to my right so I tore myself away from the view and entered the office, taking in the awards that decorated the walls around his desk. He sat on a very comfy looking chair, one you could fall asleep on easily, and I merely had a hardened cloud stool with barely enough room for my rump, let alone my armour-plated one.

"Ms Dust, can you bring in some bandages, a healing potion and a bottle of whiskey? Thanks." He said into an intercom before directing his attention at me. He opened his mouth to speak when a mare walked in carrying the items he asked for.

"Please take off your armour, miss." Dust’s voice was soft and smooth, and I did as she asked. She placed my partially ruined armour by the wall before liberally dousing my wounds with the whiskey causing them to sting almost as bad as when they were inflicted. She then got me to drink the potion as she applied the bandages, leaving the half-empty whiskey bottle on the desk before taking my armour away. All patched up and trying to get over the reignited pain, I sat back down.

"Now, let's get down to business."

Level up!

New perk added: Narrow Minded

You take 1.5x more limb damage, but 75% of it is ignored until combat has ended.