Fallout Equestria: Due North

The dawn sunlight streamed in through the rusted window frames of the sky wagon, dragging me back from the abyss of sleep. I rolled over; Sunbeam was awake. Not entirely unexpected, though still unusual.

"Watching the clouds again?" I chuckled slightly.

"Oh, morning Cloudy," she looked over at me, "Nah, just wondering what's going on over there."

"Huh?" I sat up; she was pointing at a series of great plumes of smoke and steam rising from the horizon, leaving the cloud layer heavy and discoloured.

"It's some kinda factory or something," I explained. It seemed somepony had restarted the industry in a nearby city.

"I know that," she rolled her eyes, "I just wanna know what they're using them for. Fillydelphia maybe?"

"Probably," I shrugged.

It looked further away than Manehattan, but not by much; Fillydelphia made sense. It was a place spoken about in hushed whispers and rumours in the 2nd Fighter, a city of slaves and their masters. I'd never heard of it before enlisting, mainly because the Enclave Council discouraged the idea of ponies living on the surface.

According to the Pistol Grip, that was Red Eye's seat of power, the city from which his empire grew. His propaganda broadcast came to mind immediately. I took one last look at the rising smoke, before turning away.

I stood up, heading over to the two boxes set at one end of the wagon. Sunny had picked both locks, though the ammunition box had taken a few tries. I'd propped by saddlebag up against this, although most of its contents were scattered around on the floor. I threw everything back into the bag, including the new medical supplies. The ammo box had contained a couple of frag grenades and a full clip of 5.56 rounds, which were completely useless to me. I packed it all anyway.

The only thing I didn't pack was the plastic inhaler, which had been placed alongside the medical supplies in the first aid box. The tattered paper sticker on the side labelled it as 'Dash'; a combat drug.

I'd never tried the stuff myself, and didn't intend to. Like many ponies in the Enclave, it'd been drilled into my head from adolescence that such substances were dangerous and evil, and it still disgusted me that ponies would actually use this stuff. The real question was whether I should take it to sell or leave it.

I picked up the little inhaler; it couldn't be that bad, could it? I raised it up, inspecting the packaging. What did it taste like?

I stopped myself. What was I doing? I wasn't going to try it!

I hurled it out of the wagon with all my strength. I turned to Sunny, who had gone all tense again. Had my anger scared her, or did she think I was going to take it?

"So, we, uh, going then?" She quickly relaxed, smiling sheepishly as I slipped back into my armour. Songbird's approximate location was shown on my EFS, telling me where to head next; towards the dark spires of Hoofington.

"Sure."

I knelt down to allow her to get onto my back. She winced slightly as she trotted over, casting my mind back to the doctor's clinic and the revelations brought there. I sighed, once again wondering why she hadn't told me about what had happened.

I felt her climb up, and cast the thought from my mind. She got comfortable, and I set off.

======

It was nearly noon by the time we reached the outskirts. Beyond a curving highway streaking off into the distance rose the darkened husks of ancient skyscrapers. Amongst these was a dark, scorched purple structure that climbed high enough to pierce the cloud barrier; Shadowbolt Tower.

The highway seemed to skirt around the edge of the city, making it our best bet for reaching Songbird. It rose away from us, balancing precariously on a series of concrete pillars. A junction lay ahead, giving us a way up onto the road.

"Hey Cloudy?"

"Uh huh?" I replied simply.

"Have you ever, y'know, liked anypony?" Sunbeam asked.

I thought for a second; should I tell her about Astral? I guess it couldn't hurt; I was probably never going to see the colonel, or anypony from Neighvarro, again.

"Well, yeah," I began, "There was this one mare, her name was Astral; Colonel Astral. She was the B.C. up in Neighvarro-"

"B.C?"

"Base Commander," I replied.

"And?" she asked innocently.

"What?" I shrugged. "There wasn't anything between us. It was more of a kinda crush thing."

"So, uh, you met her when you joined up then?" she questioned.

"Something like that," I explained, "I first saw her a year ago, give or take."

"A whole year? You sure it was just a crush?" she teased.

"What? It wasn't like I wanted to do anything with her-"

"Nothing at all?" she pressed, a wry smile creeping onto her face.

"Sunny, not everypony's as obsessed with breeding as stable ponies."

It was meant as a simple tease, although, of course, it was in poor taste. I immediately regretted speaking. Sunbeam let out a sigh and turned her head away, readjusting her position on my back.

"Sorry," I offered. She didn't reply.

By now we'd reached the junction, and so I set off up one of the slip roads onto the shaky highway. The rusting shells of pony-drawn carriages littered the cracked asphalt, interspersed with the occasional autowagon or cargo vehicle.

I approached one of the autowagon wrecks out of curiosity. In the Enclave anything with an engine was owned by the military or government, which were almost on and the same anyway; pegasi's natural stamina mostly negated the need for powered civilian vehicles. The idea of actually getting to see one up close had as such never occurred to me, however the engineer within me desperately wanted to know how it worked.

My flight school history teacher had said that such vehicles were privilege of the rich, powered first by magically-generated steam and later electricity. That had been pretty much all I'd been told, and so with trepidation I approached the rusting hulk.

It had once been a resplendent vehicle, with brass fittings and plating. A plaque on the side of the engine labelled the manufacturer as Flam & Sons, with a logo depicting the name in tall, narrow letters within an apple with the teeth of a gear around its outside. It was shaped like a regular carriage, except with a large and bulky electrical engine unit on the back. A flap on the side hung open, revealing the rusting coils of a spark battery slot. The vehicle had been looted for parts, and several other panels had been torn away.

I guessed it was vaguely similar to a Vertibuck; the Enclave's rarely-used rapid assault aircraft had electrically driven rotors that couldn't have been too different from this craft's engine. The major difference was the scale. I'd seen Vertibuck engines up close, and the vast cylindrical motors hadn't a hope in Tartarus of fitting within the autowagon's compact engine block.

I moved along the wreck, but there didn't seem to be anything else of note. I turned to move on, glancing back at Sunny.

"I just don't get it," she said softly.

"Huh?" I replied, setting off at a slow trot.

"Why I'm special," she sniffed, verging on tears, "All my life I've been told I'm important, better than others, perfect even. And then there's this whole 'Aryan pony' thing and I just don't understand; what makes me so different? I feel like I'm being punished for something I don't even have."

It suddenly hit me that while I'd been investigating the autowagon, she'd been contemplating her past. I mentally cursed myself for not noticing. What she'd said slowly sank in, and I suddenly picked up on her words.

"Punished?" I was genuinely taken aback. "By who? Look, it doesn't matter whether you're some kind of super-pony or not, you're still my little sister." I felt a sense of pride in those words, but worry had formed a pit in my stomach; who had hurt her, and why?

"Back when I was with the raiders, uh, Bone Saw, she… she wanted to stop me from having foals!"

She broke down into violent sobs, and I gently lifted her from my back down onto the road. I pulled her close, sitting down as she cried into me. Just like Golden Heart had done for me.

I forced the thought from my head: I had more to be concerned about.

"But, why?" I asked, as gently as I could.

"I don't know," she struggled to speak through the tears. I just hugged her, the gears in my head running overtime to formulate a comforting response. It was just so much to take in at once.

"We'll find a way to fix this," I said slowly, "I promise." Was that even possible?

"Uh huh," she sniffed, "I-I'm sorry about this, I just-"

"Don't be," I sighed, "Sunny, you never need to apologise for being upset, or for needing to cry. It's okay, really."

"Thanks," she dried her eyes. I stood back up, and she scrambled up to sit on my back. I set off once more, yet what she'd said kept bouncing around inside my head. Why would the raiders have been scared of Sunny reproducing? It just didn't add up.

"Hey, Enclave!" a gruff, unfamiliar voice growled. I spun round, my wings unfurling in irritation. The source of the noise was a griffon, hovering aloft on a pair of great wings. Just perfect; my race's mortal enemy had decided to show up, while I still hadn't reloaded.

He swooped in low, touching down on the cracked road. He was comparatively old, with his hindquarters a faded brown and his feathers the colour of sand. Thick bushy eyebrows sat above dark, wide eyes, and a narrow, jagged beak jutted out from his face, its yellow hue stark in contrast with his muted colours. He wore black combat armour, on the breast of which was the remains of a mostly scraped-off white symbol. Atop his head perched a tin plate helmet, and slung across his body on a fraying strap was an ancient bolt-action rifle. Some kind of mercenary?

"What do you want?" I shot back.

"Who's the kid?" he pointed at me with a claw.

"This is Sunbeam; she's my sister," I scowled at him. "Adoptive."

"A pegasus taking in a foal? So you're a Dashite then?" he rasped, his voice thick with suspicion.

"Just about," I shrugged.

"So where are you headed?" he demanded, raising a clenched claw.

"We're delivering a package to some coordinates up the highway just north of here," I lied; it was better if I didn't go into advanced aliens and alternate dimensions.

"And then?" he asked. I had half a mind to tell him to mind his own business.

"North," I relented.

"What're you going up there for? There's nothing to be had, 'less you go to Ponestown."

"'Huh?" I stuttered. He responded with an eye roll.

"Ponestown," Sunbeam parroted.

"Smart one, she is," he pointed again to the filly. "It's the northern capital, second biggest village in the Republic."

"Second?" I asked; shouldn't the capital of the Northern Republic have been the largest or most important settlement?

"Biggest's old Rainbow Falls," he explained. "It's still not much, but they've an artillery base there an' some kinda missile silo. That's what I've heard anyway."

"So," I interjected, "What about you, where are you going?"

"None o' your damn business," he spat, "But for now I'm following the highway, same as you."

"Uh, you could travel with us," Sunbeam suggested. I wanted to glare at her, but checked myself; I knew how fragile she was at the moment.

"Fine," he scowled, "But don't you start spouting any of your Celestia-damned 'we can make the wastes a better place' Dashite bullshit."

I was about to tell him to stop being stupid when I realised that most Dashites did want to make the wasteland a better place, and I was the exception rather than the rule. I was suddenly painfully aware of the brand on my flank, as it seemed to faintly throb. How much had I done, really, to change things? Not a whole lot.

"Hey, Equestria to pegasus!" the griffon barked, wrenching me from my thoughts. "We going or what?"

"Huh, oh, sure," I stuttered, turning to head onwards.

"Hold up!" he suddenly yelled. "If we're gonna be travelling together, I'm gonna need your name."

"Cloudburst," I grumbled. "What's yours?"

"Silas Goldenclaw," he retorted. "Can we get moving now?"

I ignored him and set off, trotting away as I heard him take to the skies behind me. He swept down past me, sailing on his vast wings, and banked around to halt just down the road.

"Are you going to fly or what?" he snarled impatiently.

"I can't, okay," I growled, my face flushed with embarrassment.

"Can't fly?" he chuckled. "Not much good then, are you?"

"Ah fuck off," I waved a hoof in irritation, while Sunny cringed.

He didn't say anything, but rolled his eyes and flew off ahead. I jogged after him, trying and failing to keep up.

The highway swept off into the distance, surprisingly intact given the circumstances. I quickly exhausted myself chasing Silas, and to my irritation I was forced to rely solely on my rather sluggish normal running speed.

After a short while of this the griffon swept to a halt, touching down on the roof of a rusting carriage. Beyond him a section of the road had collapsed, creating a cracked and broken ramp down to the ground below. A few wrecked wagons lay on the ground, surrounded by half a dozen traffic cones.

The highway rose again beyond this, back up to the proper height. I stopped just before the drop, testing the down ramp with a hoof. It seemed sturdy enough. The griffon took off, flying high above the collapsed section.

"Hurry up!" he yelled. I shifted my weight onto the sloping highway; it held. I set off slowly down, avoiding the several large cracks in the road.

"Uh, Cloudy?" Sunny whispered, poking the back of my neck with a hoof.

"Yeah," I whispered back, "What's up?" Something was clearly worrying her.

"Check your compass," she replied quietly. I stopped and pulled up my EFS. Three red blips, directly ahead. An ambush?

I definitely couldn't see anypony among the wrecked wagons and traffic cones. The only place they could have been was behind the other ramp. I spun round, there were two more behind us, beneath the highway.

I needed to tell Silas, before he went and got himself killed. I whispered a thanks to Sunbeam, and turned to him.

"Hey, what's keeping you!?" he bawled. I pointed downwards, indicating something was beneath the ramp, and mouthed hiding.

He nodded, and snatched up the rifle dangling from his body. I checked on the two behind us; one was moving.

He fired. I jumped, one of the blips on my pipbuck winking out. The other galloped out into the sunlight.

I grabbed three microspark cells from my saddlebag, hastily shoving them into my holorifle. Our attacker opened up at Silas with a submachine gun. I fired, ripping one of her legs off.

The other three scattered: a gang of small time raiders. I ducked behind a carriage, letting Sunny scramble off. Bullets slammed into the vehicle, prompting her to curl up in fear.

"Everything's gonna be fine," I reassured her, leaning out to get a look. A round from Silas ripped through one of the raider's heads, splattering the ground with blood and brain. Two left. I lined up a shot, and sent another to an early grave. The last panicked. Silas rammed his gun's bolt forward. The raider ducked and ran, leaping over a wrecked cart. A vast explosion ripped through the area, evicerating the raider and splattering the area with his guts. The roar rolled outwards, sending debris cascading. The last raider's body was splattered across the dirt and concrete. There'd been mines under the traffic cones.

I moved back over to Sunbeam, wrapping an undersized wing around her to reassure her. She was visibly shaking.

"Thanks," she said softly. I shifted to let her climb onto my back, before standing back up. Silas spun round and let his weapon drop so that it dangled from its sling.

"We should get mov- Ack!" He dropped like a stone; a spear had gone straight through his back. The tip had broken off and the jagged wooden end was jutting out through his chest. He landed with a sickening crunch amid the carnage, a river of hot blood pouring from the wound.

I scanned for the aggressor; for a second there was nothing. Out of the blue a buck materialised, casting off some kind of tattered cloak. Stealth magic? He looked straight at me, gripping a second spear in his teeth. I fired off the holorifle. He ducked out of the way, but the holographic cubes slammed into his flank. He stumbled backwards, collapsing into a crumpled heap.

I galloped out into the open, skidding down the ramp. I reached Goldenclaw quickly, but he was clearly already dead.

"Cloudy!" Sunny leapt clear just as somepony slammed into me. Up and down blurred into one as they landed on top of me. I kicked out wildly.

A hoof collided painfully with my shoulder. Another rammed into my cheek, sending my vision swimming for a second. Pain surged through me, and I fought to keep from yelling as I planted my own hoof into my assailant's flank. He cried out and rolled off me, recovering rapidly. I scrambled up to face him, blinking back tears.

The pony opposite me was a dark grey buck, with a ruddy brown mane. The jagged remnants of a broken horn jutted from his head. His armour had all been dyed a bloody red, and bent street signs had been used for plating.

By far the most terrifying thing about him was that he appeared to have some kind of horrific disease. His coat was patchy, and his skin was dry and cracked, covered with lesions. Several large areas had cracked off entirely, leaving bare flesh that was rubbed raw.

I froze; this was the same pony who'd killed Silas. His flank where I'd punched him was horrifically burnt and scarred from the holorifle shot. He'd taken the hit and kept going, somehow.

He rushed me, and in a panic I swung my weapon butt first. It collided with his muzzle, bloodying his nose. He swung, knocking out my injured leg. I fell backwards, trying to bring the holorifle to bear. He staggered forwards, looking for the kill. I fired before he got the chance. He fell, chest scorched by the blast yet still rising and falling with breath. I stumbled to my hooves, wincing as pain shot up my leg.

"You think," he growled, "That this is over? That you can just take me! No, this ends on my terms: Procella Aeternum!" He shifted a hoof weakly, revealing a grenade without a pin. I leapt back, stumbling over as the blast ripped him to shreds and splattered blood across my armour.

I stumbled over to where Sunbeam had been hiding, the blast still ringing in my ears. She had stumbled out over to where the griffon had fallen from behind a blood splattered carriage.

"I-It's no good," she sniffed, crouching down beside his corpse. "The tip's lodged in his spine, a-and I think the shaft's pierced a lung."

"Look, little sis, you need to calm down," I gently placed a foreleg across her shaking shoulders. "I'm here, everything's going to be alright." Okay, so that probably wasn't true, but I was trying to be reassuring.

"Uh huh?" she looked up at me with those great blue eyes.

"Yeah," I forced a smile.

I moved over to the corpse, pulling the rifle away from it. One of his pouches was full of .303 rounds, and so I took this as well. I could at least sell these for some caps.

I placed it all within my saddlebag and stood up slowly. Sunny tried to climb up, and I gently helped her onto my back with a foreleg.

"C'mon kid, let's get outta here."

======

"Hey, look!"

I glanced around; Sunbeam was pointing to a road sign hanging from a partially-collapsed gantry. Straight on for Stalliongrad, this exit for central Hoofington and the Stable-Tec Regional Distribution Centre. More importantly, somepony had sprayed a new message beneath these two, marking this junction as the one for the Lyra Heartstrings Memorial Museum. The writing was accompanied by a little illustration of a gear shape; a stable door maybe?

I checked my map; we'd arrived. I set off at a canter down the exit ramp and onto the street below. Just along the road was some kind of outer-city industrial park, dominated by a rust-stained blueish building with a large fenced-off area around it.

The little arrow on my pipbuck pointed to this structure, and so I rapidly made my way there. The decaying building had a large parking lot, with a surprisingly large number of autowagons marked with the logo of Stable-Tec. Above the main doors was a huge replica stable door, to the front of which had been attached a corrugated iron sign marking this out as the aforementioned museum, revealing the meaning of the illustration on the sign.

With trepidation I trotted up to the door. The old screen doors had been reinforced with chain link fence, cut down to the size of the door. I raised a hoof and tapped against it, prompting these to rattle.

The door flew open, revealing an elderly earth mare with a light creamish coat and a dark blue and red mane. Her cutie mark was a yellow star, next to a red fire brick; whatever that meant. Her face was wide and grinning, and she stepped away quickly in order to let me past.

"Welcome! Welcome!" she chuckled. "To the greatest museum in all of Equestria!"

A sudden roar prompted me to jump. A wolf, a fucking wolf, ran to the door. It dropped to its haunches and snarled, filling up the doorway and completely obscuring its owner.

"Gibson!" the elderly mare scolded. "You're scaring our guests. Heel! Oh, don't mind him, he's just suspicious, y'know?"

The wolf wimpered and moved out of the way, sitting down next to the mare. How in Equestria could she control that thing?

"So, what brings you two out here?" she shoved her face up close so that it filled up my view and prompted me to step back.

"Now this in gonna sound off-the-hook crazy," I admitted, more than a little embarrassed, "But we're looking for this creature that like, walks on two legs and has claws, kinda like a diamond dog, but they're smarter and have manes and really advanced technology. You know anything about that?"

"You've seen a human!" she leapt three feet skywards. "Well you've come to the right damn place! You betcha I've seen one! You wouldn't happen to have any of their tech or anything would you? Ill pay for it, in caps, up front. Oh, did you hear that Gibson, they know about the humans!" I was taken aback by her outburst. At least we were in the right place; maybe this pony had encountered the same anomaly Songbird had fallen through.

"Oh, do come in. I'll get us some tea and you can tell me all about your encounter," she skipped off into the building, and I quickly followed.

The building had once been the Stable-Tec regional HQ, with a few offices up front leading into a vast warehouse. A six-foot corrugated iron wall separated the front quarter of this from the rest. This area had been converted into a living space, with old armchairs and office chairs around a battered metal desk serving as a coffee table.

One large door in the improvised wall had a sprayed sign above it, with a large arrow marking This way to the museum! I picked a seat next to this, shucking my saddlebag off onto the floor, and she sat opposite me. Sunbeam ended up sitting on my lap, learning into me.

"So, who're you two then?" the mare asked.

"Oh, I'm Cloudburst, and this is my little sister Sunbeam," I explained.

"Little sister?" she croaked. Of course she'd be suspicious; I was a Dashite in Enclave armour with an earth pony sibling.

"Adopted," I replied flatly, trying not to dwell on the issue.

"Ah, okay," she smiled again, "I'm Pearl Gleam, but you can call me Granny Pearl."

She got up and walked over to the door. She threw it open with surprising ferocity, and started yelling into the warehouse while banging on the corrugated iron.

"Hey! Gemme a coffee!" she turned to me. "Want anything?"

"No thanks," I said quickly; I couldn't stand the stuff. How could anypony like something so bitter?

"And make it quick!" she thumped on the wall a few more times for good measure, before slamming the museum door shut.

"Sorry 'bout that dearie," she smiled, returning to her seat. "Now, can you tell me all you know 'bout the humans."

"Sure," I shrugged. "They've been sending probes over here for years, and four years ago there was a manned expedition. The Enclave killed them all, well, one survived, but he died soon after. They left some stuff behind though, like the Star Blasters."

"An expedition!" she leapt up again. "Please tell me you found the remains?!"

"Some of them," I admitted, pulling out the broken Star Blaster. Pearl's eyes lit up, and she went to snatch the gun.

"Nope," a hint of smugness crept into my voice, "Not until I see the caps."

She nodded, and was about to get up when the corrugated iron door opened again, creaking on seized hinges. I turned to get a look, and the blaster fell from my hooves in surprise.

In the doorway was a bizarre figure; it, no, she was maybe two inches taller than me, with spindly, wiry arms and legs. 'Gaunt' was the best word to describe her. Her head was pretty large though. Her mane, if that was the right term, was a flaxen blonde, sprinkled with dirt and dust. She had bare skin, as opposed to fur like a pony, which was a pale pink colour. Her clothing was threadbare, to the point where any intelligent pony would have thrown it away, yet she seemed determined to cover up. Her eyes were a dull grey, like her father's, rapidly darting between me and Pearl.

A battered metal tray was gripped in her shuddering claws, with a mug full of dark coffee sitting atop it. She set this down between us on the table, before giving the mug to Granny Pearl. She eyed it suspiciously, before taking a cautious sip. It passed her test, and she waved a hoof at our visitor, who turned to leave.

"Songbird?!" I blurted out, unable to hold my silence any longer. She froze, staring straight at me.

"Y-you know my name?" she stammered.

"Yeah, uh, we found the remains of an expedition sent from your world," I let out a long sigh. "They were trying to find you, but they didn't make it."

"Who did they send?!" her eyes began to well up.

"'Bronze Bolt', I think, uh, 'the twins', and, well; your father."

She dropped to her knees, covering her face with her claws and crying. Sunbeam leapt down to the floor and made a beeline for my saddlebag. She reached in, rummaging through until she found what she was looking for: the little rectangle of plastic we'd found on Crosswind's body. She gently passed it to Songbird, who wiped away her tears just enough to look at the picture. She sat back, holding it up to the light.

"I-I miss him," she sniffed, "So much. I-"

Her words disappeared amid a second deluge of tears. I stood up and moved to comfort her, surprised by the miffed expression Granny Pearl shot me. I gently placed a stunted wing across her heaving shoulders, while Sunbeam quietly whispered some kind of consolation.

Songbird sniffed, wiping away her tears once more. She stumbled to her feet, a look of sadness still frozen in her eyes.

"I-I'm okay," she whispered, even through she clearly wasn't. "Th-thanks, uh…"

"Cloudburst," I forced myself to smile, "And this is Sunbeam."

"How's about a tour of the museum?" Pearl interrupted, pouting in irritation. I scowled back at her; the suggestion was completely out of place. Songbird needed comfort and care, not-

"That s-sounds great."

Wait, what? I glanced around just as Pearl swigged her coffee and leapt up. A sudden jolt of pain raced up my leg, prompting me to pull it away and glare down at whoever had touched my injury.

Sunbeam froze, her hoof still outstretched. The wave of fear washed over her again, and I quickly hid my anger. She swallowed, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. I knelt down to try and reassure her. She just looked over to the door and muttered something about waiting. Just great; she'd been trying to tell me something and I'd missed my chance because I'd managed to scare her.

"Are we doing this or what?" Pearl grumbled. I headed over to where she stood, shooting a passing glance of confusion at Songbird. I'd been through the loss of a loved one; you didn't simply get over it after a few minutes of crying. She just looked away, fidgeting with her claws. A slight blush crept across her tear-stained face, barely perceptible with the pink shade of her skin.

Pearl opened the door, stepping through and into the warehouse beyond. I trotted quickly through after her. Inside numerous shelves had been moved into a rough semicircle, laden with mysterious and confusing artifacts. Against the far wall somepony had pushed the office coffee machine, surrounded by centuries-old packets of instant coffee and bottles of purified water.

The items proudly displayed ranged hugely in type; from a shelf covered in small, blue-glowing power cells to a display of clothing so oddly-shaped it could have only fitted members of Crosswind's species, the 'humans' as Pearl had called them.

The centrepiece wasn't on any of the shelves though, a vast construct dangling precariously from the ceiling on wires. It was huge, cylindrical in shape, over ten feet long, and suspended so that the ends of the cylinder pointed to the floor and ceiling. A wide ring of metal ran around it, about three quarters of the way to the top, from which dangled numerous limp robotic arms bearing various tools.

On the top end of the body sat a domed section inset with several dark 'eyes' of varying sizes. On the bottom end a turret had been mounted, carrying a weapon I'd seen before. A perfect replica of Colonel Autumn's Star Blaster, save for a flexible tube running down from the body of the probe which plugged into the ammo port, presumably allowing the weapon to use the main power source. It was manufactured from the same pale silvery metal that all human military constructs used, and there was little doubt in my mind that Starmetal was used somewhere in its construction. Several panels and vents were missing, leaving exposed wiring and scorched ventilation tunnels.

It was a human probe, a 'Firelance' as Crosswind had called it. The roof bars creaked slightly under the weight, but the building seemed to be holding.

"Look at anything you like dearie," Pearl gave an unsettling smile. I moved over to the first shelf, laden with glowing power cells. They were clearly designed to be used with a Star Blaster. Each one cast a pale blue glow across the shelf, presumably due to the magical energy contained within. Was it magical though? Humans didn't appear to have magic; maybe they had advanced far enough to replicate its effects with pure science.

The next shelf had little devices with large screens. Few had any buttons, although several had colourful plastic cases. They were clearly more advanced than what ponies used, simply due to the much more compact scale they were built to. All the necessary spell matrices simply wouldn't fit into that small a container even with the most advanced prewar Equestrian technology.

The shelf beyond this had only one item; a circular purple pendant. The top of the device was made up of some kind of screen divided into segments, which was beaten and cracked in several places. Beneath this all kinds of tiny wires and switches were visible, all slaves to some unknown purpose.

Next up was the display of clothing. Various articles lay scattered around, from tops and jeans to belts and even socks. The centrepiece of this shelf was a black faux leather jacket, slightly battered and scratched up, with metal studs set into the collar.

Lastly, over by the coffee machine, was a collection of photographs. Some of them were old print-outs; a brown-haired girl and her father, a pair of twins grinning wildly while sporting matching purple uniforms, three humans with absurdly long hair singing on a stage, and a group of seven. Wait a second, were those the Ministry Mares? I looked again, and sure enough the famous six were all there, albeit probably in their younger years. Had they traveled across, or were those some kind of alternate universe counterparts?

The seventh girl was unfamiliar to me, but she did appear to be wearing the leather jacket from the clothing display. I leant in closer, trying to make out if they were same or not.

"Interesting, ain't it?" Granny Pearl trumpeted. "I found that one in the pocket of this."

She was pointing to the jacket. I moved over to the second collection, nodding to her in response.

The rest of the photos were of the kind which Crosswind's had been, with layered plastic. They all depicted goings-on in and around some kind of school; the front of the apparently antiquated brick building, surrounded by new glass-and-steel wings, a sports team in blue and yellow garb, some kind of party in the gym, a school marching band performing; that kind of stuff.

I scanned across each one quickly, not expecting much, until I noticed a familiar flaxen-haired girl in the corner of one. She was playing with some friends, chasing after a dog on the grass in front of the school. I took another look at the whole image; the sunlight bathed everything in a bright glow, and everyone was happy and carefree. For the first time I comprehended just how much Songbird had lost.

It was a sobering thought, and it completely derailed my train of thought. I turned away, looking over to where the girl stood. She was stooped low, engaged in serious conversation with Sunbeam about something. She looked up at me, blushing slightly once more. I gave a false smile and she turned back to my sister to continue her discussion.

"Will that be all then dearie?" Pearl was standing by the door, gesturing back into the living area. I had a few questions though.

"Who was Lyra Heartstrings?" I questioned.

"The greatest mare to ever live!" she did another three-foot leap. "Half of the stuff here is from her personal collection; she kept it all up in Canterlot. Died when the megaspells hit, sadly, but at least her legacy will not be forgotten. Any other questions?"

Her voice took on a sour tone at the end. Of course, Lyra was only remembered by a crazy old mare who didn't really appear to understand her collection setting up a museum in the middle of nowhere; her legacy seemed long-forgotten to me.

"How did you meet Songbird?" I pressed.

"I rescued her from some slavers," she explained slowly, "Those imbeciles thought she was just some taint-born abomination! Because obviously the creature that fell out of a portal when you fiddled with the weird pendant is a common mutant!" She scoffed, turning to point to the pendant on the shelf. "You shoulda seen their faces when me an' Gibson cleared them outta this building!"

I paused; trying to visualise the elderly mare taking this place by force. Her wolf wasn't so hard to picture tearing through slavers, but still, it seemed odd that the pair had seized the building.

"Well, if that's all your questions," Pearl said quickly, looking a little uncomfortable, "Then you're free to head out."

"Sure, c'mon sis," I agreed, "Hey, uh, Pearl? Are you going to buy the Star Blaster or whatever."

It was slightly over-acted, but Granny Pearl bought it. She darted off with a cry of "Be right back", leaving me to my thoughts. I looked down at Sunny, a questioning look on my face. She just shook her head; not yet.

I sought out Songbird, who'd picked up the Star Blaster. She quickly looked away, and I noticed a shiver run through her body; something was now worrying her as well.

"Here you go dearie," Pearl dragged me back to reality, thrusting a bag of caps at me. "Now, where's that weapon?". I accepted the offer, not really caring how much she'd given me.

"Hey! Gimme that!"

She trotted over to where Songbird was examining the weapon, before snatching it away with uncharacteristic force. I turned to her.

"Hey, uh, thanks for showing us your collection," I pretended to smile. "I guess we'd better go. C'mon Sunny."

I set off for the door, snatching up my saddlebag as I went. Sunny glanced back at Songbird, before heading off to join me. I tried to sneak an inconspicuous glance back, but without turning my head I couldn't see anything.

We passed Gibson on the way out, patrolling the doorway should any intruders attempt to get in. He gave a deep-throated growl as we passed; a warning of sorts. I ignored the wolf, moving straight past him and out into the world.

I pulled the door shut behind us, causing the chain-link reinforcement to rattle. I looked down at Sunbeam, seeking answers, and she just darted off across the cracked asphalt of the parking lot. She ran around the side of the building, freezing over by the corner. I watched as she forced down her own racing nerves, and for the first time I realised that something serious was about to happen.

"C'mon!" she whispered urgently.

"What's going on?" I replied quietly, joining her.

"I, uh," she faltered, stepping back, "Just trust me."

She ran off down the side of the building until she reached a window. I caught up rapidly, just as she leapt up and caught the window ledge with her forelegs. I reached out with a wing to boost her up until she was precariously balancing on the ledge, one ear pressed against the glass. I wiped an area free of grime and followed suit, watching events unfold within.

"…with him?" Granny Pearl exclaimed, her voice muffled by the glass. "You think he'll want an alien like you following him around? No, of course he won't! Nopony wants you, nopony except me."

"I-I want to go," Songbird choked out, tears starting to roll down her face. "I-I'm sick o-"

"You wouldn't last a day out there," Pearl took on a cruel, mocking tone. "You're useless; can't do anything right. You should be grateful I've had the charity to let you stay here, when I could have just left you to slavery."

Were they talking about me? Who else could 'he' be? I had no idea what I had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been for her to want to join us.

It occurred to me then; I was in effect listening to a twisted version of the argument that me and my mother'd had that fateful night. But Pearl's words were different, darker, and I finally realised what had been troubling Sunbeam; she'd encountered somepony in an apparently similar situation to her own experiences and had tried to do something about it.

The clunk of metal on metal snapped me back to reality. I peered through the dirt-caked window; Songbird was grasping a firearm. It was an ancient wood-and-steel bolt-action I distinctly recognised, a gun I was certain had been in my saddlebag; Silas' rifle. A quick check revealed it wasn't in my bag, but when had she taken it? It could only have been while we were leaving. Had Sunbeam noticed? Probably, considering she'd had a hoof in the rapid organisation of this.

"Y-yeah, well; maybe I just moved from one slave-driver to another!"

She rammed the bolt forwards and down, reaching for a small lever beside the bolt. It was still loaded; she'd just chambered a round. She found the lever and pushed it forwards. Was that the safety?

Sunny was starting to panic, shivers running through her small body as the situation collapsed. She hadn't planned this.

"You wouldn't," Pearl gave a wicked smile, "You can't, because you know that I'm the only pony who even remotely cares about you. Kill me and you'd be left alone with nothing but the wastes for company."

"Y-you don't care," Songbird was crying profusely, "I, I'm just another part of your collection!"

Pearl realised the gig was up. She stepped back, bewildered, trying to figure out how to escape this mess. I saw an idea bloom in her eyes.

A shrill whistle split the air. The paws of Gibson pounded on the floor as he raced to the scene. He saw the stand-off, and quickly dropped to his haunches, hackles raised.

"Put that silly thing away this instant!" Pearl stamped her hoof. "Or I'll ensure you won't be able to sit down for the next month."

Songbird didn't obey. She just kept aiming the weapon. Her breathing settled into a regular pattern, and she shifted so that one finger was on the trigger.

"That's it!" Pearl marched towards the girl, indignant. Her last mistake.

The 'crack' of a gunshot echoed through the glass as the window was splattered with the blood of Pearl Gleam. She slumped, dead, halfway to a stunned Songbird. Gibson snarled, baring a row of glinting teeth, stalking forwards.

"E-easy Gibson," Songbird stammered, operating the bolt on her rifle, "Easy. I-I know you're upset, but it's for the best. I-"

The wolf let out another deep growl, stepping aggressively towards her.

"I know, I know, it's just-" The beast leapt, teeth gnashing and eyes wild. She fired again, the crack of the firearm rolling outwards. He went down with a whimper.

I grabbed Sunny and sprinted for the door, a bubbling mass of emotions fighting for precedence within me. I slammed it open, rattling the chain-link. Beyond the offices Songbird stood, standing in shock. Pearl lay motionless by the wall, while Gibson's corpse was nearly at her feet.

Out off all my warring feelings, anger won out. This child had just stolen from me, provoked a fight, and murdered what my whirring brain declared was an innocent pony.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" I bawled, not stopping to think. She blinked in surprise. Then her eyes filled with tears. She turned and ran, sobbing her eyes out. I picked up the dropped rifle and angrily threw it into my saddlebag.

At that moment I was ready to simply storm out, leaving this whole disaster behind. But something stopped me, and my anger drained away faster than I'd have thought possible. The realisation of what I'd done hit me like a brick; I couldn't just leave her alone here with her regrets and fears.

It was then I noticed that Sunny had disappeared. She must have gone after Songbird. I mentally cursed myself for shouting; what had I been thinking?

With trepidation I opened the door to the museum, creaking on rusty hinges; no sign of either of them. I crept on, past the exhibits and into the rest of the warehouse.

Shelves lay deserted or weighted with junk, gathering dust. Pallet jacks and forklifts lay deserted in the aisles, abandoned with the building. Nopony appeared to have disturbed the place for a long while, save for a path of less-dusty flooring leading to a small office in the back.

I brought up my EFS; two green tick marks pointed in the direction of this office. I hurried over to this. The door hung ajar, and I peered inside.

The walls of the cramped room were plastered with drawings. Stylised depictions of the school from the earlier photos were mixed in with scenes of ponies in spiked armour clashing violently amid ruins and other images besides. More than one showed a familiar girl in a forest, alone or with her father, sometimes equipped with hunting rifles. In the midst of all this sat Songbird atop a hole-ridden mattress, with my sister at her side. She was still sniffing and rubbing her eyes, sore from her tears. She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.

"What do you want?" she sniffed.

"To apologise," I took a deep breath. Then the stench hit me and I immediately regretted it; the place reeked of pony waste. One corner of the room was a toilet of sorts, saturated with excrement.

Everything suddenly fell into place; she had to live in this rancid place despite all the facilities up front, she was dressed in rags clinging to her gaunt form despite Pearly owning multiple human clothes, and the mare had acted towards her with only anger and irritation, even while she'd been grieving for Crosswind. Pearl wasn't innocent. Sunbeam had been right, painfully so. As if I could have felt any worse at that moment.

"You understand now, don't you?"

It wasn't Songbird's voice. I looked over to Sunny, who nodded gently. Then I remembered why the fatal argument with Granny Pearl had started.

"Yeah," I sighed, turning back to the girl and offering a hoof, "Look, Songbird, I… I'm sorry, really. You're welcome to come with us if you want."

"Really?" she tried to smile, honestly, despite the pain. There it was again, that same glimmer of hope that I had before seen in Sunny. It was in the eyes of someone else this time, but it was undeniably the same.

"Sure," I genuinely smiled this time, "But first we should get you cleaned up. How's that sound?"

"H-how?"

"We'll use the stuff up front," I gestured to the door, "Take anything you want from the museum."

"But- Oh yeah," the implications of this washed over her, and she leapt to her feet only to pause for a second. She looked to me, as if seeking approval.

"I've already said it's fine."

She let out a gasp of delight and jogged off, straight into the museum area. Sunny stood up and trotted out through the door, stopping just inside the warehouse. I moved up next to her.

"I worry for her," the filly sighed, "She's just so, uh, sheltered I guess. I mean, I've seen what the wasteland's like; it's horrific." A shiver ran down her spine. For all her maturity she was still a kid, and the sights of the wastes were getting to her. Songbird would probably be the same way.

"Don't worry," I put on a brave face, "I'll keep both of you safe."

By the time we reached the museum she had already raided the clothing and photo exhibits. I singled out the pendant; if we could get it to work again maybe we could get Songbird home. It was human tech though; I'd need parts. I scooped all of the little screen-devices into my saddlebag and retrieved the Star Blaster, hoping they'd be of some use.

After about ten minutes Songbird returned. She'd cleaned herself up massively; her flaxen hair was still wet from washing it. She'd chosen a pair of slightly baggy jeans and a white t-shirt, some blue trainers, and the leather jacket from the display for warmth. It was notably large on her, but not the point where it was unwearable.

"Hey, you look great," I smiled. She was clearly quite self-conscious, shying away from my gaze.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "I used Granny Pearl's shower."

"There's a working shower here?" I was genuinely surprised; not even Pearl had been particularly clean.

"The previous owner hooked up some of the replacement water and heating talismans stored here," she explained, "The whole place has running water."

And yet she'd been forced to use the floor as a bathroom. I felt nothing but disgust for Pearl.

"Cool," I tried not to sound sour, "Hey, I've got something for you."

It was spur-of-the-moment, but she didn't seem to notice. I reached into my saddlebag and found Silas' rifle. I handed it over to her, and she smiled in response. She took the weapon off me, examining the wood and steel.

"Short Magazine Lee-Hooffield Mark III," she read off the weapon, "Cool."

We all showered and I raided Granny Pearl's food store for lunch. Songbird ate vociferously, easily devouring the equivalent of half of our previous rations. We had a lot more now though, enough to last a month or more in preserved wartime condiments.

We ate outside in the dim sunlight. I glanced across at Songbird, who looked away and slowed down somewhat, before resuming her ravenous eating the moment she thought I wasn't looking. That worried me, that she had somehow acquired the idea that I was constantly judging her.

"Hey, Cloudburst?" she inquired suddenly, having finished an entire box of Buckco Mac N' Cheese, "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Nineteen," I said calmly, "How about you?"

"Thirteen, just turned," she gave a nervous laugh, "I'd be in seventh grade back home, I guess. Sunbeam?"

"Nine," the filly shrugged. At least I now had an age for her. I shoved my half-finished box of crackers into my saddlebag.

"So, Songbird," she continued, "Where are you from anyway?"

"Well, I was born in a place called Downtown," Songbird explained, "But me and my dad moved to Canterlot City when I was a baby. It's great, really, with everything you could want in a city…"

She let out a long sigh, turning away. I looked at Sunbeam, seeking an explanation as to her killing the mood, but none was forecoming.

"Finish up," I forced a smile, "And then we'll hit the road."

======

"Uh, Songbird?" Sunbeam chirped.

"Yup?"

"Y'know, uh, back at the museum," the filly began, "With Gibson, could you, uh, understand him?"

"How'd you guess?" Songbird asked incredulously.

"He growled," Sunny explained, "And you, uh, you responded with 'I know'"

"It started after I arrived here," she admitted. "I could just pick up on what animals and stuff meant. It's not like I hear them talking or whatever, I just sorta get what they're saying. Cool huh?"

She looked at me for the last part, ever seeking approval. I just nodded.

A bleep from my pipbuck informed me that the automap had picked out a new location. I glanced down, switching the battered device to map view. Apparently the dilapidated building in front of us was the Red Racer Factory.

I stopped, letting Sunny leap down off of my back to stand with Songbird. It was a largish place, with multiple concrete chimneys soaring skywards. Now they stood silent, monuments to pony industry in days past.

We were on cheap industrial land; large places like the distribution centre and this factory were remarkably common. The only things that distinguished this building were the automap's decision to mark it out and the burnt-out husks of a pair of laser turrets outside; the place had once possessed magical energy security. I approached the door, giving it an experimental push; locked. I was about to turn away when Sunny ran over, her switchblade drawn.

"Gimme a boost," she mumbled, pulling a bobby pin from her holster. She'd taken many from the sky-wagon the night before, carrying them clipped over the leather straps.

The blade worked as a good substitute for my screwdriver, acting as a leverage tool. Within a few a seconds there was a series of clicks and the lock disengaged. The scratched and battered blue doors swung open loosely, and I stood up and trotted inside.

Songbird caught up in the lobby. It was a barren, businesslike place with no room for frills. Perhaps that was why it was so well preserved; nothing was here which could significantly decay. Behind a grimy glass window the factory floor was visible, but there appeared to be nothing of interest that way unless you wanted a two-century old foal's scooter.

One the left side of the lobby however was something notable; an elevator. A terminal protruded from the wall by the door, still glowing monochrome green. I trotted over; it had been locked down, requiring a four-letter password. I was about to turn around and leave when a thought came to me; if I could re-code a flight harness and mod a computer game then I could hack a terminal.

I brought up the debug console and set about weaselling my way in. It wasn't particularly tough security, and soon I was easily skimming through lines of code. Sunbeam watched with great interest as I fiddled with values and edited lines of script, trying to learn for herself maybe?

In the end, the password was 'Oats'. Not the most original. I returned to the login screen and entered it, and a little menu popped up which read;

Destination Floor:

Floor 2 - Supervisor

Floor 1 - Lobby (Current)

Floor 0 - Maintenance

Floor -1 [AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY]

My interest piqued, I selected Floor -1. While I doubted that whatever they kept down there would help our situation much, at least it would probably be interesting. The doors to the elevator opened with a pneumatic hiss, and we stepped inside.

The descent only took a few seconds, and was far less heart-stopping than the climb into the sewers. The elevator jerked to a halt, prompting my stomach to perform a somersault, and the doors slid open to reveal a corridor.

The architecture didn't match anything I'd yet seen in the wasteland, although I was sure I'd seen similar tech somewhere else. The floor was a metal platform suspended just above an actual floor covered in bundles of cabling. Blue lights bathed everything in a cool glow from under the walkway, and the ceiling was low and arching.

Sunny dismounted as I trotted into the hallway, walking alongside Songbird. I glanced this way and that, but still couldn't put my hoof on why this was familiar.

The corridor opened out into a cramped server room filled with long-dead computer terminals bearing markings from Stable-Tec, Robronco, and the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Past this the corridor bent out of sight.

As we passed along it I suddenly remembered; my fifth grade flight school field trip. They'd taken us aboard the Glorious Dawn Thunderhead-Class in hopes of encouraging us to enlist as adults. The interiors of the vessel had greatly resembled this, with really cool three part doors where the top circular part had gone upwards and the bottom split in half whenever they opened…

"Cloudy!" Sunbeam called out, stepping on my tail. I stopped inches from smacking my face into a shimmering dark blue wall of light; an energy shield. There was no visible terminal this side of the shield, though there was one on the other side.

I reached out a hoof to touch it. It tingled slightly, and there was certainly some resistance, yet to my utter surprise it wasn't solid. I took an experimental step, pulling my body through the energy field. It was seemingly harmless, and so I shrugged and moved through.

It was only when I turned around and saw Sunny's face and hooves pressed against it as if it was a glass plane that my blood turned to ice; it was completely solid to her. Songbird had similar difficulty, pressing a claw up to it. I quickly reached over to the terminal and deactivated it, bewildered.

"What was that?" I thought aloud as the others rejoined me.

"No idea," Sunny whispered in reply.

Beyond this was a staircase leading further down into the earth. At the end of this another energy shield blocked access to a cramped room inhabited mostly by a large terminal connected to a bundle of cabling running up through the ceiling.

Was this some clandestine government facility? Had this place been used during the war? What if the zebras had used this facility to conspire against Equestria? Questions bombarded my psyche from all corners of my brain, and I had to calm myself before proceeding.

Once again I could pass through the field, and once again my companions couldn't. I deactivated it as quickly as I could, granting them access to the room. I went to switch on the computer mainframe, when a tape lying on the floor next to one of its ports caught my eye. I inserted it into my pipbuck and reached for the play button, unsure of what to expect. The crackling of a recorded radio broadcast started to play.

"To all Equestrian military assets listening on this frequency," an audibly military mare began, "This is Acting Command, NorFront Instillation Alpha, Stalliongrad, broadcasting on behalf of Supreme Commander Shining Armour. We have received confirmed reports of megaspell detonations within our borders; Cloudsdale and Manehattan have gone dark. Contact with Canterlot has been lost and Princess Luna is presumed dead. A Celestia-Tier state of emergency has been declared.

"All megaspell installations are hereby ordered to initiate Operation Windigo. I repeat; all megaspell installations are ordered to initiate Operation Windigo. All available balefire warheads of covered by this order are to be targeted at major population centres or known military installations on the Zebrica continent.

"Celestia One; you are clear for launch. Orders are to target all known enemy silos along the Zebrican coastline. Full power is authorised.

"The Trottenheimer-Hurricane and McColt-Barding orbital platforms are to commit all warheads to known or suspected enemy positions along the northern border. Damage to civilian properties is not to be factored into target selection."

The mare paused for a second, swallowing a lump in her throat. Given that she'd just told two orbital weapons platforms to ignore the prospect of civilian casualties, whatever was coming next couldn't have been good.

"Starfall is clear for activation," she genuinely sounded worried now. "I repeat; Starfall is clear for activation. You have your orders. Acting Command out."

I stood there in stunned silence for a moment, with nothing but my companions' breathing audible. We'd just heard the end of the world; Equestria had been hit, and had retaliated with everything. Whatever the 'Starfall' megaspell had been, it couldn't have been good.

I gently shuffled over to the central terminal. I flicked the switch to activate it, and a pixelated image of a winged lightning bolt striking down from a cloud filled the screen as it booted up. I recognised it of course; the emblem of the Ministry of Awesome. Had this facility been built for the MoA? It would certainly explain the Enclave-style construction, given that all Enclave tech was modified from MoA stuff. An eight-bit tone informed me that the boot was finished, and the device began a diagnostic spell. A series of errors filled the screen, which read;

************************Listening Post A113 Backup OS V2.3************************

Diagnostic: Operating @ 32.2% Capacity

Mainframe: Error

Backup CPU: Operational

Long Range Communicator: Error

Zebra Decryption Drivers: Error

Memory: Error

Auxiliary Memory: Partial Error

Stable-Tec Network: Error

Equestria Military Radio: Error

MoA Secure Radio: Operational

Available Frequencies:

640MHz

There was only one working radio frequency, which I selected. Immediately the room filled with the background chatter of a military radio channel.

"Railroad 2-1 this is Firefly Actual," somepony barked, "Please respond."

"Reading you loud and clear Actual," came the reply from an unknown mare, "We've mopped up the slavers and we're prepping for return. Zero casualties were suffered, sir."

"What about the slaves, 2-1?"

"One casualty, Actual," she said dryly, "Four injured. We escorted them to the nearest settlement."

Who were these guys? They were military, using Enclave radio protocol, yet they weren't using the normal Enclave frequencies. It could have been Steel Rangers, but they weren't exactly known for going out of their way to free slaves.

"Who then?" I thought aloud, unaware that the microphone for the device was on.

"Who the fuck are you?" 'Actual' demanded. "This is an secure military frequency; how in Equestria did you get on here?"

"I- look, my name's Cloudburst," I explained hurriedly, "And there's a terminal under the Red Racer factory picking up your 'secure radio'."

"Red Racer, in Hoofington?" 'Railroad' butted in. "Sir, doesn't that have two-layer bypass?"

"Not sure 2-1, will confirm." The radio went silent for a second, save for the omnipresent background static.

"This is Firefly Actual," the stallion resumed. "I can confirm that Listening Post A113 should have bypass shielding active. Look kid, Cloudburst or whatever; when you entered this place, were there any energy fields up?"

"Yeah, two, why?" I replied.

"How did you get past them?" Actual's voice was tinged with suspicion.

"Walked straight through them," I replied, hoping they could explain it, "Although the others with me couldn't. Any idea why?"

"Straight through? Shit," he went silent for a second, "Okay, I'm going to divert a unit to your location. Railroad 2-1, I want you to head over to the Red Racer factory in Hoofington. Get to the bottom of this."

"Copy that Actual," 2-1 responded, "We'll touch down outside; meet us there."

"Hold up," I demanded, "How will I know it's you?"

"You'll know it when you see it," she replied, "Look for the number 34."

Footnote: Level up.

Companion Perk:
What the? - Dimensionally displaced child Songbird has joined your party! While she is a companion, animals will not attack you unless provoked and abominations are less likely to attack.

New Perk:
Rapid Reload - You reload all hoof-loaded weapons 25% faster.