Fallout: Equestria - Lost Souls

Chapters

Prologue
Leaving the Stable
Decisions
Saddlespur
Road Side Trouble
In The Dark
Paranoia

Prologue

“Mrs. Flower! Mrs. Flower! Hey Teacher, Heyyyyyy!” The young sand colored green eyed colt bounced restlessly in his seat with his right hoof waving in the air and his wings twitching with impatience and exaggerated urgency. All of the other colts and fillies giggled at the display of obnoxious behavior. The teacher of course, did her best to ignore his rambling, logging grades into her computer as her tail twitched in agitation. Once she was convinced he wasn't going to give up she took a deep breath and turned her computer screen off so she could better hear him.

“Yes Sane?” Her impatience was apparent in her voice, despite her best efforts to disguise it.

“Can I go to the little Colt's room?” He asked, keeping his hoof raised in the air as if she could not see him even though he sat in the second row.

Mrs Flowers sighed and began to rub her temples, attempting to fight off the oncoming migraine. “Sane dear, you know you do not have to ask to go to the bathroom.”

“I was just trying to be polite,” He replied with his best smile. “Soooo... Can I?”

“I don't know, can you?”

“Oops, I mean may I?”

“Don't take too long.”

“I won't, thank you Mrs. Flower.” With this he took his leave, making sure to avoid slamming the door of his classroom. The school was large, and the bathrooms inconveniently placed so he had to turn a few corners to get there. As soon as he finished he trotted over to wash his hooves. When he turned the water off, that's when he heard it. A horn of some kind, maybe an instrument? No, that can't be right. He was nowhere near the band room. Then the bathroom seemed to shake not a second after the first explosion.

Screaming of all the students filled the hall and added to the mix as the second explosion shook the foundation. “An earthquake?” Sane mumbled to himself, desperately trying to debunk the source of the shaking and sound. Another convinced him to trot out of the bathroom only to find chaos had filled the halls. Teachers tried desperately to calm their students in vain.

Something else caught Sane's attention further down the hall; their was no hall. If the situation were not bad enough the fire alarm went off and the sprinklers cut on, making the floor slippery and causing some ponies to trip and fall as they ran toward the exit. For a moment Sane considered making the run for himself, but the sight of a couple of fillies being trampled changed his mind. Doing the only thing he could think to do he he ran back into the bathroom and locked himself in a stall, sitting against the door and covering his ears with his hooves to block out the awful sound and pray this was all just a dream.

The next explosion proved otherwise. The wall at the opposite end of the bathroom exploded into small scraps of shrapnel that flew into the stall door. The last thing he heard was the sound of his own screaming and one last explosion louder than the rest.

That was the last thing he remembered before waking up in a small steel room on what he assumed was a hospital bed. He was hooked to a few machines that made various whirring and beeping noises. There were no windows and only a single door. Not a minute later an orange mare he did not recognize entered the room.

“W-where am I? Am I in a hospital?” Sane inquired with a hint of anxiety.

“Welcome to Stable 42, You're very lucky. We didn't think you were going to wake up!” The mare exclaimed excitedly.

“Wake up? Why wouldn't I wake up?” Sane mumbled groggily

“Well, a year ago we found you in the rubble of a school, barely alive. Our Stable scouts set out after the first attack and they came back with you. After that first day we stayed inside the Stable to wait out the war that was to inevitably escalate to disaster.” She explained as best she could to a thirteen year old.

“War? What war?” Sane asked dumbfounded.

“Exactly, the empire had withheld the news of the war to keep ponies calm. Most of us had a good idea of what was going on. Even for the empire it is difficult to hide all those troops and weaponry. Suspecting the inevitable we decided to begin inhabiting these Stables that are scattered across Equestria.”

“What exactly is a Stable?” Sane inquired.

“Of course, I'm sorry it has been a little over a year now so I assume everypony knows what the Stables are. They are underground bunkers, built almost ten years ago in case of an emergency. There is one near every major city, a few near towns and the occasional Stable throughout the Wasteland.” She explained.

“W-w-what? A year? I've been asleep for a year? And what is the Wasteland?”

“Eh... I'd say coma is a better word. The Wasteland is the ruins of what used to be Equestria. I can't tell you much more though. I have never been outside the Stable but I have heard other ponies are raising Post Apocalyptic Towns. Better known as PATs.”

“Post?”

The mare put her face in her hooves before replying. “It means after.”

“So... if I understand this right, everything is gone?” He asked as reality hit and tears began to well up in his eyes. “Dad? Mrs. Flower? My friends? My home?”

The mare suddenly took on a solemn look as she trotted over, sat next too and pulled him into a hug to comfort the colt. “I-I'm afraid so.” She didn't want to give him false hope and tell him that other ponies had survived the war. Even though it broke her heart to break this kind of news to a young colt who didn't even know where he was at, what had happened,or anything. She let him weep in her arms for what seemed like forever before he looked up at her, his green eyes filled with confusion and fright.

She was left with nothing to say besides... “I'm sorry, but you don't need to worry anymore. You're safe here.” Then her eyes lit up. “We have quite a few fillies and colts your age you can talk to here. They're sure to love you!”

Now that thought would have cheered him up if he hadn't just learned he had lost everything when it seemed like only two days ago he had everything. He was a strong colt though, he even remembered his father had disdained calling him a colt and referred to him as a young stallion. That always made him smile, even the memory of it turned the corners of his mouth up.

It hurt, hurt a lot but his father would not have wanted him to cry. He'd tell him to suck it up and act like a Stallion. So he did just that, though depression began to sink in and he always found time to cry, let out all of his emotions in the safety of his stable room.

The stable was bigger than Sane had imagined. It was the size of a small town that had classrooms, quite a few bedrooms, a cafeteria and even a room that young pegasi like himself could learn and practice flying.

After Sane was comfortable with his place in the stable he became restless, getting into all sorts of trouble within the stable. He never really clicked with any of the other foals his age. To be fair there were not to many to begin with. The orange mares definition of quite a few was narrowed down to nineteen all together. Most of them were not the nicest ever and they were not to keen on a new colt. In the year they had been contained in the Stable they had developed a close knit circle they were not prepared to break. All accept one.

A young filly unicorn named Milky Way was not included in this circle for reasons unknown. The bad timing of a public joke that never ended? A bad first impression she never recovered from? A disagreement that evolved into cruelty? Maybe a mixture of it all... She did not know why but had adapted to their taunting and games by isolating herself from them and in turn, everypony else.

One thing for sure, it had nothing to do with her looks. A beautiful young filly with a dark blue coat, multi toned unkempt blue, white, and purple mane and tail and a distinctive white tip on the end of her Blue horn. Hardly a birth deficiency, was a patch of white fur over her right eye to finish her unique appearance which had earned her the name Milky Way.

On more than one occasion Sane had caught the other fillies and colts taunting her while the adults were absent. Usually he did not concern himself with such trivial matters but he hadn't seen them put their hooves on her before either. Then one day, he saw just that.

He didn't quite see what had initiated the conflict but he saw the small crowd in a half circle around two fillies, trapping them against the wall. The aggressor was a smug looking Pegasus who seemed to be enjoying the others discomfort. The other was Milky, who was up against the wall looking quite frightened. What really set Sane off was the blood that covered the left side of her muzzle. To everypony's surprise the tan Pegasus had flown into the space between the two, he landed with his wings out-splayed, crouched low and facing the other Pegasus. Most of the others shied away, including the filly but one colt hadn't taken to kindly to his interference and quickly took her place. The colt was an earthpony, a little bigger than he was and Sane was not about to let him have the first strike.

He lunged at him and caught the colt on the side of the muzzle with his right hoof. The colt stumbled back a couple of steps and shook his head, almost in dis-belief that he had just been hit. The colt growled and threw himself at Sane who was bowled over due to his size disadvantage. The two were caught in a feral struggle, rolling again and again and striking one another until the Earthpony established a stable position on top of Sane. The advantage was short-lived as one of Sane's hooves caught him in just the right place. The colt crashed to his side, tried to stand and fell again, dazed from the blow to the head. His second attempt was successful as he staggered away with his friends surrounding him protectively, staring back at Sane with caution and anger.

Sane rolled over but did not stand. He was trying to catch his breath and unfurled his wings at his sides to help cool himself. He felt a gentle nudge to his left wing and turned to investigate. He'd almost forgotten Milky was there at all. She looked, concerned, sad really. “T-t-thank you.” She murmured.

“Your welcome.” He tried his best to manage a smile over the blood that covered his muzzle and the pain that radiated through most of his body. “Lets get out of here before any of the adults or security get here, and... find someplace to fix your muzzle.” He replied. He did not want to leave her just yet in case the others were just waiting for him to leave.

She was a little surprised he had mentioned her muzzle when his was quite worse, not to mention another cut on the side of his head and his disheveled wings. “My room is not far from here.” She told him.

Sane relaxed only when they were in the safety of her room. He found like many of the other foals, she inhabited the room alone, without family which seemed to be the norm in this stable. “Do you have a first-aid kit?” He asked.

“Sit down.” She told him, her voice much more pronounced in the comfort of her own atmosphere. She pulled a small white case out from a drawer by her bed and retrieved a bottle of rubbing alcohol from another room.

“Sit?” Sane parroted.

“Yes, I'm going to fix you up.” She replied approaching him with the box and bottle levitated just beside her.

“But your muzzle.” Sane started.

“Is fine for now. Please... its the least I could do.” Her purple eyes softened with legitimate concern. He was far worse off than she and yet he was more concerned with her.

Sane complied, sitting still as Milky worked. She concentrated on her magic as it opened the box, retrieved some gauze and dampened it with the alcohol. “This might sting.” She told him as she started to dab at the cut on his head and used another dry gauze to wipe away as much of the blood as she could.

Sane did his best not to pull away but it really did hurt and eventually flinched back with a hiss that had the unwanted effect of startling Milky. “I'm sorry, it just-”

“Hurts I know.” She smiled warmly at him. “If you could hold still for just another minute I'll be done. All I really need to do now is bandage it.”

“Um... alright.” He was not so comfortable with being so close to anypony but she was helping, so that couldn't be bad... right?

As she worked she decided to make small talk. “Sane right?”

“Yeah, and your name is Milky.” He replied, happy that he had paid some kind of attention in class.

“Well that is not how introductions usually work.” She giggled. “All done.” She sat up on her haunches and examined his muzzle and head, admiring her work.

“Your turn.” He replied, taking one of the gauze's and wetting it with the alcohol.

“Oh... okay.” She'd forgotten she was even hurt. Milky sat down and waited patiently.

Sane raises his forlegs and paused, giving Milky a questioning look who needed her head in approval enticing Sane to continue. With his left hoof he gently held her muzzle in place and used the other to clean the blood from her fur.

She was surprised at how gentle he was and was disappointed when he finished cleaning her muzzle.

“It wasn't as bad as I thought.” He stated happily. “Why are they always messing with you?” He had tried to figure it out himself but couldn't. She seemed normal to him.

“I, I honestly don't know.” Milky frowned.

“I think they are just jealous.” Sane smiled.

“Jealous? Of what?” She cocked her head to one side at the odd observation.

“Well...” He hadn't expected the follow up question. He had the answer but... He shied away and blushed. “Your so unique, in a good way of course. Your, if you don't mind me saying, quite beautiful.” He told her.

“Oh...” Milky blushed. That was the first time she had been called beautiful by anypony but her mother. “T-thank you.” She replied.

“Well... I need to get going.” Sane coughed and shook his head to clear his mind. “I really appreciate the help.” He motioned to his muzzle.

“No thank you. That wouldn't have happened if you wouldn't have saved me.” Milky replied quickly.

Sane couldn't help but feel a bit of pried in her words as he turned away. “Any time.”

“Uh, Sane.” She called to him just before he got to the door.

“Yeah?” He stopped.

“Um... if you want, maybe you could sit with me at dinner tonight?” It had been a while since one of the foals her age had been nice to her. She did not want to lose that so soon.

Sane normally sat alone at dinner. He went to the mess hall at the end of their opening time to assure there wouldn't be to many ponies around. However he never had anypony ask to eat with him either. “Sure. What time do you normally go?”

“Around six?” She perked up at his acceptance.

“Six it is. I'll come back by so we can meet up here.” He told her before leaving.

That was not the last time the two spent time together either. They became really good friends with one another but that did not stop Sane's havoc on the Stable over the years but it did minimize it.

As punishment he became one of the Stable's maintenance ponies. After being taught the necessary skills for electrical and mechanical repair he spent a majority of his time fixing door knobs and panels as well as the occasional computer. When he wasn't fixing anything he was cleaning.

One day when he was conducting his rounds he noticed the door. The door nopony was supposed to enter and had a AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY sign to reinforce the rule. No explanation was ever given why but nopony cared either. Sane however, was overcome with mischief and curiosity He checked the door and of course it was locked. However his experience with panels, doors, and locks made it to easy for him to open the door after popping off the security panel that asked for a pass-code.

Within a minute of tinkering with it the door slid open with a hiss of decompressing air. He did not make it ten hooves in before three guards armed to the teeth turned the corner, took him down and cuffed him. Sane was scared to death by the ordeal. He'd tried to explain that he was just fooling around but the guards acted as if he wasn't even talking. He tried to see their faces but they were all shrouded by a black visor.

Within the minute he was sitting outside of the Admin's office with one of the guards accompanying him. He fiddled with his tail anxiously waiting. Where they going to give him an ass chewing? That was the norm and he was not worried about it. Detain him? This one made him nervous. Or even make him leave the Stable? The thought itself was enough to fill his heart with dread. At this point waiting seemed like part of the punishment but after a while the door opened for the Admin herself, Mrs. Nevad and chief of stable security officer Firepinn. Mrs Nevad waived the guard away before sitting next to Sane who avoided eye contact and continued to play with his tail.

“Relax dear, your safe.” Mrs. Nevad cooed as she placed her arm around him.

Sane gave her a suspicious and nervous look for just a second before looking back at his tail.

“However what you did was unacceptable, even for you. As you can see you never know what is behind a locked door.” She sighed. “So me and Firepinn have come up with a job we think will suit you.”

“Whats that?” He asked blandly.

“Well you see Sane, Firepinn came up with a great idea. How would you like to become a Stable guard?”

“Huh? I mean... of course but... That does not sound like a punishment.” More suspicion clouded his mind.

“Its not supposed to be. Its an alternative to your continuous shenanigans, it will give you something to do.” She smiled.

So Sane ended up training with Firepinn's team for a few years in-between his regular classes. They did not think Sane would take to the roll of a guard so well and initially had no intentions of making him an official Stable guard. However his patience and eagerness to learn earned him the position, a weapon a badge and even his cutie mark which revealed itself as cross hairs Without a doubt that was the best day of his life.

The next day proved to be quite the opposite. Sane found out that Milky was going out with a team to map a new supply route. She was not nearly as excited about it as he was. “Wow Milky, That's amazing.” Sane exclaimed.

“Yeah... I guess.” She replied sadly. “Sane I-”

“Whats wrong Milk? Are you nervous? Don't worry, these guys are professionals.” Sane playfully punched her in the shoulder.

That's what I am worried about. She sighed. “Sane, whatever happens... Just keep your head up okay?” Her heart ached, she wanted desperately to tell him the truth. She stepped into him and nuzzled his neck affectionately before plating a light kiss on his cheek. She did not give him a chance to answer before trotting to the Stable door.

Sane was guided out of the room dumbfounded and blushing. Did she just? Why is she so worried? She's just nervous. He convinced himself of the fact. Nopony had ever died leaving the stable on trips like these before. Plus he had to ask her about the kiss when she got back.

However the team came back a few hours ahead of schedule and without warning. There was a big fuss at the door when they arrived... Covered in blood. Sane was at the door in the flash when he heard. He saw everypony on the team except one... Milky Way was not with him.

The team explained that they had been ambushed by a wasteland gang in the nearby ruins of a small town, that Milky was the first to get hit and was to injured to escape with the team. Luckily nopony else was injured. They reported killing three of the gang members before escaping to safety and making they're way back to the Stable.

The news nearly traumatized Sane. Mrs. Nevad and Firepinn consoled him, telling him to take a few days for himself before starting his duties as a security Stable guard. He took them graciously. Some of the other ponies were upset by the death but they did not know Milky like Sane did. Over the years they had opened up to each other, been there for each other. None of the other fillies and colts ever messed with Milky while Sane was around and Milky gave Sane somepony to console in emotionally.

Without her he naturally reverted to his old ways of isolation. He'd lost ponies close to him before, he could deal with it again. His job as Stable security was enough to distract him though the work was tedious and boring. He spent most of his time breaking up stupid arguments and stopping fillies and colts from pulling the same stupid stunts he did a few years back... Until one day.

Sane jumped as the floor beneath him shook in sync with a loud explosion. “What the?” Another explosion shook the Stable and an alarm sounded throughout its walls. The ponies around him started to panic at the sound. A sound that they had never heard but knew all to well. The Stable's first line of defense had been breached and somepony was knocking on the Stable door.

They had had small attacks before, raiders and gangs but nothing so serious as to set off the alarm. Sane's initial thought was to run and hide until he remembered the badge on his chest and the pistol at his side.

It took all of a minute for him to reach the entrance of the Stable. Two other guards with rifles took cover behind the control panel aiming their weapons at the door. Sane could not see why considering the density of the Gate.

Another explosion sounded accompanied by muffled gunshots and screaming from the other side of the door convinced Sane to take cover, just around the corner. It had only been a minute before Sane's anxiety kicked in. His legs were stiff and his heart was racing. He fought to control his breathing and chambered a round in his pistol. He peeked around the corner just in time to see and hear the door hiss to life. “But... How did they get it open?”

That was the last thought he had before the intruders made their way through the Stable door and filled the air with bullets. He couldn't even bring himself to leave cover a fraction of a second to get a shot off and instead, found himself staring at the pair of guards shooting frantically at the oncoming assault. The intruders all wore the same power armor and carried fully automatic weaponry as they dove for cover in various locations. During the fight one of the two guards was hit, announcing the fact with a shout before collapsing to the floor in pain. The other pony beside him panicked and Sane heard his voice over the radio.

“We Need Backup damnit, now! Quarantine the area, we don't have much time. Stable gate has been compromised. Code Red. I say again Stable gate has been compromised.” That's when the other guard noticed Sane just around the corner. “Cover me.” The pony did not wait for an answer before taking the hurt guard in his hooves dragging him in an attempt to reach safety. Sane took a deep breath before leaning out of cover and began to pop shots off at the intruders while the other guard drug the casualty to safety After what seemed like an eternity they made it around the bend while Sane fired warning shots to try and detour the enemy while the guard tried desperately to stop his bleeding. At last he decided he couldn't help in any way except to end his misery. The injured pony's wails became weaker and weaker as he lost to much blood. The guard took hold of his hoof firmly, to remind him he was there, pulled his pistol and aimed it at his head. “I'm sorry.”

Sane jumped when he heard the gunshot behind him and turned to investigate. “B-but I thought, why did you-” Sane stammered.

“There is no time for that, get to the admins office now. Tell her to set the clock.” The guard replied before taking cover behind the wall in wait for the invading force to funnel through the hall.

“Set the clock?”

“Just Do It!” The guard yelled.

Sane turned tail and ran as fast as he could. A moment later he heard gunshots from the fight reengaged but dared not to look back. He passed by more of the stables guards along the way, rushing to stop the invasion of their home. A few more hallways, a bay, and a staircase later he found the Admin's office. Five of Stable 42's guards in front of the door drew their weapons on Sane before they recognized him.

Sane was about out of breath as he fell to one knee. “I-I-I have to s-speak to the Admin.”

“No one enters this room until the threat has been neutralized.” One of them replied blandly.

“Y-you don't understand, I don't understand. One of the other guards s-sent me. They told me to tell her to set the clock.” Sane was hoping they knew what it meant instead of thinking he was insane.

Four of the guards had a puzzled look across their muzzles while the last looked horrified as soon as the word's had left Sane's muzzle. “Hurry.” He told him before stepping out of Sane's way.

Sane dashed past the team of guards and through the door where Mrs. Nevad and Officer Firepinn stood staring at the cameras and giving orders over the radio.

“Mam, mam I need-” Sane started.

Both of the ponies jumped and turned round. Officer Firepinn had almost shot him.

“What are you doing here Sane?” The Admin sounded angrier than anything else.

“Set the clock.” Sane told her. “O-one of the guards... T-told me to tell you to s-set the clock.”

All at once her demeanor changed. “No... It can't be that bad.” She murmured.

FirePinn's reaction was about the same.

“Someone please... tell me the hell is going on!” Sane demanded. “Why are they here? What do they want? Those ponies are not average raiders.”

“They're Enclave, but get out of here. Its better if you don't know any more.” Firepinn replied.

Sane was about to object when he heard the sound of bullets on the steel door and the guard's on the other side of the door returning fire.

“There isn't enough time.” The Admin announced before making her way over to her computer.

“Sir what is she doing?” Sane was no longer facing the two ponies but instead was focused on the door and what lay in wait outside. Besides the distant shots of various fire fights echoing from different areas of the Stable all was quiet. He could hear the Admin's frantic typing, Firepinn charge his pistol and the sound of his own heart beat. A couple of seconds later he heard a rapid beeping. The beeping was the only warning they got as the door flew from its frame inward from an explosion. The steel door clipped Sane's head and he was knocked off his hooves unconscious.

The first thing Sane's mind registered was the sound of crackling electricity in the distance. A moan of sheer misery escaped his muzzle as his eyes opened slowly. The room was dark save the blue light emitted from the emergency lighting system he was staring up at. His head was screaming in agony. He brought a hoof up to it and found it moist. Upon examining his hoof it was stained with blood, his blood. His mind had not yet caught up with the current events until he tried to stand up. He stumbled but caught himself on the wall. The scene that greeted him looked like something out of his worst nightmares. Mrs. Nevad and Firepinn lay dead, covered in blood. One of the Enclave soldiers joined them on the floor, face down in more blood.

The lite green glow of the monitor from The Admin's computer was fading in and out of static. Walking was quite the task yet he managed to hobble over to the screen. There was a screen full of letters in no particular order until the very last line that read. “Initiate Self Destruct Protocol?” Sane read to himself. “She tried to blow up the stable? But why?” Thinking hurt to much at the moment. He had to focus on the one thing that was important at the moment. Getting out of here. By this time most of his motor skills had returned as he retrieved a nearby discarded pistol and checked it for ammo. Loaded.

He could just see out of the room through the door-less doorway. More blood, bodies and bullet cartridges. He felt sick, like he was losing his sanity at this moment. This couldn't be real. He'd wake up soon in his bed. But he didn't and he stumbled over the bodies and through the blood. Tears escaped his eyes but he did his best to maintain focus, wholly aware of the fact he may not be the only one alive. However the only noises he heard were the sound of his hoof steps, heavy breathing, and the static from a live wire out of a busted light.

However as he got closer to the main entrance of the stable another noise registered in his mind... a faint tapping echoed from around the corner... like... typing. Sane crept to the end of the hall and peeked around the corner. Yes, somepony was at the control panel typing. A gray unicorn in the Enclave armor. With one last breath he stepped around the corner and trained the gun on the mare. “Don't fucking move.”

The typing stopped as the mare turned quickly with her weapon raised.

When he saw the mare's face he nearly dropped his gun. “M-m-milky? What- I thought.”

Milky was just as surprised to see Sane. “Your alive.” She whispered. Even through the blood that matted his face and muzzle she recognized him. She had thought for sure he would have died in the fighting. Everypony else in the Stable had.

A wave of emotions washed over Sane, happy to see her, betrayal, anger, sadness... He did not know which to display. “How could you?”

“S-Sane please... Just listen.”

“Listen to what? I think this speaks for itself.” Anger was winning the mental tug-o-war in his mind.

Milky dropped her weapon, she had no intentions of using it. Tears flooded her eyes in an instant. “Sane you don't understand!” She blurted.

Sane marched over just out of hooves reach and raised the pistol eye level. “I understand the Stable is destroyed, I understand Mrs. Nevad and Firepinn are dead. I understand everypony else is dead to with your help.” He fought to control the tears in his own eyes and the pistol steady.

“Sane Please!” She shouted pleadingly, trying to back up but her back was already to the control panel. “Just please hear me out.”

Sane grew quiet but his anger did not sub-side. However his other blend of emotions were keeping him from pulling the trigger.

Milky took this opportunity to continue. “Just listen, please, and after you can do whatever you want.” She wiped her eyes with one forleg and took a deep breath. “D-do you remember that door Sane? The one you broke into? The one you told me about that got you the security job?” She asked hopefully. When he didn't answer she continued. “The day before you got your job after all the training I overheard Nevad talking with FirePinn, about you and the door. How they were glad you didn't see what was inside. They said they would have had to kill you if you had and that is why they offered you the security job. So you'd be to distracted to go meddling around again.” She knew the story sounded ridiculous but she could only hope he would believe her.

“That's bullshit.” Sane replied quietly. “What could be in that room that was so secret they would kill to keep it quiet?”

Milky let out a desperate little whimper before continuing. “That's the reason we were here Sane. Why the Stable was attacked. When I was eavesdropping on their conversation I knew I should have left, but I was curious and afraid for you when they started talking about killing you over it. When they were about to leave the office I hid around the corner and slipped through the door before it could lock behind them. I used a noise cancellation spell so they wouldn't hear me running. She'd left her computer on so I went to investigate. They had files on schematics for a weapon Sane, I don't know specifics but their were plans to overtake Canterlot topside.”

“I don't even know what any of that means.” The story did nothing but confuse Sane even more. He had no idea what she was talking about and it did not help the situation. “You'd better start making since.” He growled.

“I know I know, please just... please. Mrs. Nevad came back in while I was still on her computer. She was not angry but, sad really. I tried to run but two of her guards grabbed me. Long story short she gave me two choices. I could either go quietly with an execution topside or she would have to execute me and anypony I told about this. She let me see you at the gate before I left, do you remember?” She asked hopefully.

Sane thought back to that day, when she'd been so sad. It started to make since. “B-but, how did you survive?”

Milky couldn't help but smile as he remembered. “It was raining out there, hard. When he were walking out into the ruins I took my chance and ran. They shot me, but when they shot me the Enclave... They were nearby. They thought they had been shooting at them so they returned fire on the Stable team. They retreated without checking to see if they had killed me. The wound was bad, I was barely able to crawl a short distance. I tried to hide from the Enclave. I thought they were going to kill me. They didn't. They saved me, and they asked what had been going on. They seemed really interested when I had mentioned the weapon. They offered to take me in if I told them more. I told them about the plans Stable 42 had to take Canterlot out with the weapon. Well, a year later that led to this.” She stated, motioning with her hoof around the room. However her fear rose as she saw the anger on Sane's face return.

“So what about me? The other innocent ponies? Lets say I believe you, huh? What about everypony who didn't know? The ones that thought they were just defending their home?”

“C-collateral damage Sane.” She choked out. She was not happy about it either.

“Collateral damage? So That's what I would have been? Collateral damage?”

“Sane please.” She choked again. “T-this wasn't my idea, b-but they were right. The damage that would have been done if Stable 42 would have gotten away with this.” She knew he could not understand that. He had no idea what was going on in the Wasteland, he had been brainwashed like everypony else.

Sane was torn in half by this. She was right about Mrs. Nevad and Firepinn acting strange. He had wanted to know what was hiding behind that door but he had figured it better to leave it alone. Plus Milky's reaction to going out of the stable. Her being the only pony not to come back. That all added up. However that did not change the fact that she had led the Enclave, who Sane still knew little about to their door. In his eyes she was responsible for the destruction of his home. For the deaths of all these ponies... but... what would he have done himself... It was an impossible situation.

“S-sane, i-if you are going to shoot me, please just get it over with. If you don't, I am taking the gun from you.” She told him. She was in fear for her life but she would accept death then and there by his hoof. She could not blame him. She couldn't kill him either. He had saved her, she had feelings for him, and he had nothing to do with Stable 42's intentions.

Sane started to cry openly as he held the weapon steady. He couldn't do it. It wouldn't be fair. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. That's when he felt the weapon being pulled gently from his grasp. He opened his eyes for just a moment to see Milky's aura shrouding the weapon. He let it go and half expected to hear her laugh and ask how he could have been so naive He didn't care if she did kill him. It would be a relief, a merciful end to this impossible scenario Instead of a bullet... He felt Milky's For-legs wrap around him and her muzzle bury itself in his shoulder.

“S-sane, I'm so so sorry.” She sobbed. Milky had managed to bury most of her emotions deep. When she saw Sane though they burst through, like flood waters breaking through a damn.

Sane could do nothing but return the gesture. Wrapping his forlegs around her tightly and sobbing with her. “I-its okay.” He managed. “I-I'm sorry to.” He choked back.

For a while they stayed in their embrace, until a fearful thought crossed Sane's mind. He pulled away from her with urgency. “What about the Enclave? If your still here that means-”

“Sane Sane calm down. They are long gone.” Milky interrupted. “I told them after this mission was complete I would not be staying with them. They agreed. They took off a half hour ago in their Hornets, my last job was to secure the Stable door, which is what you caught me doing.”

Sane sighed in relief but was still shaken. This was all just to much at the moment. He decided to focus on Milky, she was the only thing that was real to him right now. “But where were you going to go all by yourself out there?”

“Manehatten, or they call it Newhatten now. It is one of the more protected Post Apocalyptic Cities not involved in any kind of struggle at the time. I heard they were doing quite well... So I decided to set off for it after all of this was over... I-If you can forgive me, I-I would not mind the company.” She stuttered.

More of an explanation that did not make since to Sane. He did not know anything about top-side. However he decided not to be mad at Milky. He would not have known what to do in her hooves. What other choice did he have anyway? She was the last pony he knew alive. “I'm with you.” He replied and got another hug from Milky in response.

Leaving the Stable

“However,” Sane added hesitantly. “The Enclave are not forgivin. Despite their intentions they still destroyed my home and killed everypony I know.” Sane would forgive Milky, but he had made up his mind about the Enclave.

Without a word she unlatched the armor she wore and dropped it to the floor. “Like I said, I am not with them anymore.” She gave a weak smile and was happy to see it returned.

“If we are going to be traveling out there... We are going to need supplies.” Sane knew where to get these supplies, he knew where they kept the wasteland gear but he did not want to walk those bloody halls again however, what choice did he have? “Come on... This way.” Sane said absently as he turned back toward the halls.

Milky followed close beside Sane. She was worried about him, though he seemed okay he'd just gone through hell. She noticed he was trying his best not to look to the ground at the bodies.

Sane was glad that most of the ponies that had been fighting were wearing their visors and he could not see their eyes. It was bad enough he was walking through their blood, tracking bloody hoofprints through the halls of the Stable. During his training to become a Stable guard he had been shown many gruesome images consisting of the aftermath from the war, the intention being to get their guards accustomed to blood and gore so they would not freeze up when faced with it. However nothing could have prepared Sane for this.

“So, Milky... What is it like out their in the Wasteland?” Sane figured he'd better find out a little bit about what he was getting himself into, and he needed the distraction.

“Well, its not pretty. However it is not as dead as you may think. It can be dangerous to, I don't know much though... I was sheltered by the Enclave most of the time.” Milky was glad Sane was talking instead of freaking out.

“What about the weather?”

“The air? Its not as fresh as you might think, but I will say it is ten times better than the stale recycled air of the Stable. There are a few areas around the Waste you want to avoid due to toxicity levels and radiation. It gets pretty cold around here though, especially at night.” Milky sighed.

“Are there a lot of others out there?”

“More than you'd think. Though that is not necessarily a good thing. Theirs a lot of fighting going on out there. Its all one big power struggle with countless groups all fighting for something different, some good some bad. There are a few out there who just want to be left alone but that is not always possible.” Milky explained. “It's almost like the war never ended.” She sighed unhappily.

“If there are so many ponies left, then why isn't there any kind of law?”

“That's part of the problem. Everypony is trying to establish their own national law. Celestia and the-”

“Celestia is alive?” Sane exclaimed.

“Yes Sane, but as of now that is not a good thing. Rumor has it she survived and protected most of Canterlot with her magic but her sister went missing and as I am sure you know, the rest of Equestria was destroyed. She lost her mind after that, blaming all the ponies greed and stupidity for the destruction of Equestria. So she has established a monarchy in the territory she controls. A portion of the Royal army survived and her ranks have been replenished. She controls a good radius around Canterlot and a hoof full of P.A.C's surrounding the area. I can't tell you much else, the Royal Army is hostile with the Enclave. Some ponies have sought refugee under her rule and under the Royal Army's protection but they live in fear of their Princess. I've heard that even the suspicion of treason is punishable by death within her borders. You'd be lucky to be banished to the Wasteland for breaking a law under her rein.” Milky shook her head. “Its sad really. I still remember hearing how great she was as a young filly.”

“So getting help from her is out of the question.” Sane replied half halfheartedly.

“Then there's E.L.M, or the Equine Liberating Militia. I don't know to much about them though. They control most of the North sector of Equestria. They were originally the WonderBolts branch of the Royal army who broke off from the kingdom after Celestia established her monarchy. They are not strictly pegasi any more either. They have enlisted Unicorn and Earth ponies to strengthen their numbers and control a few bases around the Wasteland. Most of their resources are spent protecting P.A.C's from raiders and trying to contain the Royal Army. While their law is not quite as strict as Celestias, they have a bad habit of forcing their law upon Ponies who ask their protection. However this is all just theory. I got all of my information from Enclave archives. While I was with them they gave me access to most of the records they had collected from the Wasteland.”

“Elm doesn't sound so bad.” Sane decided.

“The last major faction I am aware of are the Legion. I know the least about them. The Enclave have not collected too much information on them, explaining that they are more like a disease and engaging in combat with them would do nothing but waste resources. The Legion have no known agenda, but nopony has ever gotten close enough to figure this out for themselves. They control the south from what I hear, the worst part of Equestria, but have been reported to be roaming in camps around the rest of Equestria. They also do not have any allies considering they kill any pony that does not hail allegiance to their ruler. Whenever they invade an area they leave some of their victims alive and crucified, leaving them to die by the elements and starvation. Elm spends a great deal of time in conflict with them.” Milky sounded disgusted when she spoke of the Legion. “Anyway, were a little far north to have to worry about them ourselves.” She added reassuringly.

“Thats good.” Sane did not like the sound of the Legion. The thought actually scared him a bit.

“Are their others we should be worried about?”

“Like I said, there are tons of factions, but those are the only ones I got any information about. We do have to worry about the wildlife a little bit though. Most of the animals have been deformed by radiation and are quite hostile. Geckos, Bloat flies, snakes and others. But the worst are the Death Claws. Two to three times a ponies size and four times as mean. They have huge claws oversized teeth and hunt anything and everything that breaths. The Ferals are something else to worry about entirely.”

“Ferals?” Sane asked dumbfounded. “You mean the zombie ponies? I thought that was just a story the Wasteland team came up with to scare the rest of us.”

“They are not exactly zombies Sane. Though they might as well be. Stript of everything but motor functions and their survival instinct. They tend to stay in small groups out of the sunlight such as Subways, or abandoned buildings that have yet to cave in but seeing them in daylight is not unheard of.”

“Were here.” Sane stated as they arrived in front of the armory. Talking had not been the solution he thought it was as the sound of the Waste only increased his anxiety. The keypad back light was not lit but Sane was relieved that the door hissed to life when he entered the security code for it. “Its a good thing I became a member of Stable security.” He said absently. Thankfully the room was not covered in blood or had any dead bodies inside. Quite a few of the weapons were missing but there was still more than enough weapons and gear for the two of them.

Sane trotted over to one of the M61 rifles and charged it, checking the chamber to make sure it was not loaded, force of habit from his training. “Did the Enclave teach you how to shoot?” He asked her.

“Sit.” Milky replied.

“Huh?” Sane put the rifle back and turned to see Milky standing not too far from him with one of the medical kits.

“Sit.” She repeated.

Besides the migraine he had Sane had almost forgotten he was hurt. “Okay.” He replied with a warm smile.

Milky took one of the cleansing pads in her hoof and went to work cleaning as much blood from the fur on his face as possible, though she was careful not to hurt him.

A since of familiarity washed over Sane at the Scene, remembering the care she had provided when he had gotten into that fight. This since was only reinforced when she said...

“This might sting a little.” Milky took an alcohol pad from the kit and dabbed at the wound on his head. They were leaving the Stable so she wanted to make sure to cleanse it as best she could lest he get an infection. Once she was satisfied with her work she took the bandages and wrapped them around his head, not because he was still bleeding but because she wanted to cover the vulnerable area of his head. Milky secured it with the medical tape and sat up on her haunches to examine her work, making sure she had not passed over anything.

“Thanks,” Sane told her.

Milky smiled. “Your welcome.”

“Lets get some gear and get out of here.”

Each of them got the standard kit for the wasteland to include a light vest, a 10mm pistol with laser sight and light attachment, M61 semi-auto rifle with Acog, laser-sight and for-grip, heavy duty saddlebags, two water canteens, two MRE's, a compass, K-bar, three piece sleeping bag, emergency medical supplies, three thirty round clips for the rifle, six fifteen round clips for the 10mm, and a flashlight with a small nuclear power source that could run virtually forever.

Sane dreaded the thought of walking the bloody halls of his home but he knew this would be the last time. Milky nuzzled his cheek for encouragement before taking lead on their way back to main gate.

Milky went back to work on the control panel as soon as they made it back. After a minute she looked back to him. “Go ahead and step through the gate.”

Zane complied with Milky behind him just as the door hissed as it began to slowly close. Zane stopped and turned to watch everything he had ever known for five years seal itself away from him. Even though he never got along with too many ponies it had been his home. He sighed when he heard the final heavy latch of the door's locking mechanism.

Milky on the other hoof, had no feelings for the place. However it made her sad to see Sane this way. “Come on Sane, we should get going.” Milky cooed. It was not good to dwell on these things.

Sane turned to face Milky but something behind her down the steel hall caught his attention. “Get Down!” He shouted before tackling her to the ground as the shot went off. Sane scrambled for his pistol and fired blind shots down the hall, enticing their assailant to turn tail and flee around the corner.

“No you don't.” Sane jumped up and gave chase. He heard Milky shout after him but he didn't stop. That pony had not been here on accident which made Sane believe they had answers, and Sane wanted answers. He turned the corner in time to see the blue tail of the pony disappear up the stairs and into the sunlight of the Waste. This however, did put Sane at a pause. He hadn't been outside in five years and never saw the Wasteland. However the sight of Milky dashing past him broke his trance and he followed. Unfortunately his eyes were not accustomed to the bright light of the sun and he was momentarily blinded while his eyes adjusted to the light. He heard more shooting and instinctively ducked.

"Milky!" He called out, afraid she had been hit.

Decisions

Once his eyes adjusted to the light he discovered that Milky had been the shooter and the limp corpse of their assailant lay not far from himself. Sane let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding.

Milky got to the body first and brought both forhooves to her muzzle. The attacker had been a Enclave soldier.

Sane picked up the vibe a moment later. Milky practically tore the PD from the dead ponies forhoof and began sifting through the files to find what she hoped she wouldn't. There it was... The orders for her assassination.

By order of Enclave command:

Troop#: 33783

Clearance: Top Secret

Upon completion of operation Stable Extermination, Troop number 33783 will stay behind and assassinate one Enclave Scout: Milky Way.

Notes: While the task is not one in which requires such a high level Operator it is imperative that Milky Way dies. While she is not aware of our current plans for the Stable weapon it would be most unfortunate if word got out of our possession of said device.

Milky let the PD fall from her hooves as she sunk to the ground in a fit of sobs. They used me, everything I did, everypony died because of me. One of the many thoughts running through her head. She had trusted them... Then Sane came to mind... What would he think? She was terrified of the answer. Inevitably she watched him pick up the PD she had discarded.

Sane dropped the PD and looked to Milky who had her muzzle buried in her hooves. He felt terrible for her. He walked up beside her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, enticing Milky to look up at him. Fear and sadness in her eyes. “I'm... I'm so sorry...”

“Y-your not mad?”

“Yes... I am mad, but not at you, at them. I know you were just trying to do what was best, and yet this is the second time you have been betrayed.” Sane sighed and let his head hang low as he began to think. With a deep breath he looked back up at her. “I don't know how, but I am going to try and stop them.”

Milky's eyes grew wide with shock. “No Sane, you don't understand. You can't just stop the Enclave, especially by yourself.” She rose back to her hooves.

“I have to try, besides... What else do I have now? The Stable is gone, everypony I knew is gone.”

“Y-you have me Sane.” She hated the needy tone in her voice.

“I'm doing this for you to.” Sane replied. “This, this weapon or whatever the fuck it is has already caused so much pain. I nearly died and I didn't even know it existed. You nearly died. I can't just let this go, even if I die trying I am going after them. I can't let this weapon hurt anymore innocent ponies.” His determination was unwavering despite the many doubts already running through his mind.

“Then I'm coming with you.” After all, she felt as if she was responsible, and she couldn't lose Sane again.

“I thought you'd never ask.” He smiled.

“I wasn't asking.” She retorted, letting a small smile part her lips as she got a chuckle from Sane.

“We don't have to do this alone, from what you have told me, the Enclave have enemies. I figure this ELM group you briefly explained to me sounds like our best bet.”

Milky's eyes lit up momentarily. “That's right... The message on the PD sounded like they didn't want anypony figuring out they had their hooves on a doom's day device. All we have to do is get there.” Then Milky frowned. “It is quite a ways away though, maybe a week on hoof, and once the Enclave notice their soldier never made it back they will come looking for me.”

“They'll have to get through me first.” Sane stated without hesitation. She was all he had left, and he was not about to let anypony take her away from him again.

Another smile brightened Milky's eyes at the familiar protective tone of the sand colored Pegasus. The day he had saved her from those other fillies and colts flashed through her mind, enticing her to wrap her for-legs around Sane in a hug and he gladly welcomed her embrace with his own.

Sane reluctantly broke the hug but smiled at Milky. “If this is going to take us a week we had better get going. Plus I do not see any mode of transportation for that Enclave soldier so the others can't be far off.”

“R-right.” Milky agreed and opened the map on her own PD. “There is a small PAT about 12 miles north of here. We don't have a lot of daylight left and we don't want to get caught in the Wasteland at night if at all possible.”

“Sounds good.” Sane replied, and they were off.

Luckily they were in a rather flat barren part of the Waste so they could see everything around them pretty clearly. However likewise, anypony or anything could see them to and they were not so sure they liked that concept. Though there were no obvious signs of danger around and that helped to put their minds at ease. Nonetheless Sane made sure bullets were chambered in his weapons and ready to fire.

“You think I should fly up a bit, see what I can see?” Sane inquired.

Milky immediately shook her head no. “No, never. If you fly too high any pony with a scope and no conscious could pick you out of the sky. At the very least you could attract unwanted attention.”

“Oh... yeah.” Sane's cheeks turned cherry read at his own ignorance of such a simple concept. If you can see them, they can see you.

“Don't feel bad, you've been out here all of an hour now?” Milky stated. “No pony can think of everything.”

“True.” Her words took a bit of sting out of his ego.

Saddlespur

The pair made it to the PAT named Saddlespur an hour before the estimated sunset with the good fortune of an uneventful trip. They had passed by a caravan pony from whom they exchanged greetings with and a few Geckos that paid them little to no attention. However they remained cautious, keeping their distance when Milky explained that quite a few of the oversized geckos had a poison bite.

As for Saddlespur it was a bit rundown, even for the Wasteland however they were grateful for the small dose of civilization in the middle of nowhere. A crude makeshift wall surrounded the town and a dark blue earth stallion armed with an old hunting rifle sat atop a damaged wagon in front of the town's gate. When Sane and Milky got too close for his comfort he raised the rifle, aiming in their direction.

“Stop!” His voice was raspy despite his middle aged appearance. “Who are you?”

Both Sane and Milky halted as instructed, figuring it better not to challenge the guard. “We are just a couple of wanderers seeking refuge for the night.” Milky raised her voice so he could hear her. “We don't want any trouble.”

The stallion eyed them suspiciously but lowered the weapon just enough to relax. “Your armed.” He stated.

“As anypony should be when wondering the Waste.” Milky replied.

The stallion seemed to accept this with a moments thought. “Come closer.”

Sane and Milky gave each other a quick glance before proceeding toward the gate. Sane was still uncomfortable with the cold greeting they had received and the rifle aimed at him. He had to fight the urge to draw his own weapon. When they got about ten feet from the wagon the stallion motioned for them to stop again with one of his forhooves.

“If you wish to stay a night in this town it'll cost you a few bits.” He remarked.

Sane's heart sunk in his chest. He didn't have a single bit. Staying in the stable had rendered the importance of money pointless. However when he saw Milky reach into a small pocket of her saddlebag his heart soared back to the surface. She pulled a small pouch from the compartment and tossed a hoof full of bits from the pouch in the guards direction who made no attempt to catch the money. His focus was on the two strangers whom he searched for signs of malice. When he had convinced himself they were harmless he motioned them forward once more. He jumped from atop the damaged wagon and pulled a small key from his own saddlebag.

The gate had been chained and padlocked so only those with a copy of the key could enter the town so easily. He nodded his head at the two but stopped them just as they cleared the gate. “Start anything and I promise you both I will personally put a bullet in each of your skulls.”

The remark had left Sane even more disgruntled but seemed to have no visible effects on Milky who simply turned tail and proceeded into town. Sane followed her close. “What the hell was his problem?” He asked once they were out of ear shot.

“You have to understand Sane, they were not so well protected as Stable ponies. To be safe most ponies perceive anypony they don't know a threat.” She explained.

“I guess that makes since.” He replied, scolding himself again for missing another simple concept. He figured it would actually be natural for everypony to be a bit on the edge.

Their were only a dozen or so buildings in the town to include a motel the town pony probably stayed in. A few ponies who were out and about caught site of them and stopped to stare. Another aspect to make Sane even more uncomfortable.

Milky approached a young green furred earth stallion who looked as if he were deciding whether or not to run. He chose not to in order to maintain peace within the town.

“Hello friend.” Milky smiled pleasantly.

The stallion shot the two a suspicious look before replying. “What can we do for you?”

“We were just wondering if this town had a place we could spend the night in. We'll be gone tomorrow and we have bits.” Milky replied.

“You'd have to talk to Smalls, the owner of the motel.” He pointed at the motel's sign which was electric but remained unlit and covered in the desert's sand.

“Of course, thank you very much.” Milky nodded. “Come on Sane.” With out another word she trotted past the stallion with Sane right beside her.

“It is going to take a while for me to get used to all this tension.” Sane muttered.

“That's why I act so friendly, it doesn't always work but sometimes it helps put the others at ease.”

The windows on the office of the motel had all been covered with ply-wood and the glass door replaced with one you would find on a regular house, so it was impossible to see if anypony where inside. However there was a small electric sign that faded in and out which read open. Milky was about to try the door when Sane stepped in front of her. “Let me.” He stated simply before opening the door.

The office was rather clean on the inside and a tad bit warmer than the chilly weather outside. A total betrayal of the ruined exterior of the building. Behind a counter that sat in the far left corner of the room sat a rather large black earth stallion who hadn't even glanced up from the magazine he was reading.

Milky pushed past Sane giving him an exasperated look before approaching the desk. “Excuse me, were looking for a pony named Smalls.”

The Stallion yawned and turned a page on his magazine. “You talkin to em.” He replied gruffly.

“You're Smalls?” Sane asked disbelievingly and received a heavy hit to his shoulder from Milky.

“Nice to meet you Smalls, you wouldn't happen to have a room available for us would you?” Milky asked with a smile.

Smalls scratched the top of his head with a hoof and put down his reading material. It was then that he decided to face them. He gave them both a once over and sat back in his chair. “You have the coin?”

“Yes, yes we do.” Milky replied reaching back into her bits bag and laying thirty bits on the counter.

Smalls leaned forward and counted the bits before pushing ten back to her. “I'm no thief.” He did not wait for a reply as he reached below the counter and dropped a key on top, then picked his magazine back up.

Milky figured he wasn't much of a talker as she retrieved her change and the key. Before she could ask, Smalls spoke again.

“Three doors down from this one.”

“Thank you very much.” Milky told him.

Sane felt as if he should say something. “Yeah, thanks.” He just felt stupid when all Smalls did was grunt in response.

“Well he's a real bucket of sunshine.” Sane stated as they left the office and trotted down to their door.

Milky just giggled and unlocked their room. The inside was rather plain yet surprisingly well kept. Any damage that had been done before had been repaired and the light blue paint that covered the walls showed little sign of age. The carpet however looked well worn by age, and there was a small stain in the corner of the room by one of the old oak nightstands. Besides the wear and the stain however the carpet was clean. The only lighting in the room was a old lamp that sat atop the nightstand farthest from the door. They considered themselves to be lucky to even have light or electricity in the old town.

Milky hadn't heard a generator running so she assumed that somewhere in the town they had working solar panels to provide them with electricity. 'This PAT is quite fortunate” Milky thought to herself. A rather tacky set of sunflower decorated curtains hung low on the only window in the room. The bed that sat against the right wall was small, probably twin size. A dark blue sheet wrapped itself around the mattress accompanied by a pillow encased in the same color pillow case. Another sheet lay flat atop the first and a tacky quilt that matched the curtains sat atop that.

In the place where the TV would have been a book case took its place with only a hoof full of books. A small radio had been placed upon its surface.

Lastly their was only one other door which Sane found to be a small bathroom. When he flicked the switch he noticed only two of the five light bulbs shone and another flickered for a moment before losing power completely. The bathroom had plain white tiles across the floor and the same paint job as the rest of the room. A small sink with a single water handle was to his immediate left. Sane's morale boosted when he turned the handle and a slow stream of water escaped the faucet, sinking into the drain. Though to his disappointment he found the water to be cold no matter which way he turned the handle. Above that, was a mirror cracked on its uppermost right corner. Beside that was a pretty standard toilet and on the far wall was a good sized bathtub with a ocean print shower curtain. Two white towels hung an a towel rack to his right.

Overall the room had far exceeded their expectations, the first good thing to happen to them all day. When Sane stepped out of the bathroom after turning off the light he found that Milky had turned the lamp on and was examining the books on the shelf. One book with a green cover peeked her entrance for just a moment. She took the book from the shelf and read the summary on the back before replacing it and moving on to the radio.

When she turned it on all she got was a harsh static until she played with the dial and heard an old song she had never heard before. When she went to tune the radio again she only found two other working channels. One was another old song she didn't know and a faint disoriented feed of a pony talking. However, Milky had quite a difficult time making out the words so she turned the radio of and turned to face Sane. “This is far better than I would have hoped.”

“It is.” Sane agreed, removing his saddlebags. “You can take the bed. I'll just grab the comforter and sleep on the floor.”

“What? Why?” Milky replied, removing her own bags.

“Uh... well, I figured you would want some space.” Sane replied.

Again Milky giggled. “We can share the bed Sane. I'm not gonna have you sleep on the floor while I am comfortable in the bed. I am taking the pillow though.” She added with a smirk.

“Oh... o-okay.: Sane replied.

“You don't have to be nervous Sane. I don't bite.” In truth however, the thought made her feel a bit funny herself.

Sane gave a sheepish grin before peeling the covers down enough so he could slip into bed. He took the pillow from the center of the bed and placed it on the opposite side of himself. “I don't mind sleeping without one.” He reassured her in case she had been joking or felt guilty for laying claim on the pillow.

Milky felt a little better at the remark and crawled on the opposite side of the bed. “Thanks.”

The bed had not been made for two ponies. so neither had much space and their fur brushed across the others if they stirred at all. The mattress itself was a bit worn but not uncomfortable to any extreme. The blanket was not a problem. It was oversized for the bed and allowed them both an equal amount of cover. The only words shared between them was the exchange of good nights. A few minutes later and they were both sound asleep.

Sane's eyes shot open in an instant yet he did not move. Something was wrong. Milky was still asleep, facing away from him on the bed so he figured it hadn't been her. He concentrated very hard, his ears turning, seeking out any sound nearby that may be related to danger and his eyes looked for anything that was out of place. It took all of a second to figure it out.

The doorknob was letting off a faint rattle and turned back and forth ever so slowly. Sane's heart began to race. The only thing that had stopped whoever was trying to get in was Sane locking the door behind them. However the rattling was persistent. The possibility that somepony may be picking the lock crossed his mind. He needed to get to his gun before they got the door open, whoever they were. The problem being his bags and weapons were set against the door's wall, only a few feet from the door itself.

“Shit.” Sane whispered. He was careful not to wake Milky seeing as she may let off noise given she was not aware of the situation and he did not want the pony to know he was aware himself. Sane lowered himself to the floor from the bed slowly and began to tiphoof toward the door, his heart racing faster than his thoughts from the adrenalin of fear that coursed through his veins. He was thankful to reach his pistol and checked to see that a bullet was chambered. He released the charge slowly so it would not snap and cause too much noise.

Sane stood a few hooves in front of the door and a hoof to the left of it with his pistol raised, pointed toward the door. A moment later the lock unlatched and the door handle turned.

Road Side Trouble

Sane's anxiety spiked as the door opened and the dark figure of a pony stepped inside the doorway.

“Who are you?” Sane's voice betrayed his fear but the gun in his hooves gave him all the authority he needed to ask questions. By the figures features he figured it was a Pegasus, probably a mare given her small frame. He turned on the light on his gun to get a better picture.

A lavender colored mare with a moderately long blue mane stood petrified with shock at the sight of the gun. She held nothing but a small feather duster.

“I asked a question.” Sane stated with a bit more confidence.

“M-my name is Flora. I'm just the maid for the motel. I-I honestly did not know anypony was staying in here.” She slowly held out her hoof with a key in it to support her argument. “Mr. Smalls never told me anypony had taken this room.”

The fact she was holding a feather duster and a room key, along with the knowledge of Smalls allowed Sane to relax and lower his weapon. “I'm sorry... You just can't be to careful.” Sane added. “Smalls has you clean at night?”

“Yes, but only the occupied rooms.” She sneered. Her demeanor changed significantly without the thought of death on her mind. “For obvious reasons.” She snapped.

“I said I was sorry.” Sane's cheeks flushed red. “I did;t mean to scare you. I thought you were a thief.” This was a lie, he had mostly been counting on a Enclave Troop.

“Well You Thought Wrong!” She did not wait for a reply as she stormed out the doorway, slamming the door behind her.

Sane winced as the door slammed and heard Milky jump out of bed behind him. He turned quickly to face the bewildered mare.

“The fuck was that?” Milky demanded, her head on a swivel as she searched the room.

“Nothing nothing.” Sane replied quickly. “Just somepony who had the wrong room.”

“So you slammed the door?” Milky's agitation evident.

“No they did.”

“Did you say something to them?”

“Welll..” Sane looked down at the gun in his hoof.

“You Shot Them!!?” Milky almost shouted.

“Oh No No!” Sane replied quickly, waving his hooves in front of him, unfortunately, with the gun still in his grasp.

Milky dropped to the floor quickly. “Sane, What The Fuck?”

“Oh Geez Sorry.” Sane quickly dropped the gun back on his pack. He looked up at Milky, with his cheeks flush with color as he scratched the back of his head.

Milky growled as she got back up, only to fall on the bed. “I'm too tired for this shit,” she grumbled. “Just go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, like That's gonna happen.” He murmured. Nonetheless he lay down anyway. It took him almost an hour before he was able to doze off but at least he was able.

When Sane woke a few hours later he turned to see that Milky was gone. However the sight of the closed latrine door settled his nerves. He was still a little groggy but he needed to get out of the bed or else he wouldn't. A small beam of sunlight entered the room in the space between the curtains. Sane took a moment to appreciate the sight as once his own beam of light used to greet him when he was a young colt. He heard the door to the bathroom creak open and decided he should start prepping his equipment to trek the dangers of the Wasteland.

“Good morning.” Milky greeted him when she saw he was up.

“Morning.” Replied Sane with little enthusiasm.

“Don't be such a downer.” Milky cooed. With that being said she went to pick at her own gear. In truth she could not blame Sane for feeling a tad bit upset with the situation. She was quite upset to yet chose to hide it.

Once they were done they took a quick look to make sure they had not forgotten any of their few pieces of equipment. Satisfied the room was barren once more they shut the door and proceeded to the office where Smalls still sat as if he had never moved. Sane would have he was fake if they had not talked to him the day before, well... It wasn't much of a conversation anyway.

Sane trotted up to the counter and placed the key in front of him.

“Did you lock it?” Smalls asked without sparring so much as a glance from his magazine.

“Oh... uh I'm sorry, I don't think we did. You want me to go back and-”

“Don't worry about it.” He sighed in a way that made his impatience apparent. “I'll lock it later.”

“Oh, well thanks.” Milky chimed but was disappointed to get a grunt in response.

Without another word Milky huffed and stormed abruptly out of the office. Sane was a mere two seconds behind her.

“How can one be so rude?” She asked herself more than anything.

Sane however, answered anyway. “Maybe he is just getting old?” He chuckled.

“Oh please, he couldn't be past his low thirties.” Milky argued.

“Well he did give us a room, at a discounted cost from what I could tell.”

“It wasn't a discount it was the... Oh never mind.” Milky sighed. “Lets just get moving. We're not going to make it to another town or city until late tomorrow night, maybe evening if we keep a good pace.” Milky explained.

“What are we waiting for?”

Sane and Milky had not used much supplies considering they had only traveled one day as of far but they did fill their supply on water as a preventative measure. However upon their departure they found they had one of two choices.

On one hoof they could follow the old road for a sense of direction, possible shelter for the night and avoiding wildlife. However on the other hoof abandoning the road would minimize their chances of running into raiders or the Enclave for that matter. The possibility of getting lost was quite the risk however. Despite the PD's map Milky did not trust the terrain features and the map could lead them dead smack into a mountain, killing precious time.

After they mulled it over they decided to take the road where the map was more reliable and their was a possibility of a temporary shelter for the night to come.

The sun's unfiltered light along with the dessert's flat terrain features was enough for them see potential threats from miles away. They were also happy to discover their was nopony or no thing in sight. However their luck didn't last more than hour. Milky had spotted a camper on the side of the road but thought nothing of it That was until, they were close enough to see movement inside and hear shrill, over enthusiastic laughter. Deciding they had gotten too close to come up with a detour they simply trotted by in a manner in which they implied they were not curious with the ponies's affairs inside. It didn't work as they had planned.

The door to the camper swung open just as Milky and Sane were passing by. A grotesque mannered unicorn with blue fur and a orange mane greeted them heartedly.

Awww shit. Sane mumbled. By the sound of it he could tell the stallion was not alone. Sane kept his hoof on the pistol grip but did not draw just yet.

With a sigh the unicorn trotted over casually. “Where are we heading?” He asked as polite as he could.

“Nowhere really, we are naught but travelers of the Waste.” Sane replied in a sarcastic manner.

“That's a lot of sophisticated gear for a couple of travelers to be totting around, and isn't that armor from a Stable?” The unicorn asked.

“Whats it to you?” Milky shot back.

“Oh it could be a lot to me. Where'd ya get it from?”

“Come on Milky, lets go.” Sane could tell this was heading exactly where he thought.

Milky sneered at the unicorn and turned with Sane to walk away.

Sane heard the distinctive click of a weapon and instinctively pulled his pistol, turned and fired. The shot was not as accurate as he would have hoped for it only grazed the raider over his shoulder. However it did do the job of distracting him so that the raider dropped his gun and cried out, giving Sane enough time to take aim and put one through his skull.

The noise was more than enough to alert whoever was still in the camper and there was no cover anywhere nearby. Milky bought Sane and herself time to think by shooting rounds at the camper, discouraging anypony inside from leaving the camper. Sane suddenly had an idea. “Keep them busy.” Sane told her as he ran toward the camper, hoping nopony would get brave and peek. Sane would make to easy a target charging the camper like that.

He dropped as low as he could so that if anypony looked out the window they would have to look straight down to see him. The ponies inside were indeed armed and instead of taking aim they held only their guns out of the window and laid down a barrage of blind gunfire. The longer this took, the chances of a stray bullet hitting Milky increased.

Sane holstered his pistol and pulled a long strip of medical wrappings from his med kit and matches from another as he searched for the gas tank which he found once he made his way around the vehicle. The raiders had not seemed to notice him yet as they were focused on the incoming fire. If there was any gas left in the tank a makeshift fuse and fire would be more than enough to take out the raiders.

When he popped the cap off of the tank he was greeted by the overwhelming scent of gasoline, which in this case was a good sign. He stuffed one end of the wrappings into the tank, using his knife to stuff it as far as he could to make sure the wrap was in contact with the gasoline. About four inches hung from outside of the tank's hole. It took him three tries to lite the match and as soon as he did, he was happy to discover the wrapping catch quickly under the flame.

Without a second thought he dashed back to the other side of the camper and ran toward Milky, drawing his pistol and letting a few rounds loose himself to ensure they would stay hidden. A moment later Sane dropped to the ground, pulling Milky with him. A few seconds later Sane heard the explosion and the whole Camper seemed to catch fire.

Angry and frightened shouts flooded the air as the ponies fled out the door, where they were met with bullets from Milky and Sane's weapons. Three died this way. Only after the whole Camper was engulfed in flame did Sane dare to get up. Nopony could have survived that for too long.

“What did you do?” Milky asked in disbelief. “I know you didn't have explosive weapons on you.”

“Short version, I set their gas tank on fire.” Sane replied.

Milky looked mildly impressed.”Nice thinking.”

“Common since.” Sane replied.

“Either way we are safe for now. I think we should get out of here in case they have friends or the noise attracted anything worse.”

“Lets go then.”

In The Dark

“So much for finding shelter for the night.” Sane's voice cracking as they trotted along the ruined highway. The last rays of sunlight wavered on the horizon, giving in to the darkness of the night.

“Sane? Are you okay?” Milky asked.

“Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?” Sane replied quickly.

“Sane?”

“What!?”

“Are you afraid of the dark?” She asked with a hint of amusement.

“What gave you that idea? Of-course not.” Sane replied with an over corrected false confidence.

As they were walking Milky kicked a rock up behind her and giggled when Sane pulled his gun and turned quickly. He found nothing. “What was that?” He asked hesitantly.

Milky couldn't help but to toss another rock ahead of him so he would get the picture. She giggled in response to the agitated look that crossed his face.

“You really think that is such a good idea? Scaring a pony with a gun?” Sane retorted.

Milky merely continued her manic giggles until Sane huffed and turned back around and continued his trek. Though to Milky's amusement he cast another nervous glance behind him.

When she regained her composure she hurried to catch up with him. While she was not terrified of the night, that did not mean she wanted to be left alone in it.

“Its fine Sane, there's nothing wrong with that.” She reassured him. “Besides, it's not all dark out here. The moon is almost full and the stars are shining quite nicely.”

“I-I know.” Sane replied. “I was scared as a colt as well. I never got over it like most others and never got the chance. The Stable was usually well lit and I never really had to deal with the dark.”

“I understand.” Milky nodded. “Being out here must not help either.”

“Yeah... I mean if you think about it really. It's not so much a fear of darkness, but what can hide in the dark. However, the paranoia of the idea for so long has caused my mind to fool itself into believing the dark is what I am afraid of... So, does that mean I am afraid of the dark?”

“Okay hold on a minute, I'm confused. You just-” She paused to replay his theory in her head to make sure she was not missing any details. “You just contradicted yourself.”

“I know.” Sane sighed. “Talking just keeps me distracted.”

“Now that makes since.” Milky smiled. “I've no problem with that, I like listening to you talk.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you were the only pony in the stable that would talk to me without pulling my tail or have some petty insult tacked on at the end of a statement.”

Sane did not need that explained to him. He knew all to well of the cruelty of the other colts and fillies. The memory of it brought about a fresh wave of empathy for Milky. “I just couldn't comprehend why they were inflicting pain on somepony who shared their fate.”

“I don't know, foal nature I Guess. Either way that does not matter now.” Milky replied with a hint of sadness.

Sane knew she was right, so there was no point in re-living the past when they had many other immediate threats about them. So he decided to change the subject with the first thought to came to mind. “Now if my mind simply convinced it was the dark to be afraid of would that make it true? Or just a trick and not at all an absolute fact?”

Sane's only response was another fit of giggles. When she was done she noticed a rusted bus up ahead. “It's not a five star hotel but maybe we could wait out the night in that bus. Won't save us from the cold all to well but we'll be hidden for the most part.”

At the mention of the temperature Sane shuddered involuntarily and was faced with the fact that as the night went on it would only get colder. However the bus was much better than nothing at all. “Sounds good.”

Once they got closer to the bus they were able to make out details. A lot of the paint was chipped and replaced with rust but they were still able to tell it had been a red bus. Not the right color for a city or school bus so they figured it had been part of a private shuttle company. All four tires were flat, a couple of windows busted as well as a taillight and the rear bumper which was hanging from the body of the bus. Upon circling the bus they saw that the front end had been smashed in however there was not another car so close to the bus to have been involved in the collision.

The door itself was jammed and the glass was tinted so they could not see very well inside. However they heard nothing and just to be safe Sane checked with his thermal vision sight on his M61 to make sure there was nopony with the same idea as themselves inside. Sane found nopony and put away his rifle to begin struggling with the door that budged ever so slightly every time he yanked at the door.

With one last tug the doors flew open, losing his grip Sane fell to the ground.

“I swear, this is better than television.” Milky stated then froze when she looked inside the bus.

“Milky?” Sane got back to his hooves and trotted next to Milky. “Oh... shit.”

In the drivers seat sat the skeletal remains of a pony who's head had detached from the body and rolled onto the dashboard of the bus. The bones themselves looked as if they had been picked clean long ago. Milky took the first step onto the bus and as she did the skeletal remains of the pony crumbled into the seat, causing Milky to jump.

“Aww, you scared him.” Sane said.

“Shut up and get on the bus.” Milky replied.

“Well then.” Sane trotted onto the bus, stepping over one of the bones that had rolled down the stairs. The inside of the bus fared no better than the outside. The seats near the busted windows of the bus smelled of mold and a few were torn, one in the back unrecognizable. Glass was distributed randomly through the interior along with random bits of leather from the seats. However the only skeletal remains of anypony had been the driver of the bus while the remainder of the seats were vacant. The only sign of blood was also in the drivers seat and it had long ago become nothing but a stain on the steering wheel, floor and seat.

Milky and Sane found a section near the center where most of the windows had remained intact making it the cleanest and safest place to sleep for the night. It did little to shelter them from the cold however and the idea of a fire had been squashed seeing as it would serve as a beacon for any and all to find them.

Sane took the seat to the right on the bus and Milky the opposite of his on the left. Sane pulled off his vest and laid it among his saddlebags on the seat behind him while pulling a small survival blanket out. He did keep his pistol within hooves reach however. Being on the bus gave him a small sense of security from the night seeing as he was hidden from the world.

When Milky removed her armor Sane was struck with a realization as he gazed upon her cutie mark. It looked like a small galaxy of all sorts of colors. The most distinct was that of a small faded orange dot in the upper right hand corner of the design. “Milky! How did you get that?”

“Get what?” Milky inquired as she rolled over on her stomach to face him from her seat.

“Your cutie mark. I like it.” Sane replied.

A small smile of amusement crossed Milky's muzzle. “Staring at my flank then Sane?”

“Wha No, I mean yes, but I was just looking at your cutie mar-”

“I know I know.” Milky giggled. Sane's muzzle and cheeks blushed furiously underneath his fur. “The Enclave had a space observatory that they had no real use for. It peaked my interest quite a bit but when I went to play with it the damned thing was broken. One of the Enclave maintenance teams set it up for me, saying it was a small fix they had never gotten around to because they had no real use for it. I spent the majority of my free time exploring the night sky and I even created a few maps but I can't vouch for their accuracy. However, when I finished the first one I got this cutie mark. It's nice to know there is still a little magic in the world.” She smiled.

“If... If they had no need for it then why was it there?” Sane inquired.

“Their mane base was built around a space observatory. They had no use for the telescope but the observatory had great security and thick walls. A perfect place to set up a fortress.”

Sane nodded his head in understanding. “You said you mapped it? Do you have them, I'd really like to see them.”

Milky sighed with contempt. “No... No I don't... I left them in the observatory before the attack on the Stable.”

“Oh... That's too bad.” Sane murmured.

“Yeah...” Milky agreed absently. “Yours?”

“Self explanatory.” Sane replied. “I was quite the shot on the range in the Stable.” He stated proudly.

“Awesome.”

Being no further room to continue the conversation silence settled.

Sane lay back, letting his rear hooves hang from the edge of the seat and listening to the steady gentle wind that blew against the bus. However he had a difficult time baring the chill that blanketed the Waste. For over an hour he lay there, perfectly still yet unable to sleep. His mind was racing and the chill nipped at his ears and hooves. He glanced over at Milky where she lay wrapped in her own blanket, already asleep from what he could tell.

A high pitched screech suddenly pierced the air around him. It sounded far but that did not stop Sane from snatching his pistol from the floor. Another screech, a little longer this time tested his nerve. It was definitely coming from his side of the bus. Against his better judgment he peaked over the edge f the glass into the dark Wasteland. A ways away he could just make out the figure of a pony running. From what soon became apparent Not far behind was a figure Sane did not recognize, chasing and gaining on the pony.

In one fail swoop the beast was upon the pony. A brief struggle ensued. The pony pulled something from their belt and hit the beast with it, causing it to let out another blood curdling screech and for a moment, it looked as if the pony would get away. However the beast clamped its jaws down on the pony's throat. Sane could just hear the scream of the pony over the wind before it was cut short when the life left them.

To Sane's horror the beast did not let go, but instead lifted his prey and carried it off, deeper into the night. Sane was just thankful that thing had not come their way. He found that he was shaking at this point. For the past two days his resolve had been chipped away by the recent events and this did not help. Still shaking he allowed himself to lay back into the seat and replace his weapon on the floor. Whatever that thing was would be satisfied with its meal tonight. That is at least what he told himself anyway.

He considered waking Milky to talk to her and settle his nerves but he wouldn't feel right taking the chance that she to, may lose sleep over this. Another hour of tossing and turning underneath the thin blanket that did little to ward off the cold and at last he drifted off to sleep.

Paranoia

When Milky finally woke the next morning she let an exaggerated yawn escape her muzzle as she stretched the best she could on the bus seat. Curious as to whether or not Sane had woken she looked at him, then recoiled a bit at the sight that greeted her.

Sane was sitting upright in his seat with the blanket pulled over his shoulders and his chin tucked inside. She could not tell whether he was awake or not as his eyes were all but closed and he was shakin a bit. “Sane... A-are you alright?” Concern lay thick on her words.

Sane's eyes opened slightly as he turned his head to face her. “I'm fine, I just didn't sleep very well.” He replied. “I saw something last night that made it difficult for me to rest.”

“What did you see?” Milky got up from her seat and moved closer to Sane.

“Just... Get your gear on and I'll show you. It'll be much easier than trying to explain it here.”

Milky let her gaze rest on Sane a bit longer before nodding her head in approval.

Not long after Milky was following Sane off of the road and into the dessert which struck her as odd. She did not have to wait very long as to why. She saw a thick trail of blood leading from her right that fed into a much bigger pool of blood that broke off in another trail farther into the Dessert.

“I saw somepony last night running, running from something, I don't know what, at least three times their size. Whoever they were, they were not fast enough. It caught them, I believer you can guess where. After the creature killed the pony it carried them off into the dessert.” Sane recalled from his fresh memories of the incident

“T-thats a lot of blood Sane... That did not come from just one pony.”

“I don't think it is all the pony's.” Sane replied, locating the hilt of a half buried dagger in the sand, a few hooves away and recovering it. Sure enough the blade was covered in blood. “The pony struggled for a moment and I thought I saw the pony lash out at the beast. It gave a horrible screech when they did. I think he or she may have stabbed it.” Sane explained.

“Why didn't you wake me Sane?” Milky inquired with a bit more concern.

“I didn't want you to lose sleep over this to. I watched this thing disappear into the night before I even attempted to sleep.” Sane replied.

Milky felt bad for him but at the same time she knew it was not her own fault. Though she couldn't help but admire that Sane had put her before his own comfort. However the idea that somepony had died not so far away while she slept put a damper on her resolve. “T-thank you.” Milky dropped the blade down at her hooves. “Lets get going. Don't worry, we should be coming up on the next town before evening if we travel without interference. Then you can try and catch up on the sleep you missed last night.” Milky cooed.

Sane simply nodded in acceptance and dragged his hooves behind Milky as they made their way back and up the road.

Despite not having slept he was able to keep pace with her. Losing one nights sleep wasn't going to slow him down. “Whats the name of the next town we are headed to anyway?” Sane could have checked his PD map but as per the norm, he preferred to talk.

“I think it is called Hayton.” Milky replied. “If I remember correctly it is a bit bigger than SaddleSpur. A little nicer to. If we are lucky we may run into an ELM unit while we are there. Some of the Enclave's reports I went through stated that they traveled through the town a lot.”

“What are we going to tell them if we do find them?” Sane inquired.

“The truth. We know that the Enclave have what is potentially a dooms day weapon.”

“I'm a little concerned though, how are we going to tell them we know all this? They might turn on you when they find out you aided them.” Sane replied.

“We're not going to tell them that, I'm just going to play along with your story. We'll tell them we both survived the attack. It's believable when we're both wearing Stable 42 gear.” Milky explained.

Sane's tail twitched with annoyance at his own ignorance once again. “I'm sorry, that's pretty obvious.” He sighed.

“Don't worry about it Sane. Your tired is all.”

Sane was glad to have somepony so patient and understanding to travel with him. For the life of it all however her could not figure out why he was making so many dumb mistakes. Maybe it's subconscious trauma from all that has happened While seeing all of this was not a pleasant experience and bothered him a bit it wasn't so terrible as to damage any critical thinking... Not consciously anyway.

For a while they traveled the road in peace, most of their conversation revolved around pointless trivia to keep them busy. Such as why the sky is blue. After walking a few more miles they stopped to eat just as the sun hit its peak in the sky. Processed food designed to last decades wasn't exactly the best food but it did the job.

With the sun high in the sky the temperature became bearably warm, much to Sane's relief. One of the thoughts that popped in his head was the dreadful possibility of rain during the night. Precipitation at that temperature would surely mean snow. Snow would do nothing but slow them down and make it even more dangerous to travel.

Sane heard something that snapped him out of his thoughts a moment later. A subtle whirring sound mixed with other unrecognizable sounds. Milky must have heard it to as she pulled her pistol halfway from it's holster. The source of the sound soon presented itself. From their left there hovered a small spherical robot with multiple antennas all around it and a speaker on the front. Mounted below it was a small laser gun.

Sane was just about to shoot it when Milky stopped him by sticking a forhoof in front of him. “It's not a threat.” Milky told him. The small robot flew closer to them, whirring and bobbing up and down in the air. However instead of any audible dialogue the robot was emitting a series of static and beeping noises.

“What is it then?” Sane asked.

“It's an eye bot. I forget the name of the pony who manufactured these things but they made a fortune selling them to different factions for multi purpose use. I think it's broken though, so there is no way to tell who it belongs to.”

“What if it shoots us?”

“It shouldn't even attempt it. They were built to be docile and only engage in a firefight for self preservation. If they shot at everypony and everything it saw then they would all be destroyed. They're not the toughest little things.” Milky explained.

“So... just ignore it then?”

“No, we're going to destroy it. I don't know whos it is and I know the Enclave commissioned a few of these from their manufacturer. While it won't attack you on the spot it has the ability to feed data back to it's owners.” Milky picked a large rock from the ground and waited for the bot to pass by them before smashing it over the top of the bot with as much force as she could.

The blow had broken two of the bot's antennas and sent it to the ground. For a moment it tried to recover, hovering a foot off the ground before crashing back down in a plume of smoke. Just for good measure Milky slammed the rock down on it to make sure it was no longer any kind of operational “We do need to get out of here though. If that was an Enclave eye bot and they got it's feed they will know where we are at. We're headed the opposite direction of their base so we should have more than enough time to get lost.”

“Sounds good.” The last thing either of them wanted was an Enclave search party after their heads. Sane was almost positive that the next time the Enclave tracked them down there would be more than one.

Immediately they resumed their travel. After an hour Milky checked her PD. “This isn't going to take as long as I thought.”

“Good.” Sane replied. “I've found I do not like to be in the open so long.” Half collapsed buildings and the occasional ruined vehicle made Sane nervous. He had gotten it in his head that any pony could be hiding in a junk car or a ruined building, just waiting for them to pass by. He shook his head to clear the thoughts. While it was good to remain suspicious, paranoia, would do more harm than good.