Fallout Equestria: Dance of the Orthrus

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1 - Red Flags
Chapter 2 - Blood Hound
Chapter 3 - Predator and Prey
Chapter 4 - Sleepover
Chapter 5 - Corps Brigade
Chapter 6 - The Void
Chapter 7 - Pound of Flesh
Chapter 8 - Parting Ways
Chapter 10 - Disco Panic
Chapter 11 - The White Rabbit
Chapter 12 - Dinner and a Show
Chapter 13 - Storm of Troubles (pt 1)
Chapter 14 - Storm of Troubles (pt 2)
Chapter 15 - Sleeping Giants
Chapter 16 - Out of the fire, into the frying pan
Chapter 17 - Orientation
Chapter 18 - Equality, More or Less
Chapter 19 - Equality, Door to Door
Chapter 20 - A Game of Deception
Chapter 21 - Reef Front Property
Chapter 22 - Blue Blood
Chapter 24 - Clockwork Apple
Chapter 26 - Dragon-Slayers Gambit
Chapter 27 - Political Compass (Part 1)
Chapter 28 - Political Compass Part 2
Chapter 29 - Political Compass Part 3
Chapter 30 - Spelunking
Chapter 31 - To the Orphic Kindome
Chapter 32 - Abrupt Costumes Party
Chapter 33 - Desperate Maneuvers
Chapter 34 - Don’t Fear the Reaper
Chapter 35 - Ascent
Chapter 36 - City in the Sky
Chapter 37 - Smut Radio
Chapter 38 - Raid
Chapter 39 - Predator and Prey
Chapter 40 - At a Paths End
Chapter 41 - Reunited
Chapter 42 - Stable 50
Chapter 44 - The Weeping Pegasus
Chapter 45 - A feast for all.
Chapter 46 - Hunted Hunters
Chapter 47 - The &D Stable
Chapter 48 - Harsh Interrogation
Chapter 49 - Labs A
Chapter 50 - Labs B
Chapter 51 - Labs C
Chapter 52 - Labs D
Chapter 53 - At the end of time and space.
Chapter 54 - Tartars
Chapter 55 - Royals who bleed blue
Chapter 56 - Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 57 - Mutiny aboard the Weeping Pegasus
Chapter 58 - The Goddesses Chosen
Chapter 59 - Negotiations
Chapter 61 - Try the Alternative
Chapter 62 - Big Sister
Chapter 63 - Rampage
Chapter 64 - Terrorism
Chapter 65 - Servants of Darkness
Chapter 66 - All things must come to an End
Chapter 67 Battle for New Cloudsdale Part 1
Chapter 68 Battle for New Cloudsdale Part 2
Epilogue
Introduction
Chapter 9 - Guns Glorious Guns
Chapter 23 - Persephone Station
Chapter 25 - Fear No Evil
Chapter 43 - All Fall Down
Chapter 60 - The Skin Deep Truth

Prologue

"Not long now, soon we will be sitting on warm sands and be sipping on wild Pegasus whiskey." Wild Winds, was nothing but chipper the entire time that she’d been flying us. She had nearly jumped out of her power armor when she heard that we would be on a recon mission to the Marewaii Islands. "I can see it now, beachfront property."

"And what if there's locals around?" South Breeze was ever the pessimist, but he was one damn good markspony. "And what if they hate us just like every pony in Equestria does?" Like the shots he took, his remarks were normally spot on.

"Naw, it's more likely they will be just be tribals banging rocks together. You know, maybe they’ll think we’re gods or something! That’d be awesome." Wild Winds nickered at her own comment.

A whistle came from Warm Gale. As always, he had to chime in. "If we're seen as gods, I wouldn't mind being the god of love." It didn’t help that his favorite topic was mares, but he always forced the point that he wasn’t too picky about gender.

"CAN IT, YOU LOT!" Our fearless leader, Light Turbulence, was only on edge because she was still technically getting used to her new rank of 'captain'. She had always been the youngest of the whole squad, and so we all treated her like a younger sister. Of course she hated that, and compensated for it by yelling at us all the time. She liked to overplay the whole 'I'm in charge so listen to me' sort of thing, and we all just kinda went along with it."THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MISSION. SO NO BOOZING, NO STARTING A WAR, AND NO TAIL CHASING! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" She wasn't a bad leader, she just made it easy for us to have some fun at her expense.

"YES, SIS!" We all yelled in unison. That started her fuming. A little more teasing, and she would retreat and pout.

"Do you want a candy?" I took out a lemon drop from a pocket and passed it to her. "Here, have a candy."

She slapped the lemon drop from my hoof. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY, MERIT CROSS!? DO YOU WANT TO BE COURT MARTIALED!?" She was absolutely fuming now, but the trip back home would be a long one. She’d have had plenty of time to have cooled off by the time we got back.

I rolled my eyes. "If you didn't want the candy, you could have just said so." She raised her hoof to strike me. It was going to hurt, but I've had captains who could and would strike me harder to just prove to the other soldiers that they were in charge. Light Turbulence was more of a product of bureaucracy than military dictatorship.

"Captain! Marewaii is in sight... and something else too." Wild winds called out.

Light glared at me. "We will finish this later." putting her hoof down, she trotted to the front of the vertabuck "What's this ‘something else’?"

"Don't know, but there's two of them, and they’re following us." Wild Winds responded. “They just showed up out of nowhere...”

I could see the confused and worried look on both South Breeze and Warm Gale’s faces. I waved at them to stay buckled up, as I unbuckled myself from the seat. Walking up to the front, I could see the two blips on the radar display.

"Might be vertibucks. Maybe there's another Enclave outpost out here on the water?" Light said as she rubbed her chin. "We’ll attempt to initiate contact." She glared at me, and I got to working at the radio knobs, switching to an open frequency. "This is a recon unit from the New Cloudsdale Enclave. Pursuit craft, state your business. I repeat, this is a recon unit from the New Cloudsdale Enclave. Pursuit craft, state your business."

There was no immediate response to Lights broadcast, not even one ten or twenty seconds later. We waited for over a minute in silence, before we got a response from a gravelly sounding stallion.

"Surrender or die."

We were once more in silence, stunned really. Even if the Enclave has been aggressive about controlling the airspace of Equestria in the past, we never jumped straight to threats like that. To have a threat directed at us so clearly felt more like it was grounders with a vertibuck, and not fellow pegasi.

"What should we do, Captain?" Wild Winds asked, but received no answer.

Light Turbulence was running through all the proper procedures in her head, I could see it on her face. I've seen it before, when untested soldiers are put in command, and have to make a hard decision. It either took a hardened heart to quickly make such a decision, or simply knowing that ‘surrender or die’ simply meant ‘die later, or die now.’

I jumped into the gunner's seat, "Take evasive action, Wub Wub. I’ve got the guns."

Wild Winds saluted. "On it, Hoof Shiner." The vertibuck banked left speeding up as the two behind chased after us. I’d always hated that callsign, so many years of kissing flank and it’s that only thing I ever got out of it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, CROSS!" Light screamed at me. "DO YOU WANT ME TO EXECUTE YOU RIGHT HERE AND..."

Light was cut off by the sound of gunfire peppering the right side of the vertibuck. Wild Winds dove, and turned the thrusters on full to escape the gunfire. "Dammit! I can't make an attempt to flank them, as soon as I dodge one, the other compensates." I could see the worry on Wild Winds face.

Banking right, the vertibuck just barely avoided a energy beam. The stream of magical energy racing towards the island. Light, not being buckled in, slammed into the wall.

"The Island!" I pointed out. “We might be able to shake them if we use the terrain down there.”

Wild Winds B-lined it for the Island, dropping us down to where we were skimming just above the surface of the water. The bright sun shimmering on the crisp blue water felt unreal compared to what was happening. The Island’s immensity came sharply into focus as we raced to it, the stress on the arcano-engines now louder than I’d ever heard it before.

Gunfire rained down all around us. Whoever was manning their guns was not the best shot. With how many rounds they were firing, however, it was not like they needed to be. They’d hit us through sheer volume eventually!

I could feel a hoof pull back my seat. "What the fuck is going on!" I looked back at captain Light Turbulence. She’d lost her composure, and panic had set in on her face. “This was suppose to be as simple recon mission, no air battles!"

The sound of pinging metal caught our attention as one of the enemy craft hit us with machine gun fire. The outside air rushed in as holes punched through the side of us. Worse yet, the gunfire was followed by the sound of a pained cry.

"FUCK! LOVER BOY IS HIT!" South Breeze shouted, and started to unbuckle himself, but in his panic failed to.

Light Turbulence pushed herself off my seat and jumped to Warm Gale. "STAY SEATED EYESHADOW!" She pulled out a healing potion from Warm’s medic bag. Quickly, she uncorked it and shoved the potion into his mouth. "Just hold on, Just hold on!"

He coughed as the last of the potion went down his throat, pushing the empty bottle away. "Is that an order, sis?" Warm Gale choked out, trying to keep the potion down.

"YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT IT’S AN ORDER!" Light shouted.

Refocusing on our weapons, I noticed on a sensor panel that the radiation levels were increasing. Along with that, our air toxicity detector was having a hayday with whatever was ahead. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, as Light cursed under her breath.

"EVERYONE, PUT ON YOUR FILTERS! WERE GOING THROUGH A CLOUD OF SHIT!" She said, pulling one of the safety rebreathers off the wall. Like the safety briefing most recruits slept through instructed, I secured my own filter first before I helped Wild Winds get her filter over her muzzle. Seeing as she was too busy dodging gunfire and keeping us all alive, it’s understandable why she didn’t rush to put it on herself.

The two other craft were relentless with their pursuit, countering every attempt Wild Winds made to evade them. Our only advantage was that they were still too far behind to be able to get an easy shot on us. Reaching land, Wild Wind lifted up the vertibuck ever so slightly and skimmed along the top of the treeline. To our luck, we were heading straight to the ruins of an overgrown, old and dead city. Like much of Equestria’s architecture, it was somehow still standing after two hundred years.

Dramatically dropping speed, I could hear Light Turbulence’s hooves grind on the floor as she did her best to prevent herself from flying into the front console of the vertibuck. Wild Winds quickly banked and turned again. She was using the ruins as cover, and preventing the second enemy craft from countering her moves. With more grace than a vertibuck should be capable of, Wild Winds performed a loop-de-loop. It was a hell of a maneuver, but it got us to come back down behind the first craft that had been closely chasing us.

Now able to see the enemy craft, it was a vertibuck. Yet, it was clearly not an enclave vertibuck. Painted red with green trim, it was far outside regulation colors. Where the Enclave emblem would have been, instead was the image of a green circle of thorns. There were other details of it’s design, but I lost them as they tried to evade our persuit. I pulled the trigger to all of our guns, while Wild Winds guided the nose of our Vertibuck. The enemy vertibuck practically disintegrated under the barrage of fire. It burst into flames as it tumbled down toward the ground. There was a tremendous blast as it struck, shaking the air itself as we flew over it.

"One down, one to go!" I called out. Looking at the radar, everything was a haze. For some reason, I couldn’t locate the other vertibuck now. With all this toxic shit clogging the air, every sensor we had was somehow now useless.

"Do you see it?" Wild Winds asked as she focused on flying our craft through the ruined city.

“No,” I shook my head. “Sensors are completely dead. Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way and actually use our eyes for once."

"So much for spending time at the beach.” Wild Winds groaned. “And what the fuck is up with this place? The radiation is everywhere, but why’s everything covered in plants? I can honestly say I’ve never seen so much green before," She whipped us to the side, narrowly avoiding a length of vine stretched between two of the decrepit skyscrapers. "and it's starting to piss me off!"

I could feel some weight on my seat again. Taking a glance back, Light Turbulence stood behind us. Her uniform was all scuffed up from bouncing all over the vertibuck, but she looked fine otherwise. "Report!" she huffed.

"Who ever has been attacking us is definitely not Enclave. On top of that, the island is incapable of supporting pony life… abundant greenery notwithstanding." I tapped my hoof on the radar. "Also were flying blind right now. Whatever is in the air is jamming all of our sensors."

Light leaned in, taking a better look of the greenery covered ruins. It was a strange sight to see compared to Equestria, with all the gray and brown being replaced by blues and greens. The building themselves looked almost ready to fall over, only being held up by the absurd amount of vines that webbed in between the brick and steel. Trees poked out of long vanished windows, and flowers of all colors dotted all over like stars in the night sky.

Light looked enamored with the sight, and I couldn't blame her, we all were. "Shame really... Let's gather our data and get the hell out of here."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Did you forget that we're still under a..."

Bullets rained down on us again without warning. Wild Winds banked right sharply to get us out of the fire. The chattering fire from the other vertibuck pinged off us again. The vertibuck shook violently as the left engine whined. Alarms were going off all over the cockpit now, and Wild struggled to pull us away from getting hit again.

"Fucking hell, the asshole hit the left propeller” Wild Winds cried. “Brace yourselves, we're going down!" Her attempts to keep the vertibuck stable as we rapidly lost control gave me the time to spot somewhere we might be able to crashland.

"Ahead of us, there's a tunnel!" It wasn’t much, but it was something we could use to get away from those assholes chasing us, if at least for a moment.

Grinning, Wild Winds did her best to roll the vertibuck onto its right side. The right propeller pulled us as we drifted sideways through the air toward the tunnel entrance. Throwing the throttle to max, Wild intended to get us in as deep as possible. I really didn't plan on being pancaked on the side of this island today. All I could do was sit and trust that she could make us fit in there on the first try.

"HOLD ON EVERYPONY!" Hitting the ground, the sound of metal scraping on rock became a roar in our ears. Wild Winds did her best to keep the vertibuck from rolling over completely. The glass cracked as rocks bounced off the vertibuck, and the right engine burst into flames as we skid along on it.

I don't know how far we'd slid into the tunnel when the vertibuck finally came to a stop, but I was just glad that we stopped in one piece. Smoke wafted about the cockpit, as no less than a dozen ringing alarms filled the air. Wild groaned and slammed her hoof at some switches on the control panel, hoping to turn them off. When she did, sparks shot from the control panel and everything in the vertibuck went dark as the power died. The crackling engine fire was all that met our ears as we sat there in semi-darkness.

"Is anypony dead?" I called out.

"I'm alive." said South Breeze

"Looks like little sis ith out cold." Warm Gale called out with an odd slur. “An’ I’m fine.” I looked at Wild Winds, noting that a little blood came from his mouth. Probably bit his tongue in the crash, but not too bad it seemed.

"Let's get moving, were sitting ducks here.” I said as both her and I unbuckled ourselves. My legs felt stiff, and protested at the idea of moving after a crash like that. Pointing, it was on me to take charge in the captain’s absence. “Lover Boy, you take the captain and see if you can wake her up. The rest of us, gather supplies and get ready to disembark."

Opening the door of the vertibuck, we were all hit by a wall of thick, humid air. As all of us froze with the odd sensation, the sounds of wildlife echoed in from the dead city. Despite the heavy radiation, this island was somehow still teeming with life. It was like a juicy looking fruit, tempting bait that made me want to get out and explore it. Too bad that fruit was more than likely full of poison.

"Hoof Shiner, you're going to want to see this!" South Breeze called out to me.

"We don't have time for sightseeing,” I said, turning to him. “We need to get supplies and find shelter as soon..." My eyes followed his, looking down to find a Mangled and half crushed pony under the vertibuck. IT wasn’t a body, or a skeleton, but the form of a pony covered in tattered clothes and still leaking blood. The pony had what looked like a enviromental suit on, as well a gas mask. Clamped securely to the one leg of the pony that wasn’t completely destroyed by our crash, was a pipbuck.

"I think we killed a local." South Breeze pointed out unnecessarily. A familiar whine grew in my ears as we stared at the odd sight.

Without any warning, Wild Winds jumped over me. Her bruised wings struggled to flap, but she turned around quick enough to get our attention. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that asshole is back!"

At the end of the tunnel, the enemy vertibuck was now flying at just above ground level. It had slowed to squeeze into the tunnel after us, but it was still approaching. Two energy beams shot out from it at our vertibuck. The bright beams struck and blasted off the other propeller. Their next shot shattered the cockpit window and melted my gunner's seat.

Looking around, we needed to find a place it couldn’t maneuver to hit us at. A bright yellow sign on the wall ten feet from us caught my eye, hanging as if it had been placed just yesterday. It depicted a stairwell going down, and sat over the rusted open door of an entrance.

Without any idea where it lead, I made a judgement call. "Everypony follow me, we’re going underground!" Another shot from the enemy vertibuck lanced off the hull of our own, boiling away it’s paint and melting the metal plate it hit to slag. “now!”

Wild Winds saw were we were going, and was the first into the stairwell. She held her energy weapon up as she did, ready to take out any more hostiles that met us. I was next, but a hail of bullets and energy beams followed me, cutting off the others. Using our ruined vertibuck as cover, the two stallions looked at me with worry. Fuck, I was going have to make a hard choice.

"EYESHADOW, COVER LOVER PONY!" I ordered to him.

They nodded. South Breeze readied his energy rifle, and began attempting suppression fire at the vertibuck. The vertibuck retaliated against South Breeze, and Warm Gale took the opportunity to run to the stairwell. Without much of a problem, Warm made it inside before the enemy could adjust to hit him.

It had worked, and now South was all alone fighting a vertibuck. No greenfeather to combat, he was good enough to avoid the bullets. However, when the energy beam cut through his cover, we all saw him panic and change cover. Thankfully he hadn't been hit directly. With a quick hiss, something zipped toward our virtibuck. A rocket slammed into where he’d been taking cover before, blasting half the vertibuck apart. As the smoke cleared, we could see South on the ground and crawling up against the wreck. He was alive, but the blast had left him with some deep cuts.

"I'm going to go get him." Warm spoke up as he turned around.

I raised a hoof in objection, but I could see the determination in his eyes. He and South were best friends, and Warm was not about to leave his buddy behind. I didn't have the cold heart to hold him back, because right now we really didn’t have a choice. Passing the captain to me along with his medic bag, he flared his wings. With a quick push into the air, he shot out to South.

To his credit, he got to South fast. The virtibuck resumed shooting with it's energy weapons as he reached his friend. South screamed in agony as Warm pulled him up and slung him across his back. He spread his wings and took a deep breath, ready to try to make the return trip. Another loud hiss filled the tunnel, and another rocket zipped by. In a flash, both of them were gone.

My hooves fell out from under me. Wild looked away with her eyes shut tight, letting out a quiet "No." that even to me was just barely audible. All I could do was close my eyes and bow my head. Warm and south weren't just two soldiers or comrades to us. We had just lost two friends, and that hurt us all.

Closing the old door, we turned and quickly headed down the stairwell. The captain was still on my back out cold, and we had no idea what we’d find ahead. We needed to get somewhere safe, come up with a plan to get our hooves on their vertibuck, and head back to New Cloudsdale. It wasn’t the most rock solid idea I could have come up with, but it was the only one we had for now.

"Hay Hoof Shiner, you hear that?" Wild Winds whispered. I stopped and concentrated on the sounds around me. Unlike the greenery above, the stairwell was dark and eerily silent. Ever so silently, I could here something, something like... "crying, I think?" Wild pointed out.

As quietly as we could, we moved forward to investigate the sound. A few feet past the next corner, we came upon an old tarp that had been pinned up like a tent against the wall. Holding a hoof out to the others, I crept up to it. Slowly, I reached my hoof up and hooked it around the old plastic. As I pulled it back, I revealed a pony mare inside.

She had a soft pink coat, and a sky blue mane and tail. Strangely, she had stripes much like a zebra, although much more faded than any I’d ever seen. Along with a shockingly diminutive horn, a pair of just as diminutive wings sat curled on her back. The mare looked at us through her cracked face mask, her vibrant blue eyes shimmering as they went wide.

The mare stared into my eyes for a moment, gasped, and fainted right at my hooves.

______________________________________

Fallout Equestria: Dance of the Orthrus

______________________________________

I let out a grunt as My vertibuck landed with less grace as I would have liked. Either we needed to fix these hunks of junk up again, or we needed better pilots. Both ends of it made me glad that I’d been holding my drink in my magic. Using magic for every little task felt weak and without any real grace, but it did keep me clean at times like this. As the doors opened up, I was forced to feel the foul humid air of this wretched Island. The air filter I was using was less than comfy, but it did keep me from breathing this toxic air.

Stepping out from the vertibuck, my red overcoat flapped in the rogue winds that came through here. I stomped at the ground, trying to knock off the dirt that had collected on my red shoes. Without any luck, I was about to wipe them off on the griffin holding the door. Hesitating, I decided to wait until I was getting back onto the craft.

"Admiral Flintlock Hook! What a surprise t' see you here. What's t' occasion?" Blackspot was an odd stallion. How he’d ever made first mate to the ship he served aboard was a mystery to me. I didn't trust him, or Captain Carving Doll. I could see the evil in their eyes, but without proper cause, I could not purge them from the fleet.

"Shut your trap Black Spot, and show me t' recording.” I snapped, not wanting to have my time wasted.

He bowed, and two twin unicorn mares stepped up from his sides. One approached holding a pipbuck in her magic. They both had the same twisted green eyes as Black Spot and Carving Doll, like it was some kind of disease a pony could catch. The other mare not holding the pipbuck, turned on the notes screen and pressed play on an audio file with her magic.

"Payment will be sent to the dead drop upon completion of the contract. Any deviation or errors on this job will result in reduction of your pay. You will lead the princess as far from Charon’s Stop as you can, to the surface would be best. Feed her wanderlust as much as possible, make sure she’s enjoying herself. Then when your are where you’re certain that nopony will find the body, dispose of her. The story if you are caught on return was that she is to be considered lost to the outside due to her own foolishness. What happened to her must be a mystery, and under no circumstances should you ever reveal where her body could be found. Your success in this job will help ensure peace in the Orphic Kingdom for years to come."

Black Spot stepped up to me once again. “We only found three bodies, t' two others belonged to t' vertibuck that was shot down in a separate incident.” He waved his hoof, and the twins walked off out of sight.

I smiled. "Now isn't this an interesting' treat." Beckoning Black Spot closer with my hoof, I wiped some of the mud off my shoe on his vest. “I’ll give you permission to chase this ‘princess’ down into this toxic no ponies island. Goddess speed, Savvy.” Waving the first mate off, I turned my attention to one of my pegasus holding a metal briefcase. Black Spot looking more then willing to put some distance between him and me as he returned to his crew.

“We recovered the black box from the unknown virtibuck, ma’am.” The pegasus called out, quickly flying to me.

Taking hold of the briefcase in my magic, I opened it to take a quick look. The cloud tech flight data recorder was still in pristine condition. Shutting the briefcase, I passed it to my griffin guard. “You can return to you crew sailor.” The pegasus saluted, flying off to rejoin Black Spot.

Returning to my vertibuck, I took the care to properly wipe my hoof shoes off before entering. I didn’t know why some ponies loved walking on dirt, and leaving a mess everywhere, so uncivilized. Taking a seat, the engine whirred to life, and the vertibuck quickly lifted off. Taking me away from these goddesses forsaken islands, and back to my ship.

Pulling out my pocket watch, it looked like I would get back in time for tea. That, and see how Captain Carving Doll’s new cyber wings turned out. I know that they will make quite the buzz.

______________________________________

Start New Game? [Y/N]

[Y]

Chapter 1 - Red Flags

*BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

With my head pounding from a hangover, my heavy eyelids struggled to open up. One thought ran through my mind, asking 'Why did I forget to turn the fucking alarm off?'. Reaching my left foreleg out to turn it off, I found that my left prosthetic leg was not attached anymore. Annoyingly, the leg wasn’t actually anywhere in sight.

“Where did that damn leg go?” I grumbled.

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZ, click*

The radio switched itself from the normal morning alarm, to music. To my dismay, it was a fast paced electronic style, which didn't help with my headache. Mercifully, the music died down, being replaced with the raspy voice of a familiar mare.

"Good morning Marewaii. This is DJ Cerberus, bow-wow. Broadcasting to you with love from club Three-Dog, here under Pineapple Isle. Now, if you've just woken up, or have been partying all night without a care in the world, then I have some news for you. The Ponies Republic of Valley isle is once again, surprise surprise, trying to bully it's neighboring stations into joining there collective cult. If you want to hear more about it, just tune in to radio station two for your daily dose of propaganda, I'm sure president Garmon Keys will love to know that more ponies are tuning into him being a windbag. The Trade Union is practically arguing over what the definition of 'is' is, as they siphon the bits from our coin purses. Radio station one has most the political asshattary covered there, so if that flots your boat, tune into them. In other news, Gatherings isle's Orphic kingdom had been strangely quiet. Now, I'm with you all with saying good riddance to bad rubbish, but we all know that if the deep dwellers aren't yapping, then they are up to something. I'm hoping that's it's just an extended tea party. I have one more bit of news, and it’s about the increased amount of Orthrus regulars seen about the various stations. They say that there running drills, but I don't kn...."

I finally gathered the strength to roll over and hit the snooze button with my right hoof. That's when I discovered that something long and hard was nestled down between my legs and my marehood. Quickly throwing the covers off, I discovered the culprit was my missing left foreleg.

"I’ve got to stop doing that." I grumbled as I rolled my tired eyes.

Feeling to lazy to put it on with one hoof, I moved the wayward leg into a position near my shoulder. In a less than graceful attempt to fit it in, I simply rolled my left shoulder onto it. Of course, it didn't attach and save me a bunch of effort this morning. Instead, after a little nudging with my right forehoof, I finally heard the click of success.

Focusing my innate magic into the mechanical left foreleg, I started to charge it. It always felt like a liquid passing through me, warming my left shoulder as the leg came to life. The screen on my pipleg flickered on, and from it, the logo for the Orthrus popped up as part of the boot-up process. The projection it made in my head aggravated my hangover, reminding me of why I’d probably taken the leg off in the first place. Twisting my leg a little to the left turned off the mental projection, replacing it with a smaller logo at the bottom right of my vision.

After my pipleg finished booting up, the blue heads up display dimmed in the sides of my vision for a few seconds before fading out like it always did. It left my vision clear of any icons until a point where I needed them, and that was how I liked it. On the other hoof, what I actually needed was some sort of painkiller, because my head was still pounding. Damn hangovers...

Rolling out of bed, I kicked open a panel at the base of my mattress, revealing a small, inset button. I pressed it haphazardly with another kick or two, grunting with my attempts. The room lit up as the bed rose up and folded neatly away into the wall. My closet took it's place as it rose up out of the floor.

Ignoring it for now, I took a step toward my fridge. Opening the small thing up, I looked at what remained of last night's dinner. A half eaten green vegetable wrap. It wasn’t bad, but I could still only really taste the bland recycled plant matter they used for the wrap part. The filler was made of beans, cabbage and carrots. Just the kind of food to help with a hangover.

"Minerva?" I asked, my pipleg beeping in confirmation. "Use the holding spell on the green wrap."

"Hold where?" Minerva responded with its synthetic mare-like voice. The assistant V.I. in my pipbuck was useful for everyday tasks, but it did get irritating that I had to specify exactly what I wanted it to do half the time.

"Above my head for now." I responded. The pipleg beeped again, and the green wrap levitated, covered in the blue glow of the pipleg's magic. With the wrap just above my head, I took a step back and closed the fridge. Turning my attention to the Microwave, I took a step to my left and opened it's door.

"Minerva, Place the green wrap in the Microwave." I sighed, giving the pipbuck yet another command. Unicorns have it damn easy, what with their horns that actually work and whatnot.

The pipleg beeped in confirmation again, and the wrap levitated down into the microwave oven. Closing it, the door secured with a click and I turned the timer knob with my right hoof to cook for forty five seconds. The microwave oven lit up, and the wrap slowly spun around as it started to cook.

Taking a step back and turning around, I faced my room’s flat, wall terminal. I hoofed at it, turning it on with a tap of it’s power button. The screen lit up with it’s classic Stable-Tec green glow, and displayed that I had two video messages, and one audio only message. In playing the first video message, my mother appeared on screen.

"Vibraphone, dear, sorry we couldn't meet up yesterday. You understand, I know, but still it was rude of me to cancel on such short notice.” I inherited her peach color coat, but lucky not her fizzy green mane. “But good news, Anechoic is fine. I know he'd love to see his big sis again."

The oven beeped, signaling that it finished cooking the green wrap. Turning around, I waited for the message to conclude before grabbing it.

"Also, if you are planning to do any more of that escort guard work, keep an eye out for Rototom. I know she's been busy with her work in Orthrus, but it's been over a week since the last time she called. I fear I may get gray hair from worry." Mother took a fainting pose before the message cut out. I should have expected that from her, being she’s the dramatic one of the family.

I'd considered visiting over the last month, but things had just grown awkward over the years. The ten year age gap between me and Anechoic was weird enough, but he was born sickly and mute, so much of my parents attention back in the day had gone to him. It wasn't until after both Rototom and I left home to join Orthrus that mom began to give us more attention. She would never say it outright, hiding behind Anechoic, but she regretted not spending time with us over those years. Both my sis and I knew it, but it didn’t make things any less awkward for us.

Opening up the microwave, the smell of warm green wrap hit my nose. It was nothing glorious, and barely something one could label as ‘food’, but I was hungover and hungry. The sacrifices we make for booze filled nights, as they say.

Grumbling, I issued a new command. "Minerva, I want to eat the wrap."

Minerva beeped, and the green wrap levitated near my face. Opening my mouth, it floated in close enough that I took a small bite. Like it always did, it tasted like recooked, reprocessed food.

Turning around again, I selected the next video and pressed play. This time, it was my Father. He had a straight golden and gray striped mane, a bit longer than I remembered it being from last time. His coat however, was just as light a brown as always. We both shared the same mane and tail, right down to similar striping, and it always made me smile…

"Vibraphone, dear..."

I shut down the message knowing what he was going to say. As much as I smiled, messages from him these days killed them. He took it personally when I left Orthrus, and ever since, has been trying to get me to re-enlist. Most of the messages now consist of him talking about how successful Rototom had gotten, and how I could be too. Some times it turned into a guilt trip, mostly if he had been drinking before making the message. At one point, he’d tried to get Rototom to get me to re-enlist. That had ended with the two of them fighting until he gave up.

The last audio message was a little over an hour old, and listed as being 'From your money mare.' Rolling my eyes, I selected play. I was expecting one of two things. It was either being asked for a loan of bit's, or I finally had a real job offer for once.

"Hay Vibraphone!" The sultry voice of Sweet Sax Solo filled the room. "I got a big job for us. I know, I know, you’re probably still mad about how that last one went weird on you. But you gotta trust me that I didn't know that she was a filly fooler. Or, that she had mistaken our services for the more... private kind." I was still adamant that the mare was just making up an excuse and thought she could throw bits at us. She did have two nice rear legs, I’d give her that, but I wasn’t into mares.

"But this one checks out. Best yet, we're getting paid ten thousand bits for the job. That isn’t total, that’s each.” Who the hell would offer to pay that much to ponies like us unless there was one hell of a catch? “All we have to do is help a pony go into the big Island, track his brothers pipbuck tag, and then get them both back to Charon's Stop alive. If it turns out that the brother is already dead, we still get paid for bringing back the body.” This much on an offer for a simple retrieval job? “I'm at the normal meeting place, so get your shiny metal flank over here Asap, and we can be in and out before the day is over."

Processing this information, I finished eating the wrap, slowly chewing on the last bite before gulping it down. Ten thousand bits for just one job that seemed too good to be true. One problem, is that Sweet Sax doesn’t lie about money. The pony has got to have the bits to offer, or she wouldn’t have even mentioned it to me.

"Sweet, you better not be lying about this!" I whined, hoping that for once this would be a straightforward job.

Stepping into my washroom, which was almost half the size of my small, one room home, I turned on the shower. Steam jetted out from the top of the shower as I stepped in. Not wanting to waste time or pay a high water bill, I set the shower for a quick wash. Standing in the proper position, the shower hit me with steam from above and below, and two robotic arms came out to scrub me with soap. It took less than a minute to get me soaped up before the water came out to wash it off. The shower turned into a wind tunnel after that, as the robotic arms patted me off with a towel.

Jumping out of the shower, my mane and tail almost fizzed out as much as my mothers tended to. Willing to let my mane and tail flatten on it's own, I got right to brushing my teeth. Well, it was more having my pipleg brush my teeth for me. Thankfully, telling it to use my toothbrush was a simple program. For something as basic as this, having full unicorn magic would have been nice. At least I didn’t have to tell the V.I. when to brush side to side...

Feeling clean, I walked out of the wash room and back to my closet. Sliding open one of the doors, I revealed my large gun case that took up most of this side’s interior space. Slamming that door shut and opening the other side to were my cloths were. Looking over my somewhat over-stuffed selection of shirts, I threw on a plain white button down shirt. Looking down, I opened the undergarment drawer. From it, I pulled out a clean pair of white panties and put them on. Simple yet stylish.

Returning to the gun case on the other side of my closet, I placed my hoof on the small panel built into it. A red light flickered on and off for three seconds before turning green, prompting me to speak the password.

"When Orpheus turned around, Eurydice was gone." I stated plainly. With a click, the case unlocked and opened. Sitting inside where I left it, was all of my gear.

The first thing to go on was my tactical barding. It was pretty much standard issue, but mine had been re-enforced with rad-boar leather and alloy plates. Strapping it on, I made sure that I didn't pull any feathers out from my small wings as I carefully pushed them through the two wing holes in the back. The barding lightly covered me from neck to flank, with my shirt and panties there to keeping it from chafing uncomfortably against my coat. Without them, I was always taking some of the fur with it when ever I took it off.

Next were my tactical saddle bags. Though having less space than normal bags, its armor plating more than made up for it in protection. I had previously loaded them with the necessary supplies, just in case I had to run out to a job without any notice. You know, like today, which was more common than one might initially think. Inside the bags were two healing potions, one super healing potion, four bundle's of healing bandages, two rad-aways, two rad-X’s, two med-X’s, a small screwdriver box, rations of food and water for a day, and fifty bits. When I’d resupplied last, I’d also dropped in a flash bang, and a frag grenade for good measure.

Last but not least were my weapons and ammo. Pulling out my gun’s travel case from the gun closet, I hoofed it down to the floor and opened it up. First I pulled out my air powered hunting rifle from the closet. Still attached to it was the low light scope I had for it. Along with that, and it took over a month to get it calibrated just right, was the levitation talisman inset into the grip. It had been annoying to get set up, but now I could use the rifle with absolute precision without the need of a battle saddle. Also replacing the gun’s frame with carbon fiber helped reduce the stress on the talisman, though made it impossible to rapidly fire the rifle with any amount of accuracy.

Placing the rifle in the case, I hoofed out five cartridges of 15mm ball bearings from the floor of the closet. Each of the cylindrical cartridges held ten silvery metal balls. Who knew why there were so many down here! I was just thankful because it made them a relatively inexpensive type of ammo to replace.

Next, I pulled out my enforcer, a simple but reliably effective .357 magnum revolver. Everypony in Orthrus is given one when they become official members, and I never left home for a job without it. It's short barrel also made it easy to keep concealed on me. I loaded the gun, and shoved it into the space between my shirt and barding. I also dropped a 24 round box of .357 into the case. Last, I pulled out my combat knife, drawing the blade to look over it’s condition. It was getting old, and could use a polish, but it looked good enough for continued use. Sliding it back into its sheath, I set it down into the case.

Closing the case, and locking it with a firm click, I placed it onto my back. My own magic wasn’t strong, but with a bit of effort, I managed to get it attached to my saddlebags. Going into my closet once more, I pulled out my rebreather mask. Hanging it securely on my saddle bag, I closed my closet up and locked it.

Turning around, I adjusted my barding until I was good and comfortable. Mostly until it wasn’t riding up on my flank as much as it had been. Walking to the door, I picked up my key card, ID, and coin purse. The coin purse currently had fifty three bits in it… or at least there was before I blacked out last night. I’d have to check into that later.

Opening the door, I turned off the lights and stepped out. Leaving my small home behind, I quickly trotted out of my apartment complex and down to the nearby monorail station. It was just one trip from the monorail over to the train station. From there, I could ride all the way to Charon's Stop without another tram change.

Outside the monorail stop, some foals were playing jump rope. The small courtyard they occupied had just enough space for the foals to run and play in. The courtyard itself had posters plastered all over the walls of political elections long passed, with no pony caring to take them down. Everypony had other, more important things to worry about than cleaning these old walls.

"HEY! IT'S MISS ECHO!" A chipper little mirage colt bound up to me, trying to match my pace. His prosthetic legs awkwardly stumbled as he trotted. "So, where ya going?"

"Got work." I responded. "Why aren't you at school?" I looked down at the kid with a raised eyebrow.

"School's out early today" A Mirage filly trotted up on the other side, her gait was at more of a prance, but still awkward like the colt. "Are you off to shoot some pony? My papa says all you Orthrus types shoot first and ask question never."

"Nu-uh." The colt spat. "Your papa only says that cuss he's with the trade union. My Mom said that all they care about is bits, and want to take over the metro for themselves." The colt blew a raspberry at the filly to solidify his point.

I picked up my pace, leaving the two foals behind. There were better things to do rather than get caught in a childish ideological battle. At least they didn't have guns. Or worse yet... lawyers.

Luck was on my side as I trotted into the station and found that the monorail was still here. Placing my ID card into a nearby terminal, I fed one bit into the machine. Promptly, a ticket popped out. Taking both my ID and the ticket, I made my way to the monorail cart. I only slowed down so I could give my ticket to the local ponytron, which gave me me a ‘have a good day’ as I left.

It wasn't long until the monorail was on the move. The electric hum of the motor filled the cart, with only me and a ponytron security attendant as the only passengers. Now that I was on my way, I could finally sit and wonder just how Sax had gotten her hooves on a job worth 10k bits for us each...

______________________________________

Transferring from the monorail to the train only took a few minutes. When I got to it, I still had five more minutes until the train was scheduled to actually leave. I’d actually made good time leaving when I did, and that made me happy. So much so, that with no need to rush, I decided to get something to drink before hopping onto the train.

The nearby vending machines looked like a good choice, one being an old sparkle-cola machine, still in good shape even after being over two hundred years old. It was funny how there was still a Sparkle-Cola, but sadly the drinks they made didn't taste as good as the irradiated stuff I could find out in the wild. Next to it was a metro-cola machine. It's yellow, orange and silver popping out better then the sparkle-cola's red and purple. The company making them was still quite young, but in a few short years they exploded in popularity. I still remember when it was first being sold, Rototom and I made a habit of collecting the bottle caps, seeing who had more at the end of the week. We still collected them today, and last I knew, I was up by ten.

My decision was made, and I trotted to the metro-cola machine. I had three options to pick from, first being metro-cola itself. The drink was good, not too sweet, and had a refreshing aftertaste to it. The second was metro-fusion, far sweeter and carbonated than the normal stuff. Fusion felt more like a celebration drink, something I could sip on for an hour. Last was Lurker-Blue, the energy cola. The stuff had an odd taste to it, more chemically than sweet, but the stuff was excellent at waking me up and keeping going.

Pulling out my coin purse, I found that I only had six bits in it. With some sadness I put two bits into the vending machine, and hit the lurker-blue button twice, it dropping two blue glowing bottles. That was the other thing about metro-cola, all the drinks glow. It was a secret how they did it, probably magic, but you knew if a bottle was flat or out of date if the glowing stopped.

Placing both in my saddle bag, I trotted onto the train with a minute to spare.

"Now leaving Valley Isle for Charon's Stop, please stand clear of the yellow line."

The doors hissed before they closed, and the train thumped before it moved. I watched as the mostly empty platform moved to the side slowly, soon replaced with a gray wall, and the occasional yellow light.

"Bing Bong Bing. Thank you choosing the Orthrus rail line, if you have any complaints please take them too your closest Orthrus official. Have a nice day."

In the train cart with me were two mirage ponies, who were loudly conversing, and laughing with each other. Both were like me, with diminutive wings, horns, and light gray stripes that extended from their backs, and thru their manes and tales. They both stood on four prosthetic legs that were connected to cybernetic stumps. The front legs were more complex, though only to a small extent, and the back were simply built for sturdiness. My own legs were of higher quality, with most of the bits I saved up in Orthrus having gone into getting the legs. But my sister got me the pipleg as a gift. It being the only full cyber leg I had on, the rest ending in high grade prosthetics.

Looking at myself in the reflection of the train cart window, I could see that my mane had flattened out, though a few parts stuck out. Using my hoof to brush my mane a bit out of the way, I took another look at my legs to see if anything was out of place. I already knew my front legs were just fine, but checking the back was a bit more difficult. Getting a tail stuck in the back legs was an annoyingly common problem, and painful if it snagged on something when running. Right now I didn't have that problem, and everything looked in place. Quickly shifting my weight to the back legs a few times told me that the they were fine, not even making a squeak.

"Bing Bong Bing. The Orthrus rail line would like to remind you that in case of an emergency, all windows can be opened for easy exit. Just pull down on the red lever at the top of the window to unlock, and push open the window with your hooves. If needed, pull further down to detach the window. Remember your safety is Orthrus top priority, but safe always starts with you, so keep yourself safe, and Orthrus will handle the rest."

The train cart picked up speed, at this point hitting the straight part of the tunnel to the next island. It was hard to hear, but after riding this train for so many years I could tell when the tunnel went underwater. It was subtle, but the sound of the cart moving had more of a lower tone to it now, not as flat a sound as when we were underground. It was because they built the tunnel out of different materials when underwater, then the rock the normal lines were cut through.

Maintenance on the tunnel was a pain in the flank, at least, so I’d heard. Though I never properly worked on it, I did help guard the maintenance crew on a few occasions when I was part of Orthrus. Mainly it was to haul gear, and secondly to act as a guard. It was one of the naturally coldest places you could be in the metro, and water always found a way to get in. The tunnel was never at risk of collapse with how well it was maintained, but the maintenance ponies would often complain about how these tunnels were never meant to last over two hundred years.

"Bing Bong Bing. The Orthrus rail line is brought to you by our sponsors." The low tone mare voice was cut off by the sound a soft polka music and the smooth voice of a stallion. "Are you looking to start a family, and have a foal on your own. Are you unable to afford to live in the deep tunnels, and are worried about birth defects. Well New Gen Genetics has the solution for you. With our improved gene therapy system, we can insure that your new foal is not just alive, but is healthy. Call New Gen today for more information."

One of the mirage ponies, a mare, huffed. "What they don't tell you is that you'll be in debt for the rest of your life after using them."

The stallion mirage pony nodded. "True, my ma and pa are still paying off New Gen. My sister may have all her legs, but they barely have the bits to feed her. I send them money to help, but unless I get that promotion they will be living off scraps soon."

Some more music came up, this time it was electronic club music. The husky voice of a mare spoke up with a voice full of energy and rhythm, it was hard to ignore her, not that I wanted to. " This is DJ Cerberus, here to tell you about the best drink on the market, Lurker-Blue. Are you having trouble staying awake as you study for that test, need to keep focused as you're working late at night, or just partying until morning? Well Metro-Cola has you covered with Lurker-Blue, the best energy cola on the market, and the only one that glows. Drink Lurker-Blue and fly."

The stallion mirage pony chuckled. "You know, I've heard that DJ Cerberus is actually a stallion, and uses some voice changing talisman to make him sound like the original DJ Cerberus."

The mirage pony mare shook her. "No, DJ Cerberus is a mare, I met her once at the club... I think. It was crowded and I may have been drinking a lot. But I did meet her I know that, and she was a mare."

Scratching his chin with the prosthetic hoof, the stallion nodded. "Well if you say you met her, then you met her. Maybe I was just thinking of the last DJ Cerberus."

More music began to play. This time it was to the sound of drums and brass instruments, along with the voice of a stern stallion. "Even with Orthrus giving their all, the Metro is still a dangerous place to live. If you want to protect your life, and the lives of those you care about, you’d better get armed. Ironshod Firearms has you covered! From the latest in weaponry, right back to the classic’s of the old world. If you need a gun, we have it. If you need ammunition for the guns you already own, we sell it. And body armor, well we got that too! Order your equipment today, and be ready to fight tomorrow!"

"Be ready tomorrow my ass." the stallion mirage pony huffed "I'm still waiting for the pistol I ordered, and it's been over a week."

The mirage pony mare shook her head. "You bought another one? Here I thought you were saving up your bits."

"I am, I am." the stallion stammered. "But Ironshod was selling the old .45 Stable-Tec pistols, and they only sell them once a year!"

The mare face hoofed. "Well I heard that Ironshod got a big order from one of the communities on the main island. That's probably why it's taking so long."

The stallion shrugged. "Makes sense I guess. I just hope it's not because of more paradise dragons showing up. Those things are terrifying."

Cello music began to play, and the soft voice of a mare spoke up. "Home is where the heart is, but sadly in our time home is not always the healthiest of places to live. With pollution still everywhere, it's hard to avoid the many diseases that plague us. But Crystal Synthetics has a solution to this problem. Here at Crystal Synthetics we make the cutting edge in medical supplies, and the best in synthetic organs. If you believe that sickness should be a thing of the past, Crystal Synthetics is here for you."

The stallion looked at the mare. “You think…”

“No! Your lungs are just fine, you're hyperventilating is neurological.” The mare quickly responded.

The Stallion looked down. “Yeah, I remember what the doc said.”

“Bing Bong Bing, Thank you for listening to our sponsors, we will be arriving at Charon's End shortly. Have a nice day.”

The quiet rhythm of the train cart returned, and I found myself yawning. I didn't know how much sleep I had gotten last night, but it didn't seem like it had been enough. pulling out one of the lurker-blue bottles, I popped open the cap with my hoof and tossed the cap in my bag. The blue glowing liquid poured down my throat, its artificial flavoring barely covering the chemical taste to the cola. It made me wonder how this was Metro-Cola's best selling product, but then again I had gotten two for myself. We ponies needed to get more sleep.

Finishing the bottle, I placed it in my bag, not wanting to just litter. That, or get fined for littering. The effects of the energy drink was slow to kick in, but I could feel myself becoming more and more awake.

The feeling of the train slowing down signified that we had reached the other island, and we were almost at Charon's end. I decided to check my pipleg quickly, the display made a 3D image above the screen when I activated it. It was less annoying now with the brunt of the hangover having passed. The images from the pipbuck could only be seen by me of course, with display being used as a reference point, and everything else in the image being formed in my own head. I've seen a few ponies try to show off images to others, only confusing their friends as they forget that they are the only ones who can see it. I used to have that problem, but my friends aren’t really the kind you’d show anything too anyway.

Looking into the settings, nothing had been changed from the night before, and only one thing had been added. It was a picture of a stallion's flank, with one normal leg, and one prosthetic. The photo was listed as ‘not into mares’. I must have had less than a fun night. Shame.

“Bing Bong Bing, welcome to Charon’s Stop. Please secure all belongings, and exit in an orderly fashion.”

The train came to a stop, and the doors hissed open. Exiting into the station, To my left were a few pony sized boxes. Coffins, here to take the dead back home for burial. It was one of the main reasons few ponies ever came out here willingly, many ponies never come back alive. The hooves of the other two passengers echoed as they trotted past me, still chipper as ever. Cracking my neck, I made made way to the stairs out of the station.

Charon’s Stop was, for a lack of a better analogy, like if somepony had designed a town with a radroach nest in mind. The main street was more of a straight line of market stalls, and behind them a maze of shanty homes. The place was at least clean in the litter sense, as most trash could be rescued and recycled into something useful. The things that were nothing more than actual junk could just be thrown out in no ponies land. Even here at the edge of civilization, nopony wanted to get sick by living in their own filth. Even so, everything here still had that fine film of dust, dirt, and grime.

The markets most common commodity was wild punga fruit and cave fungus. They were plentiful enough on the island, but as the picking season went on, the further out into the island ponies had to go to gather more. Rad Boar meat and leather was a less common commodity here in the market, with it being dangerous to hunt all year round. There were a few market stalls that sold trinkets, mostly made from old junk, but it was always worth checking out for that rare piece of art among all the junk.

Further down into this place was where the normal meeting place was, a pub called the Two Tailed Pony. It didn’t take to long to get to it, as the place was right in the middle of the street, splitting it into two. The building extended all the way to the ceiling, and out in front was a sign with an image of a two tailed pony painted onto it. The pony on the sign was a mare with her flank in full view, and the two tales curving different ways up and over her, forming a heart. The side of the mare's face could be seen looking back with a sultry look.

The pub was protected by two armed guards playing cards, and a cyberdog sitting at the front of the entrance. Both Mirage ponies, they were armed with older varant air rifles than mine, and a steel baton each. These rifles looked to be one of the early attempts to make an air powered assault rifle. It sort of worked, but doesn't have the same punch as it’s gunpowder counterpart. The rifles can be modified to have more power to it to compensate, but that can get expensive fast. The batons on the other hoof, were simple steel hollow tubes with a levitation talisman mod at the base. With those talismans, the guards could probably swing the batons as hard as any normal unicorn out there.

The cyberdog, who I knew was named Rufus, looked as mean as ever. However, in my many times here, I’ve come to know him as a gentle sweetheart. As long as I didn’t start trouble, he was one of the friendliest creatures I could meet here.

Passing the guards with little more than a glance in my direction, I entered the pub. The inside was a wealth of finely recrafted junk, all the way from the floor to the ceiling, and all the places between. Drinking glasses were made from old cola bottles, tables made out of old skywagons, and even a chandelier made out of small crystal shards surrounding a bird cage. The place had a far more upper class feeling then it should have.

The bartender gave me a little wave, and pointed upstairs. Sweet Sax must have already informed him that I was going to arrive, so I made my way to the more reserved area of the pub.

At the other end of the bar, I could see the pub owner cleaning one of the glasses. Shamisen Tuning had a pearl white coat, and a long black mane and tail that she kept tied up with two sticks. Along with that, she had it decorated with bottle caps made to look like a large flower. Her prosthetic legs were made of finer materials than mine, and had brass flowers embossed on them from hoof to the shoulder. She had a little grin on her face, and though her eyes seemed closed, I knew she was looking my way.

Stepping up the stairs, I could hear Sweet Sax before I could see her. The mare was singing an old Orthrus tune to keep herself distracted. She didn’t like the quiet much, and always made an effort to chat with me when we worked for Orthrus. When she could not find another pony to talk to, she would simply sing.

Walking in, I found that she had on the same barding as I did. Under it however, was an old stable-tec jumpsuit with the legs cut off. Her pale yellow coat and burgundy mane didn’t stand out much, even with the barding. What did stood out, were the metal studs in her ears. Five on each side, her little way of being ‘different’ without making noise all the time.

Sitting not far from Sweet was a white unicorn with a gray mane and tail, unsurprisingly, he still had all his legs. The stallion looked like he had a better place to be with how he stared down at his pocket watch. The deep dweller, or Orphic as they called themselves, wore clothes that looked to easy to ruin. A clean gray vest over a pristine white shirt all under a dark gray trenchcoat, and to top it off, a genuine pre-war tophat. The Orphic kingdom was very fussy about how they dressed, and this pony was no exception.

Sweet Sax saw me, and trotted in my direction.

“Vibraphone! My friend, my comrade, the butter to my toast.” She called out with a smile, getting up close. Once she was, she leaned over and whispered into my ear. “About time. I was about to strangle the life out of this asshole, bit’s or no.” Pushing herself away, she trotted to the table with the annoyed looking deep dweller. “Now that we’re all here, perhaps we can get down to business?”

Following, I joined the other two at the table. Our ‘employer’ huffed as he put his pocket watch away with a grumble. “Finally, any longer and I would have taken my bit’s elsewhere. I expected a professional group to be more timely than this.” With the prospect of ten thousand bits on the line, I avoided rolling my eyes.

Sweet Sax on the other hoof let her eyes show her irritation by rolling them. “Like I said, unless you schedule ahead of time, you're just going to have to wait until we're prepared for the job.” She lightly tapped on the table. “No matter how many bits you throw around, we're not going in until we know we can get back.”

“Fine.” The Unicorn said as he pulled out a map and unfolded it on the table. He pointed his hoof on the north east part of the island where one of the old world city ruins still stood. “My brother went out hunting here. Rad boars are in season, so he thought he could get a trophy for himself. He was supposed to have contacted me last night, but he never did, and still hasn’t returned home. If something has happened to him, I know he'd get himself somewhere safe.” He pulled back the sleeve on his right hoof, revealing a decorated pipbuck. “We just need to locate him and bring him back here. I have his pipbuck tag, so once were close, I can take you to him without much effort.”

This situation struck me as odd. Rad boars tended to be further south this time of year, so if he was going after one, he would have gone to the old city on the south end of the island. I raised a hoof, but saw Sweet Sax give me a ‘not yet’ sort of glance. Trusting her, I put my hoof down.

“Got something to add, miss?” The unicorn snorted. Damnit, the unicorn saw my hoof.

“Vibraphone Echo, and yes. If your brother is stuck out there, he is probably in one of the hunters safe rooms. The boars are known to chase a pony to one, and trap them there. Sometimes the radio’s in there aren’t well enough maintained and they short out.” I stated rather matter-of-factly. Good save.

The Unicorn scratched his chin. “Huh. I didn’t know that.” He took off his hat and bowed. “As you have probably observed, going above ground isn’t really my forte. The names Silver Relief. I’ll be relying on you and your partner from here on out.”

Sweet Sax placed a hoof on one of the tunnel lines on the map. “To make the most of our time, we should take this tunnel. Shouldn’t be too many things lurking in it this time of year, so we may be able to use it as a shortcut.” She got out of her seat, and placed her gun case on the table. “We just need to get ourselves fully equipped, and we’ll be ready to move out.”

Silver got up, and nodded. “The sooner, the better. I’ll just go get my things in order, and then with your all clear, we can be off.” The stallion walked off, giving me a brief look at his flank.

“Vibraphone.” Sweet Sax placed a telepathy talasman down on the table. “You're going to want to install this.”

It was a bit odd, as I already had one installed in by back left leg. “Why?”

Sweet Sax rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask, and give me your flank!” She waved her hoof at me in urgency as I sighed, getting out of my chair and turning around. “Good, this will only take a second.” I felt her press on my cyber hindleg, opening it’s upgrade panel. My old telepathy talisman was removed and placed on the table. Just as promptly, the new one disappeared behind me and into my leg. “Good, now let’s talk in private.”

I focused on the talisman, and made contact with Sweet. Of course, she was on the same frequency as she’d always been. ‘So what’s going on Sweet? Is this stallion for real?’ I asked as I put my own gun case on the table alongside hers. Nearly in sync, we both opened them up.

Sweet Sax chuckled. ‘This deal is as rotten as a year old pineapple.’ She pulled out her air assault rifle, one of the standard issued ones in Orthrus, and attached it to her battle saddle.

‘Then why are we working for him?’ I put as much irritation into the thought as possible. I took out my own rifle, attaching it to my saddle bag. With a soft click, I knew it was secured.

‘Oh, we’re not.’ She pulled out a hatchet, and looped it through a retention ring on her saddle bag. ‘We’re working for Shamisen Tuning.’

I pulled out my combat knife, fastening the sheath to the underside of my barding. ‘What!? Why are we working for that crazy sneak of a pony? She has been nothing but a pain in our flank.’

‘Um, Vibraphone?’ She thought, beginning to attach her cartridges of 15mm ball bearings to her barding. Her calm demeanor gave an irritated tick when she thought that.

‘Shit, is she on this frequency?’ I took out my ammunition with a frustrated huff, facehoofing as a still silence hung between us.

‘Hello girls.’ Shamisen Tuning’s voice rang in my head. ‘It’s so good to see you again, and might I add that it’s such a wonderful day.’

‘You know sarcasm is the lowest form of comedy.’ Sweet Sax retorted.

‘I don’t know, I think it suits her.’ I added.

‘Enough banter, It’s time for business.' Shamisen snapped at us. ‘First off, I have a little goodwill gift for you. Sweet already collected it, and I trust that you two will make good use of it.’ Sweet Sax looked at me as she placed two leather cartridge holders out on the table. Both looked brand new, and they looked to hold twelve .357 rounds each. ‘It’s made from Rad boar leather, high quality and stylish for established gunslinging girls like yourselves.’

If Shamisen Tuning was giving a gift, no matter how small, it was unwise to turn it down. One reason was because the mare was known to have some serious rejection issues. The other reason to keep it was to show that this was a serious topic, and we were seriously interested.

‘So what’s this job?’ I asked, as I loaded my .357 bullets into the two leather cartridge holders.

‘To follow along with mister Silver Relief. You will help him to find this... quote unquote, brother of his.’ Shamisen said with more sarcasm in her voice.

‘The catch?’ Smooth Sax asked.

‘The catch is that you may not only find this brother of his.’ Shamisen answers. ‘It’s highly likely that the orphic kingdom’s unwanted princess may have been with this brother.’

‘Fuck, really?’ Sweet Sax nearly fell over onto the table. ‘That’s the youngest of them, right? The mirage pony princess, Harp Melody?’

‘Well we don’t see many full legged mirage ponies out here, much less one with a deep dweller guard.’ Shamisen gave a little chuckle through the telepathic link. ‘He tried his best to keep the young princess unseen, but ultimately failed to trick any keen eyes.’

I finished equipping myself, and closed my gun case. ‘So why is she even out there?’

‘There's a lot of rumors coming out of the Gathering Isle, whispers that the Orphic Kingdom may soon have a new queen is one of them.’ Shamisen paused for a moment. ‘My sister has her own pub on that island, and has some reliable contacts. It seems that one of the heirs has up and vanished, and the the rest of the queen's brood are highly agitated. This all started after the queen didn’t appear for her daily duties, and has not been seen for over a week now.’

Sweet shook her head. ‘So those tight asses are about to have a war of succession. Not a problem of mine, but I have to ask. Where does the mirage princess play into this? I thought she had no claim to the throne. ’

‘True, but most of the nobility think she's a disgrace to their pureblood ideology. So any of them would love to see her removed.’ Sweet closed her gun case as Shamisen continued. ‘The problem for them is that she is immensely popular among the citizens, who are majority mirage ponies. If she dies they will riot. but... if she were to become lost? You would see lines of volunteers willing to go looking for her. A simple but effective way to pacify any pony that might try to revolt, as well as to reduce the population a bit as well.’

‘But something went wrong, right?’ I asked.

‘Yes, it seems so.’ Shamisen agreed. ‘Like Silver said, this brother of his never came back. But, I doubt that’s what he is worried about. It’s highly likely that Harp Melody is still alive, and hiding. If she turns out to be dead, bring me any and all information about it. Knowing the truth will be worth more than your weight in bits.’

‘And if she’s alive?’ I again asked.

The conversation paused for a few seconds before Shamisen answered. ‘Bring her to me, and I’ll rain bits over you until the end of time.’

The telepathic link cut off, removing the feeling of other ponies thoughts in my head. It had ended just in time too, as Silver rejoined us at the table. His cloths hadn’t changed much, but now he had a saddle bag, a lever action rifle, and some impractically nice looking boots. Why it took him so long to prepared, I don’t think I wanted know.

“I see that we are all ready?” Silver said as he looked us over. “Poor attire notwithstanding.” The stallion was a bit insufferable, but it did ease my annoyance that I was not actually working for him. Even if that meant that I was actually working for Shamisen.

We made our way out of the Two Tailed Mare, leaving our gun cases with Shamisen. Rufus did come up to me with a whine, and I patted him on the head.

“Sorry I can’t stick around and play, I got work to do.” I said with a frown. The cyber dog barked once, and returned to the two guards. Such a good dog.

Taking the left street from the pub, we headed down the way out of this shithole. The closer to the exit we got, the more scattered the market became. Soon, the shanty homes were replaced by small community farms, most using old or dying hydroponic equipment to grow what meager crops they could. Crud covered water purifiers dotted the area, converting the salt water that leaked in down here into somewhat potable water. Small mounds of salt sat in boxes to be sold further into the metro, but more likely it will simply be thrown out.

At the end of the street was an Orthrus checkpoint. The logo of a two headed hound in front of the stable-tec symbol was proudly displayed above the checkpoint. The Orthrus regulars were simply the grunts of the Orthrus group, a job that even I’d once held. It wasn't the most exciting job to have, but every now and then we did see some combat.

The checkpoint was there to keep anything dangerous out, be it monsters, insane survivors. Or even somepony with a scavenged undetonated balefire bomb that somehow remained hidden for over two hundred years. Some materials for making narcotics were also banned from entry, being materials like flux, corrosive acids, and the more common punga tree sap from the surface. Smugglers had always been a problem that came up now and then, but while dangerous, it tended to spice up guard duty a bit.

Stepping into the checkpoint, we were met by a Orthrus regular in her dress uniform. The uniform nowadays didn’t look much more advanced than the old stable jumpsuits they’d used over two hundred years ago. A simple blue suit with a yellow accent, the zipper had been replaced with simple buttons to save on metal, and the R&D patch had been replaced with the Orthrus logo. The normal guard uniform hadn’t changed much over the centuries either, simply being stable-tec security barding with a few extra armored padding segments.

“One bit per pony.” The regular spoke to us, holding out a can in her fetlock. The tunnel tax was how Orthrus made most of it’s money. They never go over one bit, so nopony gets too upset over it, but because Orthrus owns most of the tunnels, they get bits from nearly every pony, every day.

“Pay up Silver, we’re here working for you.” Sweet Sax chimed. The Unicorn grumbled in response, dropping the three bits into the can.

The Orthrus mare gave a properly rehearsed smile. “Just sign out, and you can be on your way.” With a tap of her hooves, she returned to her comrades. Immediately, she’d re-joined a conversation they were having, forgetting all about us.

“Even here we have to give Orthrus our bits, shameful.” Silver muttered under his breath.

Stopping at the checkout stand, each of us wrote down our names. Along with my signature, I added a note section that I was leaving on bodyguard work. Once we were done, the regulars let us through to the other side.

The other side of the entrance made Charon's Stop look positively clean. The grim was layers deep, and trash rolled about everywhere in the tunnel. Hunters and gatherers were standing around, all armed, and some twitchy. Most of them were probably forming parties before heading out into the big island’s metro. Safety in numbers was a common belief down here, while I tended to side with small and fast groups keep you unnoticed and alive.

Sweet Sax stepped forward. “Okay Silver, Just follow us untill we get to the city area, then we will follow that pipbuck tag you have.” She then pointed at the lever action rifle he had. “Also refrain from using that gun unless your life is in clear danger. I know the temptation to shoot first, but it’s more likely to attract bigger monsters than it is to kill the smaller ones.”

So, forward we pressed. Our objective was set, and we left the civilized world behind. Sadly the problems of the civilized world came with us, as it always does. However, I was less concerned with the safety of Silver here, than the fate of this ‘princess’ we might find. Sax had stumbled us into one hell of an opportunity, and if this went well, we’d never have to worry about anything ever again. At least, that had been my hope as we left the safety of the station, unsure of what lay ahead.

______________________________________

Footnote:

New Quest - My Kingdom for a Pony

Chapter 2 - Blood Hound

Between the light of my pipleg, and Sweet’s light talisman, we could barely see past ten yards. Everything outside of that space, faded into pitch darkness. The old tunnel was a decrepit mess. There had been some attempts to reclaim the big island’s metro system over the last hundred years, but signs of failure were all around us. Among all the islands, the big island was home to some of the most vicious of the mutated beasts. Many of these are known to chase down a pony all the way from one end of the island to the next. Sure, most of them lived on the surface, but it was not uncommon for them to find their way down into the metros.

Part of the problem was that the big island's metro was closer to the surface than each of the other islands. Even if we could keep the monsters back, the plant life insured that we could never keep a stable community here. The tree roots covered the walls, and anywhere there was any artificial light, poisonous plants would sprout out and ruin the air around it. Worse yet, seed pods were all over the metro. The damn plants spit their seeds and any poor pony who haphazardly wandered into it's range. I don’t like to think about what happens if one of the seeds gets into your skin...

Continuing on our way, we passed the ruins of some old fortification built into the tunnel itself. Might have been only ten years ago they'd used it, or a hundred. Either way, it had fallen to the dangers of the metro, and since been reclaimed by the island. Charon's End was the only safe settlement on the big island because of it's depth. Being at the bottom made it easy to defend, as well as the fact that almost nothing ventured down this deep. Almost isn't never, and goddesses forbid the day something big enough to take the city out makes it down this far.

Grave markers were strewn about sporadically, showing where some hunters had died attempting to get back to safety. Others marked where some ponies had tried to expand Charon's end and failed. Living outside the walls was a risk rarely taken, and so far nopony had ever lasted that long.

The tunnel we took proved fairly clear of aggressive critters. Most of what we ran into being small rad roaches that were easily killed with our melee weapons. The dead roaches would soon attract slightly bigger creatures, so the three of us picked up our paces. Every now and then we would come across some rodents of unusual size, and a few other mutated insects there were larger than would be normally possible. Still, they were all just as easily killed by us. Weak as they were, the lower critters were still highly dangerous to those who lived in the tunnels. Mostly in spreading diseases, but if you were injured or defenceless, you might as well have rung the dinner bell. Some old ponies call the critters 'death by a thousand cuts', but I just figured that if you died to them, you shouldn’t have left in the first place.

Silver, predictably, had not been enjoying himself the entire time. His trench coat had already gotten muck on it, which he attempted to remove with a handkerchief. This only smeared the sticky muck around, and ruined his handkerchief. Both Sweet and I held onto our laughter, more concentrated on keeping an eye out for bigger critters.

"How long is it until we get to this ruined city?" Silver asked abruptly. I could hear some impatience in his voice.

Sweet looked at Silver. "On hoof, another two hours or so and we should be there. Just keep your eyes open for anything dangerous."

Silver nodded, keeping up the pace. "You would think there are faster ways to get through this tunnel. The tracks themselves look in good condition."

I shook my head. "There is, but it costs a lot of bits, and you need to set up a deal ahead of time. You aren’t the only pony to suggest it, and there's a waiting list for the service."

The lever carts were treasured among the ponies who owned them. All were fiercely guarded, made so that they can be broken down and packed away to be stored someplace safe. We had at one point been paid to retrieve a cart, the ponies who had rented it had died half way back to Charon's End. They had been shot and killed by another group, who were still dismantling the cart when we had arrived. I didn't like killing other ponies, but when they went for their guns, we had to act.

One advantage of working for Orthrus, they made sure you were trained for such situations. It was amazing how many bullets a pony could take before going down, and how one rushed us in a last ditch effort to take us down. I still had nightmares from that fight. Sweet denies she’s had any bad dreams from that job, but for a month after it, I could see it clearly on her face. Monsters were much easier to kill.

"It also attracts attention,” I continued, “unless you can get a cart in under the radar, it's more likely to attract bandits, or worse."

Silver's head drooped just a bit. "A shame. I don't see why Orthrus doesn’t just get rid of all the savages. They do have the guns and pony power to do it, so what’s the problem?"

Both Sweet and I glanced at each other knowingly. It was a topic that came up now and then in Orthrus. No one liked to talk about how to get rid of the more unwanted ponies of our society. It wasn’t like we had room for a bigger population than we already have. The problem we all knew was that all the islands populations were still growing.

The simple answer to the question was that keeping our population ‘clean’ was impossible. A society, no matter how well off it’s citizens, will always have unwanted ponies. The more problems a society has, the more unwanted ponies existed. It was why Orthrus had such a hooves-off approach to any pony or party not part of their group. They’d taken a back seat to trying to solve the problem of bandit ponies, and only seemed to encourage the ranks of bandits to grow.

Not giving Silver a response was thankfully followed by him not talking anymore. The further we went in, the less we could even excuse talking at all. At times, we’d even started to dim our lights, only having enough so to see where our hooves were stepping.

Sweet Sax chimed in on the telepathy frequency. 'So what are you going to do with your ten thousand bits after we do the job, Vibraphone?'

I thought about it for a moment. It was a lot of bits, but not enough to do all that much. If I used it sparingly, I could use it to eat well, and stay healthy. A better home was always an option, someplace closer to mom and dad would be good. Though I might want to fix the current problems I had, first. If I wanted to, I could get full cyber legs, the ones with digits on the end of their hooves were popular. No need to use levitation, or specify endless commands when you can just pick up things on your own.

'I might just put it in the bank for now, save it for later.’ I replied. ‘You?'

'Have a kid!' Her abrupt and random response made me nearly trip over my own hooves. 'No seriously, you remember Acoustic Guitar right?'

I raised my eyebrow. 'The stallion you have been seeing on and off for six years now?' It was an odd relationship, of which they kept breaking up to only get back together. He was an okay stallion, a pacifist who was trying to make it big playing music. Sadly, I only ever saw him as a homeless bum. 'Seriously, why start a family with him?'

Sweet Sax sighed. 'He's great in bed and sticks around.’ She looked at me with a downcast look. ‘There's what, one stallion for every three mares in most of the metro? Every other stallion I've dated had another mare waiting for him when they dumped me. Acoustic is a one mare stallion, and well, I've regretted it every time I’ve let him go.'

Okay, Sweet had a point there, we did have a low stallion population problem. As it turned out, the toxins that seep in from the surface can affect the development of males. About half the mare friends I had were mentally male, but physically female.

'Alright I'll give you that, but he barely gets enough bits to support himself.’ I mean, he might be loyal to her, but he’s still a bum. ‘How is he going to support a foal?'

Smiling, Sweet Sax gave me a knowing look. 'Because he will get a real job if he knows he has a kid of his own to take care of.'

I wanted to face hoof. 'So then, what’s the ten thousand bits going to be used for?'

'New Gen, naturally. We will have a healthy foal who walks on normal legs.' She was positively beaming.

I shook my head. 'Next you're going to tell me that Shamisen is going to be the kid's godmother.'

Sweet nearly gagged at the thought. 'That’s too far, even for a joke. You know what, let's just cut the chatter and get to the city.'

I nodded, and the telepathic link cut off. We continued on our way in silence, only broken by silver quietly whining about getting dirty. He would adamantly defend himself stating that he was 'not whining, but merely complaining.'. I just called it what it was. Whining.

_____________________________________

The metro under the old city was a different beast altogether. The thick, twisted roots of enormous trees clinging to the ceiling ran around the numerous spikes of lime deposits that hung down across the enormous old station. Old, broken bones of long dead ponies and their pets littered the tunnels all over. Mixed in with them, where the newer bones of dead ponies and monsters from more recent years. Graffiti was everywhere, most marking where to find a safe house, or a hunter’s lodge. Others were faded messages left by ponies long dead. Some desperate plea’s for help, others of ranting madness. One message pointed to a small enclosed room, simply stating 'I raped, murdered, and ate ten ponies here'. Not something I’d be proud of enough to write.

“Welcome to the ass end of Marewaii, everypony.” Sweet Sax commented, keeping her voice to a forced whisper. “Safety is our top priority, so don’t go wandering off with strange ponies into any strange rooms.” Turning her attention to Silver, she gave him a nod. “You’re up boss. Just lead the way and we’ll keep you safe.”

Silver pulled up his sleeve and tapped at his pipbuck. “Right. I’ve got the signal, we just need to go east for now.”

Following a pipbuck tag was not as easy as it sounded, and ended up being just about as accurate as the E.F.S. life detection spell was. We would get the direction of the tags signal, but it was nothing more than a marker on the compass wheel. Rumors had always circulated about how the E.F.S. could tell you if a target is higher or lower than you if you laid on your side, though this was a myth. The compass was always level with the ground, no orientation could change that. So even if we get to the same area as the tag, we still would not know if we needed to go up or down. I prayed it wasn’t up.

Checking my pipleg, I set it’s settings to include Silver as a friendly pony in my identification - friend or foe screen. Of course, being my business partner, Sweet Sax was already on my IFF., appearing as a blue bar in my E.F.S. This helped me to keep track of her and our clients when in dangerous places, or in crowds of ponies.

I focused my magic, tapping into the telepathy talisman and tuned it into Sweet Sax’s frequency. 'Sweet, what talismans are you using?'

'The norm. I did an upgrade on my levitation talismans after the last job.' Sweet Sax answered. 'The magic armor and teleportation talismans are still a potent combination, so I doubt I'll be changing them out any time soon. What about you?'

'Levitation, Muffle, and Amplify Ambiance.' I answered.

'So, we’ll use our normal strategy than?' Sweet Sax nodded, trotting up to Silver. "Stick with me, Silver. Vibraphone will be our short range scout."

Taking the forward position, I activated the muffle talisman in my back leg, and the amplify ambiance talisman in my left foreleg. The spells made all the noise coming from me completely silent, and increased my ability to hear everything else making noise around me.

Along with a mask scent talisman, the three talismans made a great scouting and hunting combination. Used for avoiding the dangers on the big island, and getting the drop on some of the mutant animals that lived here. Invisibility talismans were rare, and highly sought after by hunters.

Sweet Sax's combination was useful for getting around an enemy's defenses and striking them where it hurts. It gave us a tactical advantage if we were ever in a shootout, complementing my own combination well. Sadly, Sax had a tendency to boast, often only using her teleportation to make an entrance. Once she’s done showboating, we’ve lost our chance for a surprise attack.

Pushing onwards, the darkness of the metro persisted, and the sounds of mutated critters scurrying all about. Now and then I caught the sound of something bigger moving about, and it’s low toned, rhythmic growling reverberated in the still air.

My rifle floated at the ready, acting like it was part of me. The combination of the spell matrix programs in my pipleg, and the spell matrix program for my levitation talisman in my right foreleg, allowed me to use the rifle much in the same way a unicorn could. If I wanted to, I could have an auto-targeting talisman installed on the rifle, turning it into a floating turret that could possibly keep going even if I was rendered unconscious. I had seen many mirage ponies over the years do this with mixed results. The only truly successful operators were usually Orthrus engineers who knew the ins and outs of arceno tech.

Laying on the ground ahead of us, was a small pack of mutant hounds. Their mutation had made them nearly as big as a pony. Their mouths were large with many sharp teeth, some even still poking out when their mouths were closed. We called them stalkers, mostly because of how they were known to track ponies, only attacking when the pony was alone, injured, or simply outnumbered by them.

I counted four of them, all ugly with thin sickly black fur. The normal compliment of scars and injuries covered their bodies. 'I got four stalkers Sweet. I can probably.. no, I can definitely kill two of them before they scatter. Be ready for them to run our way.'

'I hear you. Kill what you can, I'll get the rest.'

Getting the biggest stalker in my sights and going for a clear head shot, I fired. My rifle made a soft 'puff' sound, it not being affected at all by the muffling talisman. Down went the stalker, it's skull shattering, and the ball bearing flying further off into the distance. The other three stalkers didn't react to the sound of my rifle, instead turning their attention to where the ball bearing fell, it clanking against the concrete further down the tunnel.

Taking careful aim at one stalker who turned it's attention to it's dead friend, I smirked as it gave me a clear line on it's head. 'puff' the ball bearing found it's target, and once again another stalkers skull was shattered, the ball flew off towards the other one and clacked loudly against concrete.

The two remaining stalkers looked in our direction, and bolted right at us. Slipping into S.A.T.S. I lined up a shot for the head of the next stalker, it giving me a good 85% on the stalker’s head. Taking the shot, S.A.T.S. took over for my motions. With it’s help, I fired on the hound. The ball flew true, striking it square in the head with the same effect as my last two shots. The body tumbled over itself as S.A.T.S. ended, sliding to a dead stop on the floor.

The last stalker had charged in close, and even through the spells, it had seen me. It bared its fangs, and charged faster as it growled. Sweet's rifle rained ball bearings onto the stalker, the beast collapsing as the steel balls pulverized it’s way through. The splattered gore that shot out its other side marked the end of the last of them. The stalker slid to a stop roughly four yards from me, any closer and it would have lunged if it were still living.

"I hate those things." Sweet Sax stated as she stepped toward the stalker. "You think I should recover the balls?"

I shrugged. "Unless they passed all the way through, I wouldn't bother recovering them. We don't have the time to open it up."

Silver stepped over. "Do you normally open up the beasts you kill to recover your ammunition?" The dapper Stallion looked appalled.

Kicking the dead stalker, Sweet continued down the tunnel. "It's always a good idea to recover what ammo you can. You never know, it could save your life." She stopped walking and reached out a hoof ahead of her. "Ah, found two!" Levitating the two ball bearings into her bag, she returned to walking down the tunnel.

Both Silver and I quickly caught up with Sweet Sax, and I returned to the forward position.

_____________________________________

Following the tag, we found ourselves in an underground office. It was not uncommon for the metro areas directly under the cities to have old wartime buildings basements connected to them. From what I knew about the wartime generation, many of them were already working and living underground before the bombs dropped.

As interesting as places like this were, they were often home to feral ghouls. Over the last hundred years, feral ghouls had become less of a problem in the metro. Their numbers whittled down to only a tenth of what it use to be by the monsters that lurked in the dark. However, they were still around, hidden away in closed off rooms, or still lost in forgotten tunnels.

“This place has been looted thoroughly, even scrappers have been here.” Sweet Sax said quietly.

Every drawer here had been either opened, or ripped off and left on the ground. Some of the steel desks were missing outright, the only evidence they were here was the ripped off legs left in piles on floor.

I nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for traps.”

Silver cleared his throat quietly. “What’s going on, what's a scrapper?”

I kept my focus ahead as Sweet Sax explained. “Scrappers collect scrap metal from wherever they can get it. The problem is that looters already grabbed anything easy to get, so scrappers work on the harder to get stuff.”

“So are they the ones with the traps?” Silver asked.

Looking back for a moment, I saw Sweet Sax nod. “The scrappers big target is copper, so they rip it out of the walls, and cut out pipes to get to it. It all takes time, and can make a lot of noise, which can attract unwanted attention. So scrappers will leave traps all over a place they work on, the only problem is that they often leave those traps behind. It not uncommon to see an innocent pony killed by a scrapper trap.”

“I see, that is tragic to hear.” Silver responded.

It didn’t take long for me to find one, a rusted old boar trap chained to the floor. The metal trap was made to clamp down on a leg and never let go. Even in its degraded condition, it had enough power in it to damage an artificial leg that wasn’t up-armored. It would not be a problem getting my hoof out of one, even though the leg would be hell to repair. Silver on the other hoof, he would be fucked if his normal flesh and bone legs caught in that thing.

Disabling the boar trap, I waved for the others to slowly follow me. It didn’t take long to find a few more traps: a trip wire connected to a small boulder on a rope, and a covered hole with some spikes under it.

Past the traps, and further into the offices, the signs of scrappers died off. The place was still looted, but other than the mess, it didn’t look like anything was cut apart.

Dust and mold took over as the main danger here, with it brushing up after every hoofstep. Worse of all, it was obscuring our vision. We all put on or rebreathers to save our mouth and noses from drying up, and for protections from possible chemical dangers. Though the construction from the wartime was exceedingly good, it turned out that some of the materials used were... quite toxic. Asbestos was a common problem here, used in nearly everything. It made a good flame retardant material, but turned out to be the leading cause of many respiratory illnesses among the islands.

Eventually we came closer to the other side of the offices, the long dark and decayed halls giving way to more concrete and pipes. As I walked, a buzzing sound could be heard from one of the rooms, the door to it hanging open enough for me to look in.

The room was just another office, but Twittermites buzzed all over inside. The blue bugs were a unyielding annoyance in the metro. With how they innately produced electricity, they often shorted out anything with a spell matrix. Worse yet, they were exceedingly deadly in high numbers.

In the middle of the swarm I could see a ghoul, it’s flesh charred, and Twittermites crawling all over it. It’s belly was bloated, and had holes were the bugs would crawl in and out of. Who ever the ghoul had been, they were no longer living alone. The pony was now a walking hive for the wretched glowing bugs.

Carefully closing the door, I waved at the Sweet Sax, and connected to her with the telepathy talasman. ‘There's a twittermite infestation behind this door, so be careful. It’s a hive.’

Sweet Sax nodded. ‘Really, I knew I should have taken a bug bomb with me.’

I shook my head. ‘Be glad you didn’t.’

Rolling her eyes, Sweet Sax sighd. ‘It can never be simple can it.’ She motioned for Silver to be careful here, and followed me. ‘Let’s hope that poor soul doesn't up deciding to follow us.’

‘Don’t jinx us, will you!?’ I quickly retorted, leaving the room behind me.

Further in, found what was the entrance to the offices. It was a simple wooden door with a glass window, surprisingly still intact and in good condition. The words on the door on my side were backwards, but still easy enough to read. ‘Solaris Inc. Metro Management Office.’ Above the words was the image of a white male alicorn, with the phrase ‘Try the Alternative’ next to it.

From what I learned in Orthrus, anything that came from Solaris Inc. was often bad news. Something about them making a vacuum cleaner that accidentally doubled as a sonic weapon. Shaking off the thought, I opened the door and took a peek around. We were at another metro station, possibly still an underground only one. No big monsters here, nor any death bots, which was a good sign in my book. I signaled to the others that it was safe, and we left the office.

_____________________________________

Closer now to the heart of the city, the tunnels twisted and turned in a near sickly fashion. The rusted pipes would rumble periodically, making us uneasy as we passed. The walls were covered in a fine layer of mold, making it look black and rotted even with light on it. Roots sprouted out of every crack, and was home to insects of a much smaller size compared to the rad roches. I didn’t like the look of it, but the objective marker pushed us forward.

If memory served me right, nearby was a supply road that ran underground. It was where much of the toxic world above had entered into the metro here, making it home to some of the larger monsters that lived here. To solidify that danger, the bones of dead ponies could be found, new and old. Some bones came with prosthetics, rusted and bent.

This was the kind of place horror stories were born. It was the graveyard for the foolish, the unprepared, and the simply unlucky. Though there were many places to hide down here, sanctuary from most threats this place had to offer, without any help on the way, death would eventually find a pony. Dehydration was common, followed by death when the desperate turned to drinking the toxic water found here.

Silver Relief had lead us here so our target was in the area. Now we simply had to figure out if his so called ‘brother’ was above or below us. The likely answer to that was that he was in all probability, further below us. Staying above would be suicide without any support coming to help. Checking the map on my pipleg, the direction we were heading was the sewers. Logical choice if you were to flee, seeing as they should connect to a few of the lower tunnels.

“This place only seems to get worse and worse.” Silver quietly commented. “And to think, ponies willingly come out here.”

“As long as there is a demand for what’s out here, there are ponies willing to supply it.” Sweet Sax responded.

“And so the truth of the world is revealed.” Silver said with a slight uplifted tone. “That’s why ponies like myself rarely leave the kingdom.”

I shook my head. His kind had been dropping in number, and becoming more inbred with every passing generation. The Orphic Kingdom still had a lot of old world ponies living there, but with each generation, less and less of them were seen as pure. I didn’t know much about the royal family, but rumorwas that most of them were born sickly. The princess, Harp Melody, seemed to be the telltale sign that things were going badly for the pure breeds. If the queen was accepting treatments that would give her a mirage pony foal, it could mean that even she might not be as ‘pure’ as everypony thinks.

“Were moving to the sewers, so mind your step.” I warned them. The service door opened with a squeak. Nothing too loud, but enough to make me nervous. I was glad that I had the rebreather on, as I could almost feel the rancid humid air hit my skin as I stepped into the sewer tunnel.

The sewers here were only barely considered underground. Much of the ceilings were either in an advanced state of decay, or just gone altogether. Through the holes, beams of unfiltered, natural sunlight shot inside, warming the concrete tube itself. The sun was high above, undeniably making the humidity worse, but providing us with more light than we could ever need. Grass and flowers sprouted wherever they could, and tree roots snaked around the walls to get to the toxic water.

Stepping into the sewers after us, Silver paused for a moment to look around. “Sight’s like this never cease to amaze me.”

Sweet Sax closed the door behind her. “Too bad everything here is out to kill us ponies, even the fucking air.”

“On that point, let’s not stay out here too long, another service door is not far away.” My eyes scanned the area, I didn’t like being out in the open like this. “So let’s move before something sees us.”

The other two nodded, and followed me through the swamp like sewers. Slick moss made it hard to walk, but luckily some other ponies had come this way, and there hoof prints showed us where it was safe to tread. Also whoever was down this way before had cut away at the fungus and vines that once were in the way, giving us a clear view of where we were headed.

Birds were everywhere, somehow taking to this toxic world far better than we had. Mutated versions of what they descended from, most of them were still quite beautiful, and fortunately still friendly.

Nearly to the other service door, I could hear a distinctive engine sound in the air. It was like the trams engines in the tunnels, but something that was unnatural to the surface of the islands. Not wanting to find out what it was, I pushed onward faster, minding my step as I did. The ground in front of the service hatch had signs of being used recently. Mostly, it was the fact that the moss on the floor had been scraped up from when the door had been opened. Reaching out and opening the door, I was greeted once again by the darkness of the metro. The light from the outside only risked going in far enough to reveal the top of the stairwell.

Closing the door, everything was once more wrapped in darkness. Turning on our lamps, we continued down making our way to the lower metro. Each step we took was as soft as possible, but of course we still managed to find the one squeaky metal plate that would give us away. It was always that, or a wayward piece of garbage that banged its way all the way down.

At the bottom, we entered into another service tunnel. This one’s maintenance supplies had been piled in corners long ago to make room for doomed survivors. The messages left behind by slowly dieing ponies had been scribed all over the walls. It’s too bad that they were only to be read so long after they had died.

At the end of the service tunnel was a heavy metal door, which of course, happened to be locked. Pulling out my small screwdriver box, I got to work. I’d never invested in a lockpicking spell matrix. I could still try my hoof at picking without it if I needed to, but not when I usually had a more logical way to open doors. I used the screwdriver to remove the lock panel on the side of the door itself. One screw at a time, I removed the whole thing. Most of the screws were badly corroded, but not stuck enough to never come out. Once the faceplate was all the way off, the door was as good as unlocked. It didn’t take a mechanical genius to do this, or even be really skilled. I just needed to manipulate one or two parts and the door was ready to open.

On the other side of the door was another metro service station. Row upon row of degrading train carts sat idly. If the metro here was a safer place, this would have made an excellent spot for a community, or at least a forward outpost for hunters and scrappers.

I could see parts of the station lit up by small lamps that were spread about all over. The lamps didn’t provide much light, but they did give me enough to see a pony standing in a watch tower. The mirage pony had black leather armor, studded with spikes, and the painted images of skulls. The ponies face was covered with a gas mask, but it’s mane was out in the open, and spiked up in a mohawk. Luckily, the pony was not looking in our direction, so we had gotten in undetected.

Whispering to the others, I crouched down low. “Everypony keep low. We’ve got bandits.” The others followed my lead, heeding my words as they crouched.

Silver looked confused, and whispered back to me. “Why are they all the way out here?”

I had to think about it for a second, but an answer was easy to think up. “Probably to collect materials to sell to smugglers, or out here to capture any pony that would come out here. Maybe both?”

Sweet Sax chimed in. “What does your pipbuck say Silver. Does the tag point down there?”

Silver sighed and nodded. This was not something I’d wanted to do, but it looked like we were going to pass through the bandit camp. Still, we’d been having it easy enough so far. It was only a matter of time before some problem cropped up.

“Okay Silver, just stay with us, and we should be able to get through without huge firefight.” Aiming my rifle, I scanned the area for other bandits. From what I could see, I counted a total of three. There was the mohawk one standing on the makeshift watch tower, and two more under the tower, seemingly more interested in eachother. If it was possible, I’d avoid killing them outright.

I was able to creep in close, with Sweet Sax keeping an eye out for any bandits I might have missed, and Silver not far behind her in the shadows. The two bandits below the tower were both mare's. They has the same over the top spiked mohawk as the first pony had, both relaxing with inhalers between them. The two would giggle now and then, and sometimes a leg would move, but they were definitely out of it. There was no mistake, they both were taking the chem called chill.

Chill was basically just refined punga tree sap aerosolized into a gas, sometimes with a few extra ingredient. It acted both as a relaxant, and a hallucinogenic, making it popular among the more down on their luck ponies. If this stuff was enough to take out a bandit, it might be useful in helping me get pass the other bandits without resorting to killing every pony I see.

Looking at the inhaler, and how the two bandits were knocked out, I had an Idea. Stepping up to the two out cold bandits, I quickly rummaging through their pockets looking for more chill inhalers. I found three more full inhalers of the chem, and put them in a pocket on the side of my saddle bag. I still had one bandit here to take out, so I slowly stepped onto the ramp up, careful not to knock anything over. Switching from my rifle to my combat knife, I made sure that the spell was set to less-lethal, its pommel now being the part for attack. Creeping up to the bandit's level, he hadn’t seen me, the gas mask was probably restricting the ponies senses..

With a careful step, and a sweeping of the knife's pommel to the side of his head, the bandit went down. The pony was stunned, but only momentarily. So, I jumped on him. Knocking his mask off, I placed the chill inhaler in his mouth and forced him to use it. The confused bandit attempted to struggle at first, but the chill quickly took effect and he relaxed. With the bandit now uninterested with what was going on, I looked through his pockets.

Sadly, he only had ten ball bearings to an old air rifle that wasn’t even in sight of me. This pony must have been low on the pecking order, which meant there might be more around here. I also found another chill inhaler and bottle of fresh water, both of which I took. Descending from the tower, I found Sweet Sax rummaging through the other Bandits stuff. Quickly, she put a few assorted items in her saddle bag.

"Find anything useful?" I asked .

She nodded, pulling down her rebreather. "Some ammo, some water, and I found three tin-can grenades. So if all else fails, we got more explosives."

Silver came quietly trotting to us, giving the two bandits a look of disgust. "Why don't you just kill them? They can't bother any pony if their dead."

Sweet Sax answered. "First off, we're not here to root out bandits, that's liable to get us killed without backup. Second, were not murders, and we don't work for murders."

I tapped on Sweet Sax shoulder, getting her attention. "I'll look for a way around, so stay hidden.” I hoofed her one of the chill inhalers. “Also take this. If another bandit comes around, use this to put them to sleep."

Sweet Sax nodded, and I began looking for a safe way through the bandit camp. The direct route through the bandit camp was a no go, looking thru a makeshift door to the bandit camp, I could see over a dozen bandits ether standing around, or working on their guns. There was going to be more I could not see, so even attempting to weave through the camp was too dangerous.

There was maintenance ditch that would take me under the trains, and possibly to the other side. Scouting the ditch to about half way, it turned out it was were they were dumping their trash. Empty bottles and cans were everywhere, making it impossible to pass without making a lot of noise.

There was still one way we could go that would get us past the bandit camp undetected, and that was by going over the top of the camp. An old crane system was still hanging above the trains in the station, three of them in total, making a thin bridge over the camp. Looking around, I found a maintenance ladder that went up to the first crane. It was solid, and in a nice concealed spot, the only problem was that one of the bandits was currently using it to hang her panties.

Returning to the others, Sweet Sax had placed the two bandits in suggestive poses. "What, it's a good plan! If another bandit comes looking for them, they would be too distracted to see me coming." She explained smugly.

I wasn't going to start arguing, not now. "I found a way past them." I pointed up. "We can go over them by walking on the crane. As long as we're careful, and quiet, they won't know we were even here."

"Is that the only way in?" Silver asked nervously. I really hoped that he didn't have vertigo.

I shook my head. "It's the only way that can get us through without a fire fight."

Silver sighed. "Blast, I hate heights. But if I must, I must."

Sweet Sax patted him on the back. "Don't worry, it's not that high up. And besides, it's not that far of a walk anyway."

The two followed me to the ladder. I went up first, followed by Silver, while Sweet Sax took the flank position. The first crane was quite sturdy, with only a minor amount of rust to it. What ever paint had been used on the crane, it must have been strong stuff to have held up this well for over two hundred years. Walking along the supports, It didn't take long to get to the neck of the crane.

Walking along, I’d noticed that much of the bandit camp was obstructed by the train carts. I was glad, because it was helping us stay just a bit more hidden as we moved across. The crane was not entirely unused by the bandits, as I had to step over a rope at two different times, both holding up lanterns. The light thankfully didn't reveal our position, but it gave me a good look down at the bandit's operation. It looked like they were cooking chems here. From the cases and vials, rage, dash, med-x, and chill looked to be the most common of the chems there.

Shortly, we’d reached the end of the crane. Getting to the next one was a simple hop, which was foal's play for me to do with my muffle spell on. The other two were much more careful hopping across, waiting for some noise to pick up so to mask the noise they would make with the hop. The neck of the second crane was in the middle of the station this time. This would leave us exposed, taking us over an empty platform. We would be still in the shadows as we crossed, but any curious or wayward glance from a bandit, and they would see us with even the smallest amount of light.

I was first to cross to the other end. It had been just as easy as before, but I was a lot more weary of the bandits below me as I went. Through empty at the moment, the bandits would regularly cross the platform. Each time felt like a disaster waiting to happen, as all they need to do was look up to see any pony crossing.

The weapons the bandits were using were simple old varant air guns, each modified differently with new or scrap parts. Most of the guns looking like they were taped together haphazardly, others looked sleek much like my own rifle. The guns I was worried about most of all were the fat bulky rifles, I didn’t know what they did outside of shooting ball bearings, but I bet it was something nasty.

Next was Silver. With ginger steps, he slowly walked over toward me. Without cause, Silver just stopped and looked around, right in the middle of the crane.

Sweet Sax contacted me with over the telepathy talisman. 'what is he doing?'

'Don't know.' I responded. 'Go push him along, were dead if he gets spotted.'

She quietly walked up to Silver, and they exchanged whispered words. After a moment, she looked up at me. 'Bad news Vibraphone' Sweet Sax thought at me. 'The pipbuck tag suddenly moved.'

Shit! that meant that the pipbuck was here, or we went too low. 'Just get him across before somepony sees us.'

The two of them quickly crossed to the other side, and regrouped with me. Silver looked back in the direction I could only guess was where the pipbuck tag was pointing. Looking in the same direction, I couldn’t see anything except the train carts.

"So what do we do?" Silver asked.

I looked to Sweet Sax, and she nodded. "We will have to go down and see if your brother is here." She pointed in the direction of the train carts. "If not, we at least know we’re close."

"I'll go down on my own, the rest of you stay hidden." I said. "It will be easier for me then for you too." I was looking for a deep dweller with a pipbuck, not easy to miss.

They didn't argue, and we walked to the end of the crane closest to where the tag pointed. It had a good amount of cover, so the others were safe from being seen for the moment. Carefully descending without a ladder, I had to jump onto the top of a train cart and climb down from there. This section of the station was even darker than the rest, which was good for me.

One bandit came around to where I was, and began taking a piss unaware I was just a few hoof-steps away. My position was bad for a sneak attack unless I wanted to go for a kill, so I waited. The bandit began to choff and wheeze a bit, her breath now sounding sickly flemmy.

The mare bandit began patting herself down. “Where's my damn inhaler.” her voice strained under her wheezing.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. “Here use this.” I said to the bandit, passing her a chill inhaler.

“Thanks.” The bandit took it, and breathed the chem in deep. She looked at me, her eyes dilating, and a slight smile on her face. “This is the wrong kind of inhaler silly.” She wheezed.

Not wanting the poor mare to suffocate, I patted her down and found the inhaler she was looking for. It was on the opposite side from where she was checking. Helping her breath it in, the bandit stopped wheezing. She smiled and found a place to sit before falling asleep.

Further in, It didn't take me long to find were the pipbuck tag was probably pointing at. Among the train carts was one armored cart. It didn’t seem constructed to keep ponies out, but rather to keep them in like some sort of prison cart. Metal bars and plates had been welded to the windows, and a sheet metal access door had been constructed in a way that I could not just pop it open like any other doors normally do. Looking in, I could barely make out two ponies laying down inside.

The door may be welded together, but the lock keeping it closed looked simple enough and would probably be easily broken with a bolt cutter. Sadly my lock picking skills were again not going to help me here, so I returned to the pony I knocked out. she was still fast asleep, a leg would periodically kick out. Looking for a key on her, I quickly found one. When I took it back to the prison cart, I was surprised when it didn't work.

Looking around, there were a few boxes with locks on them, most I could open by unscrewing the locks from the box. There was a metal tool case nearby, I didn’t know what was in it, but it might have tools I could use. Without issue, it opened up using the key, and Inside was a whole collection of stolen prosthetic legs. Some of the legs had the blood of their previous owners still on them.

Pulling out the legs quietly, the haphazard collection of different models making me feel uneasy. Under them I found some of the old tools still inside. A hammer and a box of nails sat next to an instruction book for building a gazebo. Opening it, I found that the box of nails happen to be empty. I found a hacksaw, as useful as it would be, it was too rusted to be used. Unknown why it was in here, I found a harpoon gun, the thing was a bit too big for me to just take, so I put it to the side. A bolt cutter was at the very bottom of the case, a bit rusted, but still in working condition. It was exactly what I needed, so I took it and quietly trotted back to the cage.

Breaking the lock, I opened the door and got a better look at the captive ponies inside. There were two mirage ponies inside. One was a mare who looked at me with tearful eyes, and the other, a stallion who had a look of worry on his face.

"Shhh, I'm here to help." I whispered to them. They didn't have her legs, so all the two could do was nod. I doubted that the stallion was the brother that Silver was looking for, so I contacted Sweet Sax over telepathy. 'I found two captives, neither one of them is this brother, or the princesses. I'm going to help them out, and then rejoin you two.’

'The job can never be easy, can it.' Sweet Sax responded.

Turning my attention to the two ponies in need of help, I left the cart and collected the legs for them. It didn't take long for them to get back on their hooves, which filled their faces with hope, and a fearful eagerness to leave.

The mare looked around before looking back too me, worried. "How are we going to get out? How did you get in?" She whispered softly.

"Just follow me, I have a way out." I advised her. The two nodded. "So how did you two end up here?" I asked.

The stallion answered. "Were scrappers. We got ambushed on our way back. We don't know how long it's been, but I thought we were going to starve in there."

The mare picked up the harpoon gun, and a few of the other legs. Scrappers were going to do what they did best, so I didn’t say anything about it. Also, if they were going to get to Charon’s Stop, they will need that gun.

Taking them to where I had climbed down, I helped the two take off the bandit's armor. The bandit mare didn’t resist, and giggled at our attempt. This gave me a chill down my spine, and I made a mental note to never take the chem. The two scrappers didn't take the armor for themselves, draping it over the bandit. They did take the bandit’s saddle bag, gas mask, and weapon. Helping them up onto the train cart, they returned the favor by helping me up. Sweet Sax was already waiting to pull the ponies up onto the crane.

When we were all safely up, they all made room for me to take the lead position again. Silver looked quite unhappy with our two new companions, but they gave him a smile, and Silver simply looked away. The animosity between the deep dwellers and the mirage ponies was thick, but at least the two scrappers were willing to look past the issues that split the groups. Silver on the other hoof, I wasn’t sure would ever change.

"You do know they are going to slow us down right?" Silver spoke with a forcefull, yet hushed tone.

"Don't worry." Sweet Sax calmly interjected. "Once we're out of here, they will go their own way, and we will go ours." While Sax had a good point, I didn’t like risking it, but it was the right thing to do. Silver of course, just huffed his annoyance.

*Crack*

Everything stopped, and the camp went silent.

*Crack*

The sound came from the ceiling, near the center of the station. Lights beams flickered on, illuminating the ceiling, revealing a large crack above the station. The Bandits began to panic, and calls of a tunnel collapse went out among them.

*Crack*

Parts of the ceiling broke off, crashing down onto the station. Now the bandits were really moving it, grabbing what they could, and running for the exit. With a roar, the ceiling gave way, and the station filled with dust. The two scrappers began sharing the gas mask they took from the bandit, as the rest of us sat dumbfounded.

"GO! GO! GO! THIS IS OUR WAY OUT!" The voice of a mare yelled from the dust cloud, as more of the ceiling began to collapse.

"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Sweet Sax yelled, and the rest didn’t need to be told twice.

No longer worried about stealth, we jumped down, bouncing off a train cart. Quite roughly we landed on the dusty ground. We took off as fast as we could, but had been slowed down by the maze like layout of the camp. I watched as a piece of the ceiling fell down in front of me, catching a fleeing bandit under it as she ran. With a resounding crack, it crushed her back half and killing the mare outright. Unphased by the event, I ran forward and hopped over the debris as best I could. The stallion scrapper stumbled into my flank, nearly knocking me down. Taking a look, I saw that he had taken the dead bandits gas mask for himself, and was struggling to get it on. The risky maneuver forced me to slow down. He gave me an apologetic look through the mask. I couldn’t blame him, without the mask he would be a dead pony walking the second we got back outside this tunnel.

We ran into a panicked bandit, who was shocked and confused to see us. Wisely, she turned the other direction and ran. With the thunderous cracking and smashing of the rocks falling around us, nopony had time for a firefight now. The falling ceiling had also started a roaring chemical fire in the drug cooking area, blocking one of our ways through and filling the area with thick, choking smoke. Having a hard time keeping up with Sweet Sax, who was now too far ahead to properly see, I made sure the two scrappers stuck close to me. They needed my help more than Sweet did.

A loud explosion went off nearby, I could feel the heat of the shockwave, and my ears rang like I was next to a siren. "THIS WAY! FOLLOW ME!" I yelled as loudly as I could. With how bad the visibility had gotten, yelling was the only way I knew they knew where I was. "DON'T FALL BEHIND, AND WE WILL GET OUT OF HERE."

“Right behind you sis!” The stallion responded, the gas mask muffling his voice.

Trotting, I had to make my way through a train cart. "TAKE A LEFT, AND THEN THE FIRST RIGHT." around another dead body. "WATCH YOUR STEP, WE GOT BODIES HERE." I ran into a table, nearly taking the wind out of me, I quickly recovered my bearings and jumped on and over the table. "DON'T STOP HERE, WE’RE GOING OVER." Just in the distance I could see a yellow flashing light, an open emergency exit was ahead of us. "JUST AHEAD NOW, I FOUND AN EXIT."

Getting up to a gallop now, I rushed through the doorway and exited the dust cloud right into two bandits. The three of us didn't waste time, the two bandits pulled out their rifles, and I entered S.A.T.S.

The spell slowed everything to an absolute crawl, allowing me to assess my situation. The tunnel we were in was too tight to use my rifle, so my enforcer was my best choice. Selecting the first bandit, I only had a 50% chance to hit. Sadly, I would need to be a lot closer to get a better chance to hit.

Exiting S.A.T.S. I dodge rolled into them. The two bandits were quick to draw their guns. Thankfully, they weren’t as quick with aiming at me as I rolled at them. The move put me too close for them to compensate. Their shots missed me by a hair as I activated S.A.T.S.

Selecting the first bandit's head, I had a 86% chance to hit, good odds. The second bandit gave me an 80% chance to hit, not as good, but I’ll take it. Letting S.A.T.S. do it’s work, my revolver levitated up to my mouth, and I bit onto the handle all in one motion. With a firm pull of the trigger, I fired.

My shot hit it's mark, sending gray matter flying as the bullet passed through the first bandit’s skull in slow motion. I hated how S.A.T.S. had to show me everything in it's gory detail. Seriously, centuries of time, and nopony coded a way for me to skip it.

The second bandit caught me off guard. She dropped her rifle and quickly deflected my revolver. My second shot went off, just missing the side of her head. The mare took a hoof-to-hoof combat stance, and lunged at me. She clipped me in the jaw with her steel plated hooves. The hit was enough to knock my gun from my mouth, but not to knock me over.

"Minerva, knife now!" My combat knife floated out and slashed at the bandit. She just laughed as the knife cut a line across her chest. Unphased, she jumped straight at me. The hit knocked me over, sending my combat knife flipping out of Minerva's grip.

"I don't know who you are, but after I'm finished shoving a bottle up your ass, I'm going to kick you until you shit blood and glass!" The mare reared up for one more hoof strike, and...

...and simply vaporized.

She suddenly turned red orange, and the look on her face was of shock and confusion. Her body turned to dust and her legs fell off. With a clatter, the prosthetics landed to the side of the dust pile that was once her.

Looking back at the door, I saw two ponies. They were not the two scrappers I had freed, but one was a pegasus stallion in armor I had never seen before, and welding a beam rifle. The other was a dainty looking mirage pony mare with all of her legs intact.

"Uhm... hi?" The stallion said as they looked at me in confusion, then to themselves, and back to me.

The mare gasped, ran to me, and gave me a hug. "You must be an Orthrus pony, oh lucky day! You must help me get home, mother must be worried about me." She was holding me a bit too tight, but I was a bit too confused to resist.

"Miss Harp, you might want to let the poor mare go, she's running out of air." The pegasus bluntly stated. Wait, did he just call her miss Harp?

As she let me go, I took a deep breath and looked at the mare. "Harp, as in Harp Melody, princess Harp Melody?" I asked.

The mare scooted back, and looked away shyly. "Maybe."

I got on my hooves. "Just a moment." I attempted to connect to Sweet Sax through telepathy. 'Sweet come in, I found the princess, I repeat I found the princess!'

'Wh-t!--hat's-gr--e,---t's-me---up-on---r-wa-------t--Ch--on's---op.---so-I---st-Sil--r,-so--ad.' The link was garbled and warped, we were too far apart to properly communicate now. I didn't know if Sweet got my message, but I knew I needed to get the princess back to Charon's Stop. Sweet Sax would be heading that way if she got the message or not, it was our standard procedure if we ever got separated.

Patting some of the dust off me, I looked at my temporary Pegasus companion. "So, what's your name?"

“Names Merit Cross,” He smiled, and took a deep breath, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of loud gunfire. It sounded like a machine gun of a large caliber, something that would attract every monster for miles. He quickly turned around and looked out at the door. “I need to get my comrades out of here, can you help?"

I nodded. "Then follow me.” Another loud explosion rocked the tunnel, and debris fell from the station, blocking the door. “Fuck, this is bad. We need to get out of here now! We can look for your friends later."

The pegasus huffed, and begrudgingly agreed. The three of us ran down the tunnel, my pipleg the only source of light for them to see. I could only hope that we could get this whole mess sorted out once I met up with Sax and Silver back at Charon's Stop.

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Footnote:

New Quest - Who Dares, Wins

Chapter 3 - Predator and Prey

The old tunnel was so caked in calcium that it was hard to tell if we were in a pony made structure or a natural cave that was repurposed by ponies. The culprit was leaking water coming from cracks in the ceiling, depositing the minerals all over the walls and the floor. This made it hard to walk without slipping, something that would be amusing if our situation wasn't so dangerous.

My two new companions were chatty at first, full of questions, some demands, but they were quickly silenced. I simply told them 'Be quiet until we get to a safe room' and the roar of a large monster punctuated my point. Fortunately, both ponies were surprisingly good at keeping quiet, and far better at watching their step than Silver was.

It didn't take me too long to find a sign pointing to a safe room. Made from an old stop sign, it had a detailed map painted on it, directing us to a shelter. Minerva was able to analyze the map, and update my own with the shelter's location. A blue beam of light extended out from Minerva’s screen, and shot out down the path I needed to take. Shaking my head, I turned off the heavy hoofed guide setting, and switched it to an arrow in my compass.

"Alright everypony," I whispered to the others, "I have the location of a safe house, so just stay quiet, and follow me." The other two nodded, and we were on our way.

Following the arrow on my compass, the other two stuck real close, staying in the small amount of light that came from my pipleg. This prevented me from scouting ahead, forcing us to move much slower so to not just walk into a large monster. Rad-roaches were a different problem, as I would periodically step on one without knowing they were there until I heard the crunch from under my leg. My rifle helped finish off any other roach that crawled near us, but the rest scurried away into the darkness. The little beasts were probably following us, in hopes to get a meal when one of us gets separated, or dies.

Every now and then we could hear the sounds of something bigger lurking around. I didn't know how far away it was, but it was close enough to hear it roar. The roar was followed by the sounds of gunfire, and some yelling. After a few seconds, the monster roared once more, its voice alone in the tunnel.

Soon we arrived at the safe room, its outer door made from two desks welded together with an eye slit. Luckily for us the door was unlocked allowing us to quickly jump inside and lock it. The other side of the door was an actual metal door, with three sliding bars as the main locking mechanism to keep the door closed.

Locking the door and flipping a light switch, I saw that it was an old maintenance room, which fared far better than the tunnel outside. Though not clean by any standard, being caked with dust and grime, it made for an excellent place to stop and rest.

The place had cots on one side and boxes on the other. On the wall in-between the boxes and cots was a small water purification machine. This place was made to help keep a pony alive long enough for anything on the other side of the door to leave, be it a day or weeks. Other shelters were not like this, some being a lot smaller. I had the bad luck of having to use what was simply an armored closet, forcing Sweet and I to be very close for nearly a whole day. She had forgotten to take a shower the day before, so it was not a fun time.

Harp Melody quickly familiarized herself with a cot, taking a seat on it in a particular way. Her back hooves dangled off the side of the cot, as she rested on her flank, and her front legs were free to move in the air. Her clothes looked a lot like what Silver had, but embroidered with gold flowers along the trim, and a little skirt covering her flank. The rest of her was as dainty as I would expect, thin from a lack of exercise and not from a lack of food. Her blue mane and pink coat, though dirty from being out here, still looked far better kept then anypony’s I had seen, other than Shamisen Tuning. Overall the mare was quite cute looking.

The pegasus stallion, Merit Cross, checked out one of the boxes and pulled out an empty bottle of sparkle cola before putting it back in. He had a bronze colored coat with a black mane and tail that had a red and white streak going through it. The barding that he had on was strange, nothing like I had ever seen a deep dweller use before. Black and brown in color, only being lightly armored. Stranger yet his clothes sported the symbol of a cloud and a star on it with an 'E' in front of it. The pony himself was quite attractive, looking strong and a bit rugged, nothing like the prim and groomed Silver.

"Is there something wrong...? Miss?" Merit asked, forcing my eyes away from his flank and to his bronze colored eyes.

"No, nothing...” Other than being separated from my partner, and the high probability of every big monster in the area now on the hunt for ponies. ".. Well a few things are wrong. Name’s Vibraphone Echo." I took a deep breath and turned Minerva's map function on. "Right, first things first, we will need to plan our trip back to Charon's Stop. If we can get to a main tunnel we should be fine, the problem is finding a way around any monsters that have been attracted here by that tunnel collapse."

Merit closed the box and trotted up to me. "Woah, hold it there miss, but I'm not going anywhere without my comrades." He stomped on the ground to punctuate what he said.

I sighed. "I understand and all, but unless you know exactly where they are, it's going to be a lot easier to wait back at Charon's Stop than to look for them." I tapped Minerva. "So tell me, does one of them have a pipbuck, and do you have its tag"

"Miss Vibraphone was it." Merit took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "You’re going to need to trust me when I say this. I, and my comrades are not from here. We only arrived here recently, and without a guide my comrades are going to be completely lost down here."

I walked over to one of the cots, and sat on it. "Okay, please explain to me what you’re going on about."

Merit sat on a cot next to mine, but before he could say a word Harp interrupted. "He came from the sky. I saw it myself." We both turned our attention to the princesses. "You see my guide turned out to be... less than friendly. He got it in his head that I shouldn't return home, wanted me to stay here on the big island with him. When I said no, he pulled his gun and threatened to kill me. That’s when a big metal... craft came roaring down, and killed my guide. I was so shocked and scared when it happened that I ran and hid. After that he, and his friends found me."

"From the sky?" I asked, and the Pegasus nodded. "From where in the sky?" I asked him.

He looked uncomfortable for a moment as he shifted on his cot. "I'm breaking a whole lot of rules by telling you this... but I'm betting that it's not going to matter. I'm from New Cloudsdale, a cloud city. Possibly one of the only remaining cloud cities that hasn't fallen to ruin. We came here to see if Marewaii could be inhabited, but we were shot down soon after getting here."

I crossed my front hooves, and pondered what he was saying. "So you’re saying that you’re not from Marewaii?" He nodded. "And from this cloud city, New Cloudsdale?" he nodded again. "And you expect me to believe this?"

Merit groaned and put his hooves in his face. "No, I'm not expecting anything. I just want you to help my friends. They're still out there, and I need to get to them." He looked up with his bronze eyes, and sighed. "I already lost two friends, I don't want to lose any more."

Shit. Now I'm feeling like the bad pony here. Everypony knew that there was no mercy out there, just survival. We try to help ponies when we can, but wandering back into a hot zone to look for ponies who may not be even in the same area, or even alive, was suicidal at best. "Damn it... here, we can swing around the area. With luck they are hold up in another safe room like us. But when I say we need to go, we need to go. This place is going to be flooded with monsters, and I don't feel like being food today."

Exhaling, Merit relaxed. "Thanks."

I nodded, and got off the cot. "Right. You two look for anything useful here, I'll check my map." I stepped over to the door and tapped on my pipleg. "Minerva, show me the route we took to get here."

The map projected into my vision, giving me a good look at where we were, and where we had come from. We hadn't traveled too far, so going back the way we came was a valid option. Not far from where we left the station was a maintenance hatch. It should take us to another tunnel, and from there we could look for the others. Another option was to go further out and change tunnels at a station. It’d take more time, but was probably the safest route. Last option was to go up and over. There was a ladder up to the surface nearby, and it would make the fastest way there. The only problem was that it was also the most dangerous route to take.

Looking back at the others, Harp had taken one of the empty bottles and poured herself some purified water. Merit had dug through all the boxes, finding mostly junk. Surprisingly he found a few full sparkle-cola bottles and a package of apple pie bites. Both were probably tainted with radiation, and the pies were most likely made more of preservatives than apples.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The heavy knocking on the door drew all of our attention. Opening the slit, I saw a scared bandit pulling at the door. Our eyes made contact, and I could see the pleading on her face. "Let me in, let me in dammit!"

It was only one bandit, so there was no need to be cruel. "Just step back." Reaching out, I pulled open one of the locks. The bandit gave a sigh of relief and scooted back.

*BLAM*

The bandit’s neck ripped open and her blood splattered all over the ground, quickly draining like a popped water balloon. I stood there stunned, trying to get a look at who had killed the mare.

Holding a lantern above them, two ponies came into view. One was a large earth pony, and the other was the one holding the lantern. The other one was a... zebra! He had a battle rifle rigged onto a battle saddle. Both had the same outfit on, which looked like old tattered uniforms, red with green trim, and had different symbols sown on the fabric. I shut the slit, and enhanced my hearing.

"Good shot, you got that freak real good." The earth pony said.

"It was easy, t' fool though they could hide in t' shadows." The zebra spoke with a boasting tone. "Now it is dead, and my brother gets a new leg."

The earth pony snorted as their voices got closer. "That's why we chased after t' moppet, so that your dumb ass brother can have a new leg. Eatin' more fruits was all he needed t' do, but no, had t' go get scurvy didn't he."

"What do you expect, mother dropped him on his head as a little foal." The zebra said, and the two laughed.

I could hear the two walk closer, one having to step over the bandits corps, and right up to the door.

*Tap Tap Tap*

"Open up, we know you’re in thar." The earth pony demanded. "If you don't, we have other ways t’ open doors."

"Why even ask mate." The Zebra spoke up. "Just blow t' door open, not like we got t' time t' fool around. Fuckin' Black Spot's bein' a real tight ass over this mission."

Opening the eye slit, the two looked right at me. Up close, I could see scars and tattoos crudely decorating their faces. Both were adorn with gold rings piercing on their ears, lips, and the Zebra had one through his eyebrow. They looked like pirates from the old movies from before the war. "Just wait a moment, can we negotiate?"

The two pirates sneered, and then laughed. The earth pony raised a hoof and spoke. "You know what, I think we can. How about you open that door, come out, and let us fuck ya. If ya real good at it, we will let you go."

'They can't be serious.' The two stallions held onto their grin, showing off their rotten teeth. 'They were serious about it!' I turned away from the slit and gagged. Merit and Harp were standing behind me, concern on their faces. "Not going to happen." I whispered to them. Looking back through the slit, I shook my head. "Anything else I could give you? You can have two bottles of sparkle-cola."

The two pirates chuckled, and this time the Zebra spoke up. "Remember what t' captain said, when in doubt, take it all." The Zebra pulled out a box, and I had a gut feeling that it was full of explosives.

"You better stand back girly." The earth pony called out. "I’d rather not fuck another mangled corpse." Now my gut feeling was really telling me that they were going to use explosives.

I looked back. There was nothing in here for us to hid behind, the boxes maybe, but i doubted they would do much to shield us. Looking back through the slit, the two pirates had backed up, and behind them something caught my eye. Two eyes behind the pirates reflected the light from the lamp. I didn't know to laugh or cringe, as I knew what was about to happen.

With monstrous speed, the Zebra was bit in the back legs, lifted up, and smashed against the wall. Blood smeared along the wall, and quickly drained from the Zebras mangled face. The earth pony barely had time to react before the monster was on him. A great claw held the pony to the ground, and it clamped down on his head, separating it from the pony's body.

With the pirates dead, the monster lumbered to the door, and I quickly pushed the one open lock back in place. It was a Paradise Dragon, tall with razor sharp claws and dagger like teeth. The monster was covered in green feathers of different shades from nose to tail, giving it a deceptively beautiful look. Though it walked on all four legs, the beast had the ability to stand and run on its two back legs when attacking. Another thing was that its skin was like armor, and we would need some big guns to hope to even hurt it enough to drive the monster away.

It lumbered over to the bandits’ corpses, and looked right at me. Shutting the eye slit, I stumbled back as the monster thrashed against the door. It held firm against the paradise dragon’s assault, but it knew we were here. It knew that more food was just inside.

With the pirates gone I didn’t have to worry about the doors being blown open, but we had only exchanged one big problem for another. I could only hope that the paradise dragon would take the bodies and go away. Something I knew didn’t happen often.

“What’s going on? What just happened?” Merit asked, staying near the cot with his boxy looking rifle at the ready.

If what he said earlier was true, and he was really not from the islands, then I had an idea to prove it. “Merit, come here and take a look.” It wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but everyone on the islands knew about paradise dragons, so I just had to see his reaction. “Just don’t put your face close to the door, trust me.”

Merit trotted over, looking unsure, but confidant. I opened the eye slit, and moved out the way as he stepped up to the door. “What am I looking at?” he asked as he looked through the slit, keeping some distance like I suggested.

Suddenly a razor sharp claw jammed through the slit, nearly nicking Merit as he fell back onto his flank. “THE FUCK IS THAT!?” he shouted.

Harp had walked up next to me, looking a little frightened. “It’s a paradise dragon isn’t it?” she asked me, and I nodded.

“Okay, so that’s a paradise dragon.” Merit huffed in annoyance. “ what the fuck is a paradise dragon?” The look of shock and confusion on his face was authentic. Along with how much he didn’t look the part of a deep dweller, I was starting to believe that he was not from around here.

The monster’s claw retracted from the slit. “Take another look, and I’ll explain.” Merit got back onto his hooves, and looked out the slit again. His head a little further back. “It’s the apex predator here on the Marewaii Islands. Fast, strong, smart, and so viciously aggressive that only a few ponies have tangled with one and lived to tell the tale.”

Merit closed the eye slit, and looked at me with an eyebrow raised. “That. That is no dragon. I’ve seen dragons before. Horns, covered in scales, breathing fire. That is a feather covered lizard.” He elaborated his statement by moving his hooves around, drawing shapes in the air.

“You’ve seen real dragons before, like in the old stories?” Harp asked, looking a little curious now.

Merit nodded. “Every now and then a dragon would threaten the peace, flying up over the cloud layer and attacking the citizens. I never fought one myself, but I saw one as a colt, and later as a recruit with the Enclave.” He looked proud as he talked, reminding me of my dad a little. “So what is that thing?” he pointed at the door.

“Probably a wartime weapon that got out, and started breeding.” I said casually. “There’s a lot of theories, but that’s the most common. We do know that it is a kind of lizard, probably an iguana.”

“Do I need to ask what an iguana is?” Merit asked with an eyebrow raised.

I waved a hoof. “An aquatic lizard. They all died out over two hundred years ago. But that’s not important.”

Merit slumped his shoulders. “So I take it that that thing is not going away?” I nodded, answering his question. “That’s fucking fantastic.”

I looked at the map again, and mentally crossed out the two tunnel routes. Even if we could get past the monster, we were not going to be fast enough to outrun it. So the only valid option was the ladder up, and that was assuming that the ladder was still there in the first place.

Looking in my bag, I still had the flashbang for emergencies. This would be considered an emergency. “I have a plan.” I called out, and the other two looked in my direction. Pulling out the flashbang I took a deep breath. “We've got one shot at this, so you’re going to need to follow my instructions to the letter.”

The plan was simple. Stun the paradise dragon and run for it. Merit was in charge of keeping Harp from falling behind, and I was to follow. I had a frag grenade ready if the monster recovered faster than I expected. The big problem, other than the monster, was making sure that the others knew where to go. Dark tunnels were hard to navigate, even when you have a map.

“So there’s a maintenance hatch to the right, which should take us to a surface station.” Merit commented, as he used his hoof to trace along the map on my pipleg screen. “From there if we head west, we can get back to where we were separated, and track down the others.” He had gotten in real close to me to properly look at the map, sitting beside me as my pipleg was stretched out to him. His larger wing rubbing against my smaller wing, and his head a bit closer then I was comfortable with.

It was a bad time to think about being so close to a stallion, so I shoved any dirty thoughts to the back of my mind, and focused on the task at hoof. We were about to run to the surface, and I didn’t need the distraction.

Pulling my leg away from him, I got up and walked to one of the cots. “Now that you've got all the information you need, just make sure that Miss Harp makes it up the ladder safely. I’ll be right behind you.”

Looking over to my side, Harp Melody was sorting through the boxes for more useful stuff, but having no better luck then when Merit did. I had shared my own supplies with them to help keep our energy up, two days’ worth of rations now reduced to a snack between the three us. We still had water, so dehydration was not a worry right now, but we did recap a few cola bottles with the purified water just to be safe.

Merit and I were set. He had his magical energy rifle, an effective weapon, if a bit flashy. I had my air rifle and revolver. Harp was given my combat knife. With her combat skills being next to nonexistent, I figured it would at least help her stay calm if she had something.

The energy rifle that Merit was using, I had seen a few before as collector’s items. The old rifles were not the most durable guns of the Old World, so most ponies who owned them kept them behind glass. The Ponies Republic of the Valley did make their own energy rifles, calling them energy muskets. They worked in the same way as the modern air and railguns, needing to be charged before use. Their magical fusion breeder was able to hold a charge for a good one or two shots, with higher end models able to fire four, or even six shots.

“Miss Vibraphone?” Merit caught me looking at his rifle. “Something the matter?”

“Just thinking.” I responded. “So, are you ready?”

Merit, looked unsure for a moment. “As ready as we will ever be.”

“Good. Just take your position, and on the count of three, we start.” It was easy enough for me to say, it always was. My biggest worry was that the Paradise dragon will go straight for the door as soon as it opens, or that the flash bang is a dud. There was a hundred other ways this could fail, I did my best to keep them to the back of my mind, but they just kept coming back.

Merit and Harp had taken position, with Merit ready to carry the mare in the air to the ladder. Harp had been doing her best to not look worried as we were planning this out, but the chew marks on her hoof betrayed her nervousness. Merit on the other hoof, though looking a bit worried, was focused and ready to go.

“One...” I had the flash bang held under my wing, ready for me to arm and throw out.

“Two...” I unlocked the door as quietly as I could, hoping that the monster would not make its move too soon.

“Three!” I opened the door just enough to fit the flash bang through. Biting onto the trigger mechanism, I tossed it outside before shutting the door.

A second went by and I heard a thump from the other side. A bead of sweat fell off my brow as I held my breath.

*POP*

The beast screeched, and I threw open the door, jumping out. Merit and Harp zoomed passed me as I pulled out my frag grenade.

Holding its massive claws over its ears, the monster’s eyes were looking around, blinded by the flash.

Tossing my frag grenade at it, I couldn’t help but make a quip. “Here, have an apple!” It landed near its face, and I ran as fast as I could.

*BANG*

It screeched once more, but this time it was far louder than before. I was not going to check if I had killed it or not, it was safer to assume that it was alive, and real pissed off.

Arriving at the maintenance hatch, Merit and Harp were already there. They were struggling to get the hatch open. “What’s the hold up?” I asked as I slid to a stop.

Merit raised an eyebrow. “Cut us some slack here, we’re running in the dark, and I almost slammed right into the wall.” Okay, he had a point.

Using my piplegs lamp, I illuminated the hatch. The fucking thing was chained shut. “Who fucking chains up a maintenance hatch!?” Pulling out the bolt cutters from before, I snapped the lock on the chain, freeing the hatch. “That settles it, the bolt cutters stay in my bug out bag.” Merit gave me a look, eyebrow raised, mouth slightly open. “Ask later, we need to go now.”

Almost as though right on cue, the monster roared. So my assumption was correct, it was still alive, and pissed. Opening the hatch I shoved the two in, Merit going first, followed by Harp. The sound of trash being thrown around echoed through the tunnel, as a rhythmic like-thumping got closer and louder. Jumping into the hatch, I quickly pushed myself up the ladder, bumping into Harps Flank.

Harp stopped to look down at me. “Is everything ok Miss Vib…”

*Crash*

The maintenance hatch door folded inward, just barely missing my prosthetic back legs. I could see the Paradise Dragon’s monstrous snout poking through the now broken hatch door. Its face was like shredded meat, bleeding all over the hatch, and some bone was visible. Its rapid breathing sounded forced, angry, and directed at me.

Looking up, my vision was obscured by a few yellow drops of water as Harp was now moving twice as fast as she was before. Looking back down, the monster wasn’t making much progress in getting into the ladder tunnel. It was too small for the monster to fit, so I started climbing, sure that it could not follow. The Paradise Dragon snarled and roared for over a minute, but it eventually gave up, leaving us in silence.

_________________________________

The old station had long ago lost its roof, and the jungle took over. Most of the old world relic had crumbled away, replaced by trees, vines, and moss. Some parts of the station stood strong, as though the stubbornness of our ancestors had been imprinted into the stone and mortar.

With the sun starting to get low, the light came in at an angle, giving the overgrown station an almost mystical feel to it. Dew drops from fresh rain sparkled in the light, and water pooled on the ground, bouncing the light on to the walls and trees.

Harp was standing at one of the small pools of water, looking at her reflection. Dipping my pipleg into the water, the reflection rippled, and Minerva started clicking. “Thought so. Best to avoid any water here, the radiation is strong in it.” Harp looked up at me and nodded in confirmation.

Looking around I noticed the lack of our pegasus companion. “Where’s Merit?”

Brushing her tangled mane away from her face, Harp took a more dignified pose. “Sir Merit is scouting the surroundings. He said it will only be a few minutes.” Her voice had that dignified tone to it, but felt more forced. Trying to get a better look at the girl, her eyes would dart around, avoiding eye contact with me.

I sighed. If she was hiding something, this was not the time for it. “Okay, spit it out. What’s wrong?” I calmly asked, hoping that was all I needed to do.

Her face flushed red, and she looked away. “No… nothing’s wrong.”

She couldn’t be any more obvious that something was wrong. “We’re not in any position to be messing about, so tell me and we can move on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” she responded quickly. Looking at her, her hips were shaking, and she was rubbing one of her back legs against the other. I got the picture now.

It was a little too good to simply let go. “Is this about how you pissed yourself, and onto m…”

Two hooves attached to the princess held my mouth shut, her face now next to mine was beet red. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, just a whimper.

A moment passed with her holding my mouth shut, no words spoken. Glaring at her, she let me go, and backed away a few scoots. “S…sorry.”

I took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “It’s fine. The situation was something you were not use too.” Harp seemed to relax, but was still squirming a bit. “If you need to go pee, just do it…“ I quickly looked around. If there was a toilet around here, it was probably now a flower pot. “Do it anywhere.”

“But... But it’s undignified just to relieve myself on the floor.” Harp meekly responded.

I didn’t have time to get into a debate about what is dignified or not. “It’s undignified to give yourself a urinary tract infection.” Walking up to the mare, I pushed her over to some bushes. “Just get it over with, and we can stop talking about it.” I glared at her until she meekly nodded, and I gave her some space.

The sound of clothes shuffled for a minute, followed by that of a small stream of water hitting cement. I did my best to ignore it, but with the birds being distant, her urinating was the loudest sound in the station.

Thankfully it ended shortly after she started, the embarrassed looking princess walking up next to me, not saying a word. Taking a quick look at the young mare, her skirt had been removed, revealing her cutie mark. Her cutie mark was of a silver harp with golden musical notes forming a crown around the harp. I was a little jealous, I never had a cutie mark because of my flank being made of metal.

“So, umm.” Harp broke the awkward silence. “Do you have an, well, ahh. I could use an extra pair of panties.” Her face flushed a little, and I could see that her tail was tightly pushing between her legs.

Yet another thing I should start keeping in my bug out bag. “Sorry, I only have survival gear.”

She groaned. “Is there anything i can use? I can’t be left exposed like this.”

“Can’t you just use the ones you already have?” I asked, and she shook her head. “Fine, but you better not complain.”

I unhooked the barding at my flank, and pulled off my panties. My rear was going to chafe a little, but at least neither of us were going to be flashing anypony. Harp took the tangled cloth and quickly put it on, breathing a sigh of relief. I re-hooked my barding, and the princess slipped her skirt back on. “Can we, well like, never speak of this, ever?” Harp asked, sounding a little embarrassed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I responded.

Harp looked to her left and right with suspicion, before relaxing. “Neither do I.”

We spent a few minutes in silence. Using that time, I made sure that the air pressure on my rifle was up. Simply adding some of the magic stored in me to the rifles air pressure talisman, and watched as the pressure gage went up. My revolver was still in good shape, but had a scuff on it from when it fell on the ground.

Catching a glimpse of something moving from the roof, I quickly had my rifle aimed at whatever it was. Merit was looking down at us, with a small tree branch hanging over him as makeshift camouflage. Lowering my rifle, the pegasus flew down, and quietly landed in front of us.

“I got good news, and bad news.” He said as he removed the branch from his back.

“Did you find your friends? I wonder if Light is okay.” Harp said with some worry in her voice.

Merit smiled, which had to be a yes. “That’s the good news. I was able to get a signal on my radio, it was weak, but I did get in contact with Wild Winds. She said they're going to hold up at a place called Future Park.”

“The ancient theme park,” I remarked. The other two looked at me, with Harp looking a little excited. “Interesting place from what I was told. Orthrus cleaned out the place of anything valuable around a hundred years ago, so it’s mostly a hollowed out shell now.”

“So you can take us there?” Merit asked.

“Yes, but can’t you just fly over there?” I asked back.

Merit shifted a little, giving me a bad feeling. “Right, the bad news. The group that shot my team down, well there’s more of them, and they are patrolling the sky. I’ve spotted two pegasi, a griffin, and three vertabucks. Whoever they are, they are as well-equipped as the Enclave.”

Just great. The local wildlife is bad enough, but now we had some sort of foreign military moving in. At the very least this meant that the monsters will have other targets than just us.

“Did you say a griffin?” Harp asked as she got closer to Merit.

He looked a little uncomfortable as the young mare got into his personal space. “Yes, I saw one out there.”

Harp did a little excitable gasp. “Oh I hope I get to see one. I’ve never seen a griffin before.”

Merit scooted back a little as I interjected. “Right now, I don’t think you want to. I have a strong feeling that it will shoot on sight.” Harp’s ears drooped. “Well, at least it will be easy to avoid any air patrols, unless they have a way to see us through the ruins and trees.”

With a destination set, we were off. Merit with the advantage of flight, took the forward position, conducting aerial recon from under the jungle layer. I took up the guardian position, keeping Harp close to me. My Muffle, and Amplify Ambiance Talisman were ineffective in this situation, forcing me to be hyper vigilant until we got somewhere safer.

_________________________________

The sun was now setting, and only the faintest hint of light was coming through the trees and buildings. We had made good time thanks to Merit, being able to lure most of the local predators out of our path. Most of them didn’t know what to do with a pegasus, simply chasing after him until he flew up and into a hiding spot. Later he would safely return to us without being followed.

The few dangerous critters that he missed, or didn’t fall for his ploy, met their end by my rifle. Mostly being roaches and rodents, I made quick work of the pests. It was a simple tactic, and as long as we didn’t run into anything real nasty, we should get to our destination in an hour.

Harp had been taking our travel better than I expected, but still far worse than Merit and I. It was probably because she was walking through the forest with real legs, and could feel every squishy step. For me it felt more like a little nudge whenever I stepped, or when something touched my pipleg. The rest of my legs had no sensors for me to feel. Harp had also silently freaked out when a large spider was on my leg. It did scare me a little, but spiders can’t poison a synthetic leg.

Her dainty steps avoided every little pool of mud, and thorny plant. It was slowing us down a little, but not enough to be a real problem. I did try to avoid any muddy water, not wanting to splash any of the radioactive muck onto me. Harp was at least thankful for that, with her being next to me.

Merit flew down to us, now looking more like a flying plant with large leaves attached to his uniform, mane, and tail. He had been doing quite well, but the signs of exhaustion were becoming strikingly visible. Everyone in the group was getting tired, but he looked the worst of all.

“I swear I might start eating bacon just out of spite.” Merit took a seat on a half crumbled cement bench, taking a quick breather. “Why are there so many hogs on this island?”

It was a mystery to why they lived on this island. We knew that they were not native, so we could only guess. The common belief was that some idiot thought it was a bright idea to bring their pets over, and let them run wild. As for the bores, that was an even more perplexing question. Most blame the Zebras out of convenience.

“Just be glad we’re not further south, the rad-bores are even worse.” My response seemed to be enough to give Merit a chill.

The pegasus slumped where he sat, trying to keep his eyes open.I rummaged through my saddlebag, and pulled out my spare bottle of lurker blue. It was no longer ice cold, but it still had its blue glow to it. “Drink this, It should wake you up.” I hoofed over the bottle to him.

Looking over the bottle in his hooves, he raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess, this stuff is irradiated.”

I almost laughed. “No, not at all. The glow is magical, made to show how fresh the drink is. Now the drink is liable to give you a heart attack if you drink a shit ton of it, but one bottle is completely safe.”

Merit sighed. “If my piss starts glowing, I know who to blame.” Gulping the cola down, the stuff vanished down his throat in one go. “Yuck, what the hell is in this stuff? It tastes like, like, something I should never be drinking again!”

I smiled. “Yeah, that drink has a distinctive chemical taste to it. But it works, so everypony drinks it.”

He lifted the bottle up, and shook his head. “And here I thought a population of zonies was strange enough. But this stuff might go to the top of what’s wrong with you zonies.”

“It’s Mirage Pony.” I corrected.

Merit looked up at me. “Mirage what now?”

I sighed. “We’re called mirage ponies. We’re not zonies, close, but were not some simple crossbreed.”

“Right, I’ll remember that.” Merit put the now empty bottle on the ground. He himself now looking a lot more awake than before. “So why mirage pony, if it’s okay to ask?”

“It’s fine, but once we get moving, I’ll show you.” He nodded and I proceeded to gather magic into myself. “It’s a simple little thing we can do, but it’s allowed us to survive for this long.” The sensation of warm liquid began to fill me up, from my head to my tail. All over I felt warm, like a blanket was now wrapping itself over me. “We can gather, and store magic in ourselves. When we hit our limit, we..”

“Shimmer” Merit interrupted. His eyes were wide open, mouth slightly agape, and was leaning forward a little.

“Uhhh, yes, we can shimmer. But at a distance we tend to look like a mirage, thus the name mirage ponies.”

Merit straightened himself up, regaining his poster. “Right, so you can store magical energy in yourselves.” He tilted his head a little. “What can you do with it?”

“I know this one.” Harp interjected. “We can use our ability to charge spark batteries!” Merit didn’t look all that impressed, but Harp was not done. “Oh, and we can use the ability to make and charge spell talismans. Also weapons, I think.”

I stepped in, waving a hoof in front of Harp. “What she means is, if there is something that runs on magical energy, we can naturally charge it.” I levitated my rifle out. “This rifle here uses a levitation talisman, and an air pressure talisman. A unicorn could use this rifle, but unless they specialize in charging magic, and transferring it onto spark batteries, it simply becomes a club.” Putting the rifle away, I tapped on my shoulder. “Many of us have cybernetic implants due to birth defects. We use this to its full advantage, and install spell talismans into said cybernetics. Because of this, I can use levitation, and any other spell that can be made.”

Merit seemed more interested now.Scratching his chin, the Pegasus smirked a little. “So, and this is just a hypothesis, but let’s say there’s an old airship that ran on an arcano tech engine, but it ran out of power long ago. If it still had its old power cells, could it be recharged by a mirage pony?”

That was a really specific question. “By one pony, unlikely. If their was a team of them, over time they could get it running again. But unless you were able to access a more consistent source of power, the engine would only run for a short period of time.” I didn’t know where he was going with that question, but I hoped I defused any thought of using my people as batteries. “Our power works best on smaller, more personal things...”

“Right, well it was an interesting thought.” Merit stretched out his wings, and trotted in place. The Lurker Blue cola must have been more effective then I thought. “If we hurry up, we should get to the park by the time the sun's gone. Let’s go.” The pegasus was practically shaking, the energy cola was way too effective.

Merit froze in mid jump, landing right back on his hooves. “Oh, almost forgot. There's a bunch of strange plants in the way. When I got near them, they started spitting at me. You know what they are, right?”

“Fucking seed pods.” I said under my breath. “Their called seed pods. They spread their seeds by shooting it at other critters. You don’t want to know what happens to a pony that gets hit by one.”

“What did you ponies do to this island to make even the plants want to reach out and kill you.” Merit retorted with a mocking tone. I responded by lifting a hoof, and stretching it out as to present the ruined city. “Point taken.”

It didn’t take us long to get to where the seed pods were. Passed them we could see Future Park, marked with a large banner of a younger ministry mare of the Ministry of Morale in a pink space suit. Her grin promised much science fiction fun.

We were still too far away from the seed pods for them to start attacking us, so we kept our distance. We counted thirteen seedpods all clustered together, and one dead rad hog with two small seed pods growing out of it. Going around them was an option, but we were quickly losing daylight, and this was a threat I could deal with.

The two small seed pods were not yet a threat, not yet able to spit at us, so I was not going to waste ammo on them.

“I got radio contact.” Merit held a hoof to his ear, blocking the sound of the jungle away from his earboom. “Good to hear you Wub Wub, how’s Little Sis doing?” He sighed, looking relieved. “Good, good. Were just a few clicks away, we just need to clear some weeds and we can meet up.” Merit nodded at me, and I pulled out my rifle.

Killing the seed pods was a simple matter. As long as you were out of their range, or simply in a position where they could not get to you, a pony could take their time in dealing with them. From our position I could make every shot count, aiming at the plants’ weak points.

I was able to snap the stem on two of the pods, the heavy top parts hitting the ground lifelessly. One seed pod I shot right in its oversize sack, causing it to explode with a pop. Three I didn’t get as lucky with, having to take two shots to kill them.

Merit continued his radio chatter, talking quietly to his comrade on the other end. I focused on shooting the seven remaining seed pods, trying my best to not waste any more ammo. With a puff I sent a ball bearing right into the stem of another seed pod, rendering it harmless. Six to go.

“Vibraphone, do you know a Sweet Sax?” Merit asked.

That snapped me out of my concentration, turning my attention to Merit, and leaving my rifle hovering in the air. “Sweet Sax is my partner, we got separated when the tunnel caved in.” If she was with Merit’s comrades, she must have had a similar problem as I did, and was forced topside. “Is she with your friends?”

Merit nodded. “Yeah, but they seemed to have a disagreement between your partner, and our captain. Their fine, but it seems that she knocked out our captain, and is now being held at gunpoint.”

I face hoofed, which hurt a little due to a metal hoof. “Can you tell your comrade to not shoot my partner until we get there? I have six more seed pods to shoot, and we can be on our way.” I returned to the task at hand, with the situation getting worse by the moment, I needed to get to Sweet Sax soon, and get the princess back to Charon's Stop.

Ignoring the radio chatter, I focused on the seed pods. With another puff, I sent a ball bearing at one of the plants, and it missed.

I had to stop and take a deep breath. My eyes were getting heavy now, and Sweet Sax was now running through my head. “Fuck” I breathed. Going for more easy shots, I took two shots per plant. Using twelve shots, the way was now clear, and I was down twenty one ball bearings. Counting what I had left, I had six of the shiny little balls. I could only hope Sweet had some to spare.

Putting my rifle away, I motioned to the others “All clear, let’s get moving.” As I got up, Merit motioned for me to stay put.

“Bad news.” Merit said. “Let’s just hope it’s only passing by.”

I was about to ask what he was talking about, but my ears catching an unusual sound answered my question before I even got to ask. The chopping sound of an engine slowly grew louder from above, as an aircraft passed over us, flying to the theme park. Spot lights shot out of the craft, as it slowly hovered in front of the entrance, lighting up the area.

Pulling out my rifle once more, I looked through the scope to get a better look at the craft. The craft looked like an old vertabuck that was used in the great war, but painted red with green trim. Painted on the side was a green circle of thorns with a red teardrop in the middle. To my surprise, and disgust, two mutilated ponies had been tied to the vertabuck, held up by their tattered wings to swing around.

The vertabuck circled around for a minute before moving on, flying off deeper into the theme park. We could still hear it echo in the distance, but it was no longer in our way.

With the way now clear once more, I put away my rifle again, and looked to the others. Merit was ready to go, still on the energy high of the cola I gave him. Harp yawned, seemingly having a difficult battle keeping her eyes open. “Merit,” I called to the Pegasus, gaining his attention, “if you could, can you help miss harp to the theme park. I’ll lead the way from here.”

The sun was now gone, leaving a slowly dimming silhouette of the park. As quickly as we could, we ran to the opening to the park, hoping to find our friends before something else found them first. The echoing sound of the vertabuck in the distance was an ever present reminder that we had more than the wildlife to worry about.

_________________________________

Footnote:

New Quest - Are you having fun yet?

Author's Note

I want to thank C8002 for editing this chapter for me, the friend has more important things to do, so hat's off for the help.

Also thanks to McDronePone for pre-reading the story. There is a lot that get's missed even after editing, so much thanks for that.

Chapter 4 - Sleepover

I had only been told about the old theme park before, but never had gone there myself. Everything in the place was made of hardened plastic, and metal that had stood against the test of time. From the oddly designed shopping stalls to the mannequins, everything was still standing, though time had worn on them over the last two centuries. The paint that had long peeled off, the colors only now a stain, running down like tears. I had to agree with what other ponies had said about this place, it was one of the creepiest places on Marewaii.

The moonlight only made the unnerving feeling of this place worse. It's silver glow only giving us enough light to see, and anything that was not illuminated looked as if it was covered in a jet black sheet. Having to stick to the shadows, the contrast of the silver glow, and the deep black shadows were ever present every step of the way.

Sweet Sax and the others were holding up in a place called "Tomorrow Hotel", which was fortunately not far from where we entered. We could see the building from where we started, the hotel standing at least twenty stories high, with what glass that was still on the building reflecting the moonlight.

Our main problem was the damn Vertabuck flying around, lighting up whole areas of the park with its searchlights. It hadn’t seen us, and was currently on the other side of the park near the water, so we made our way to the hotel with haste.

On our way to the hotel, we passed through what was a foal’s zone. Everything here was made for ponies much smaller than ourselves. Each ride and little activity had a height chart with Pinkie Pie stating that “You have to be this small to ride” or “Sharing is caring, but this is for the little fillies and colts only.” The Pinkie Pie here was younger then the ministry of moral images of her, lacking the gray stripe in her mane.

As we walked, a high pitched, mechanical voice spoke loudly, backed by a light musical tune. “Cotton Candy! Ice cream! Shugary sweets! I know you can’t resist, but ask your mom or dad first if you want some.” I felt soft legs wrap around me as Harp hid behind me in fright. The voice belonged to a robot pony sitting behind a candy stall, the candy on display having long vanished. The robot pony, like everything in the park was in surprisingly good condition, but also had the same paint problem making it look like it was crying.

Nervously, we passed the robot pony by, not wanting to trigger any more dialogue, and attract anything dangerous. Now knowing that at least some of the attractions were still active, we actively avoided anything relatively pony shaped, or anything that looked like it had a speaker attached to it.

Reaching the hotel, we were greeted by the sight of a tree growing in front of the front door, blocking the entrance. It was an odd sight, the tree almost looking like it was intently blocking the doors as it spread out across the building.

A little looking around and we found a restaurant attached to the hotel, which gave us an entrance into the hotel. The restaurant had its own creepy feeling to it, like the rest of the park, with all the tables set for patrons who would never come.

Not wanting to linger, we quickly stepped inside, where I had to turn my pipleg's light back on. The inside of the hotel was in all states of disrepair, but otherwise clean. No garbage on the floor, every chair and table in their place, and the few plants that were in here were in pots.

“Okay, now I’m creeped out completely.” Merit spoke up. “Why is everything here so well preserved? I’ve seen things still work after two hundred years! I mean, my rifle is a good two hundred and eleven years old. But that’s because it's been well cared for, and fixed repeatedly.”

He had a point, it was like somepony was taking care of everything here. Robots maybe.

Harp ran a hoof along a table, and then waved the dust off. “Maybe there are ghouls here, I heard that they like to maintain all the old tech.”

Point goes to the princess, why didn’t I think of that. “Let’s go with that idea and get moving. If we come across any ghouls, let’s ask questions before shooting.” I looked down at Minerva, and activated my map function. Unlike the tunnels, I had nothing on the park, and the pipbuck could only map out where I had been. Turning it off, I turned to Merit. “So which floor are they on?”

Merit went to check his radio, but a loud bang and a crash caught our attention. We both shared a knowing look, and we were off.

Rushing to the sound with the other two right behind me, we entered what looked like a meeting hall. Rows of chairs aimed at the stage, on which laid a sleeping pegasus. In the middle of the chairs were two ponies wrestling with each other, the metal chairs being tossed aside as the two jumped around at each other. Above one pony was a small ball of light, illuminating the room as the only source of light.

It was easy to conclude that the pony with the light above her was Sweet Sax, being the only other mirage pony in the room. The other pony being a pegasus, I assumed she was Wub Wub, the pony that Merit was talking to over the radio.

The two broke off their hold on each other, jumping back, and ready to charge at each other. Merit jumped in and dove between the two. In mid charge the two skidded to a stop, nearly colliding with Merit.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Merit quietly demanded.

The pegasus mare looked relieved at the sight of Merit, and pointed at Sweet. “That bitch poisoned little sis.”

Sweet Sax dismissively waved a hoof. “I didn’t poison her, I just gave her something to chill the fuck out. If she kept on yelling like she was, she was going to get us killed.” Sweet crossed her front hooves, took a seat, and crossed her back hooves. Her posture in the chair was a bit odd, but did well to show her annoyance.

Stepping in closer, the princess close behind me, I had to facehoof at the realization of what Sweet must have done. “The chill I gave you, you used it on that pony didn’t you.”

Sweet Sax’s eyes winded a little when she saw me. Hopping out of her seat, she quickly trotted over to me, and gave me a hug. “I won’t lie, if you asked me right now, I so totally would have a threesome with you.”

“Bu, Wha…” I blurted out, caught off guard by Sweet's words.

She blinked for a moment before letting me go. “Sorry, sorry.” Sweet apologized. “It’s been a crazy few hours, but ya, I had to give queen bitch here the chill. We’ve been chased by those… pirates from the moment we left the bandit’s station. The captain there seemed to not understand the concept of shutting the fuck up, so I had to knock her out.” Sweet looked over my shoulder, and gave Harp a smile before returning her attention to me. “So that’s her, at least we got the first half of the job done.”

I nodded, though she was a bit crude about it, Sweet was being kind in her own way. In Orthrus, we were given a metro survival hoof book. Among the many tips for survival, knocking out a panicked companion took up four pages. Most of them involving blunt force trauma to the head, so that Pegasus got off lucky, and will be fine in another hour or two. “Ya, we also ran into the pirates as well… and a paradise dragon. We had to go topside to get away.” Taking a look around, it was clear that Silver and the two scrappers were not here. “I take it that you got separated from Silver as well?”

Rolling her eyes, Sweet took a deep breath and sighed. “The asshole ran off to the pipbuck tag, so it’s safe to say he’s dead now. His fault, not mine.” She backed off a scooch, and watched as Harp passed her, and to the stage. Lightly tapping her ear, Sweet’s stare followed the princess. I activated my telepathy talisman, connecting to Sweet. ‘Good riddance I say, he was probably going to backstab us. It saves us the trouble of having to kill him ourselves.’ Sweets telepathic voice sounded off key, what ever was causing the interference was strong here, which made me worry a bit.

‘I wonder.’ Responding to Sweet. ‘Was it really going to come to that? I don’t want to sound naive, but what if he was actually looking for his brother?’

Sweet Sax snorted softly. ‘Shamisen may be a capital C cunt, but she's not one to give bad information. Remember when she got you those frilly purple panties for your birthday. Even I didn’t know purple was your favorite color, or that you like cutesy undies.' She covered her mouth as she chuckled, and I felt myself blush. ‘By the way, a paradise dragon. That must have been rough. I take it that the scrappers didn’t make it.’

I shook my head. ‘Don’t know, got separated from them at the station. Oddly, the dragon may have been more good luck than bad. Two pirates found us in a safe room, and were going to blow it open. Oh, another thing, one of them was a Zebra.’ Sweet turned to look at me, before looking back at the others.

‘Fuck really, a Zebra. So that make six different kinds now.’ This time I gave Sweet a look. ‘Ya, six. Other than the normal three; Earth pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn. I also saw a Griffin and a Donkey. With the Zebra, that makes six different tribes. All of them assholes.’

We both watched as Harp got on stage and trotted to the sleeping pony. The two other Pegasus’s were still talking among each other, but were looking in the direction of the stage. ‘We probably need to stay close to the little princess, I don’t trust these enclave ponies.’ Sweet stated, and I nodded.

Harp sat next to the sleeping pony, and started to giggle to herself, as she stoked the Pegasus’s mane. Merit walked up to us with Wub Wub, both keeping an eye on the stage. “So Wild here will agree to a cease fire if we get an explanation about what your partner did to Light.” Merit stated.

Sweet rolled her eyes again, so not wanting another fight, I spoke for her. “She gave, Light was it?” Merit nodded. “Well she gave Light a narcotic called Chill. It’s both a relaxant, and a hallucinogenic. Its effects last only few hours, so she should be fine in a bit.” Looking at the stage, Harp was still lightly stroking Light’s mane. “Also, don’t worry about addiction. Unless she gets easily addicted, it only happens when used regularly.”

“That’s good to know.” Merit took his eyes of the stage, and refocused on us. “Now that we're all together, introductions are in order.” He pointed to himself, flaring his wings a little. “I’m Merit Cross, Master Sergeant and co-pilot.” He sung his hoof over to the mare next to him, she was dark gray, with a silver mane and tail. “This is Second Lieutenant Wild Winds, our pilot.” He looked over to Harp and Light. Light had a powder blue coat, and a dark blue mane and tail. “That’s Light Turbulence, Captain of this operation.” Sweet squinted at Merit, and he sighed. “Yes, she is much younger then the two of us, and no, I rather not talk about it.”

Now I had their names, but one was missing. “So if she’s not this Wub Wub, than who is?” Wild Winds smirked at my question.

“That would be my call sign.” Wild answered. “Merit here is Hoof Shiner, and Light is Little Sis. We mostly used call signs for when we are on duty, mostly as an inside joke, but it helps keeps our civilian life separate from our military life.” She waved a hoof as she talked, being more animated than Merit. Locking her eyes with mine, she poked me with her hoof. “Now your turn. Who are you ponies, and what the hell is wrong with this island?”

Sweet Sax surged. ‘You’re up, I’m not interested in talking to her first, ask questions later.’

“Right” I pointed to myself. “My name is Vibraphone Echo.” I tilted my head in the direction of Sweet, who gave a little wave with her hoof. “And this is Sweet Sax Solo. We're former members of Orthrus, working as freelance bodyguards. As for the islands, they got bombed to Tartarus and back, and never recovered as you can tell. Satisfied?”

Wild Winds huffed. “Ya, no. That’s not nearly enough information to explain what in Tartarus is going on here. First off, you three look like nopony we have ever seen. Second, what’s with the cyber legs? And three, what’s up with her?” Wild pointed at Harp. “I get she wants to fuck our captain and all, but she acts like she’s some sort of princess who just found her knight in shining armor.”

Merit put a hoof on her shoulder, and Wild calmed down. “Why don’t we get to a more secure location, and they can tell us on the way.” He winked at me, which made me glad that we were mostly still in the dark, as I felt my face heat up a little. “Why don’t you start by telling us about your people?”

I nodded. “Agreed. And now that I think about it, there’s a lot we need to discuss.” If they were from outside the islands, from a floating city like he said before, this would be big news back home. If we could contact this New Cloudsdale, it would cause an extreme paradigm shift. “So.” I took out a bottle of water, and drank the whole thing, this explanation was going to dry out my throat. “If I'm going to tell you about my people, you must first understand our history…”

______________________________________

The six of us sat in the lounge of the princess suite, other than a thick layer of dust, the place looked like the end of our world never happened. We had taken the elevator that we didn’t expect to be working, but after walking through some of the park, we weren’t surprised that it did. Our plan was to keep an eye on the pirate vertabuck from the top floor, not at all expecting to find the room intact.

The door to the suite was locked, but luckily it opened outwards, so we simply removed the hinges and moved the door to the side. Inside everything was covered in white sheets, of which we could only assume the sheets had some magic to them, with everything under them still in pristine condition.

The most amazing part was that the suite was sealed off from the outside, and had an air purifier talisman. The air purifier had long ran out of power, something quickly fixed with a charge from myself, and soon we were able to take our masks off. It was good to have my face free again, the purified air was cool as I breathed it in.

Sweet had quickly checked the suite's kitchen, but found that it was empty, only coming back with a menu for the ground floor restaurant. Food was something we were going to need to scavenge before we made our way back to Charon’s Stop, the restaurant looking like our best option.

When we were sure everything was safe, and there was nothing to scavenge, we had all returned to the lounge. It was the two pegasus’s turn to tell us about their people, something they spent the time checking the suite discussing with each other.

Harp yawned. “Sorry, I think I’m going to turn in for the night, I’ll take Light with me.” Getting up, Harp guided Light behind her. The effects of the Chill had lessened on the Pegasus, but the captain was still a little out of it and didn’t struggle with the princess.

Wild Winds gave a shiver as Light passed her. “Looks fun, but remind me to never take that stuff. At least with other chems you stay relatively in control.”

Merit cleared his throat, and opened a bottle of sparkle-cola he had on him. “Right, you want to know about New Cloudsdale. Here’s what we can tell you. When the war ended, all the Pegasi fled to the sky to keep themselves safe from the fallout, and sealed up the sky to protect the cloud cities from attack. The Enclave was simply a political group at the time, but had been gaining power as the war went on.” Merit took a sip of the cola. “You see, the Enclave was a Pegasus first kind of group, and when Cloudsdale was destroyed, no pony felt like opposing them. Well in time they became the Grand Pegasus Enclave, a democracy that kept all the Pegasus, and some unicorns together up above the clouds. That said, in truth it was a full on military dictatorship, not that most ponies minded at all. We were all safe from the horrors below the clouds, and we wanted it to stay that way. You could say that the Enclave had one job, and they did that job well, so no pony minded it that much when a dissenter went missing, or a controversial Politician was assassinated. What matters most was that we were safe, you understand,right.”

Pausing for a moment, Merit took another sip of his cola. I could sense a bit of bitterness in his voice, and looking over at Wild Winds. She looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Well during that time the Grand Pegasus Enclave decided to remake Cloudsdale.” Merit stretched out his wings, ruffling his feathers a little. “New Cloudsdale was to be their shining jewel, the example of their power. In the end they just made a resort city for the wealthy, protected by a larger than needed military base.” He chuckled to himself. “You could say that they accidentally made a reflection of what the Enclave really was. Rich, fat, and has a lot of guns that they like to use.”

Taking another sip of his cola, he continued “The city remained an inside joke up until ten years ago, when the Grand Pegasus Enclave decided to finally go below the clouds and help.” Finishing off the sparkle-cola, Merit threw the bottle into the trash. “That was a mistake. First being that every soldier was trained to see the world below as a place full of enemies and monsters. It was not uncommon to hear that some pony got a medal for making judgment call to shoot first before they had even seen who they were shooting at.“ I was taken aback by that statement, but Merit continued to talk, so I held it in. “So you can imagine that this help involved a lot of shooting, some accidental, a lot intentional.”

Merit looked away ever so slightly. The moment only lasted for a second, maybe two, but I thought I saw some regret there.

“Second, the wastelanders were waiting for us. Well not specifically all the wasteland, but as it turned out, they had a hero who was. It’s a bit of a long story, so I’ll just cut to the important part. The hero, Stable dweller I think they called the pony, was able to get into, and take over a weather control tower. With the help of a dragon at that. Well the pony parted the clouds, and forced us Pegasus back down onto the ground. It was, not a good time for us, to say the least.”

I took a look over at Sweet Sax, who was enthralled in the story as she sipped on a bottle of Metro-Cola. Looking back at Merit, I couldn’t help but ask. “So what you’re saying is that there’s still ponies on the mainland?”

Merit nodded. “The cities are gone, but ponies survived the war.” He paused for a moment, and took a deep breath. “Well as you can guess, this ruined the Grand Pegasus Enclave, with them unable to keep the citizens blind to the world anymore. This also meant that political heads were going to roll. All the local politicians were not going to sit back and play nice anymore. Even the military top brass, the ones who were still alive that is, were on the cutting block. So they all fled to where they knew they would be safe, New Cloudsdale.”

Sweet Sax almost spat up her cola. “So you're saying that this New Cloudsdale is full of political assholes?” Sweet glanced over at me. “Reminds me of a little republic we know.” I nodded, and she let Merit continue.

“Yes and no. Ten years is a long time, and when nopony believes the bullshit, it can be long ten years.” Merit paused as Wild Wind snickered. “They, in the end, bickered among each other. And after a few assassinations every pony had enough of it, and that’s when the executions started. In the end our new president is a Miss Pillow Features, who was a simple maid who loved gossip.”

Sweet Sax this time did spit out her cola, trying to keep herself from laughing, but failing entirely. “How the fuck did that happen?” she asked as she was choking on the cola.

Both Wild Winds and Merit shrugged. “It was a crazy time.” Was his answer. “But as things are presently, the city is starting to fall apart. Physically I mean. That’s why we’re here, we’re looking for a place to send the city, give it a home. From the last ten years, New Cloudsdale has been floating around, and sadly it was never made for that. Nopony wanted to return to equestria, so President Pillow Feathers thought it be best to send out scouts to look for a new home.”

Merit and Wild looked at each other, and back to us. Their eyes had hope in them, like a foal given their first prosthetic legs. I looked at Sweet, her eyes met mine, and we nodded in conformation.

Sweet Sax was the one to respond. “We can’t speak for our people, but I know that many ponies have been waiting for a time to leave the metro. Well leave the metro and not get eaten by monsters that is. There’s even an old skyport that the Orpheus kingdom maintains. It’s still full of toxic air, but they maintain it in the hopes of using it again one day.”

The two Pegasus blinked, and Wild opened her mouth. “Seriously, you ponies have a working skyport! Next thing you will tell us is that you’re all open for trade or something, and New Cloudsdale can move right in.”

Shrugging again, Sweet answers with a “Probably.” She finished her cola, and also placed it in the trash. “I don't know what's with all the politics going on, but a cloud city, and knowledge that the outside world does still exist. Saying that it will bring in a new age for our people would be an understatement.”

Things went quiet for a while, it was a lot to take in, but Sweet’s and my decision to stick with the Pegasus proved to be a good idea, and probably profitable if we could get them into the right hooves.

A yawn marked the end of any more of the discussion. We all had been moving nearly nonstop, and if things had gone by the plan, we should have been home by now. Not feeling like moving around, and finding the dark blue velvet couches immensely comfortable, we decided to sleep here. We as in everypony else, as I took the first watch, keeping an eye on the pirates in case they decided to come back over here.

The windows had seen better days, the inside was still in good condition, but the outside was covered in a milky translucent stain. Not all the windows were in such a state, and all I needed was one to see through. One window had a little spot that was free from the stain, so I pulled out my rifle, the scope being powerful enough to get a good look at the park.

Looking out the window through my rifle scope, I could see that the pirate’s vertabuck was still near the water, lighting up the docks. I didn’t know what they were doing, but I didn’t like it. I could also see the rest of the park in the moonlight. There was a collapsed roller-coaster near the docks, a part of the park that looked like a goofy village, and a large funhouse with the words ‘Captain Andromeda’s Space Adventure’ boldly attached to the building. Other than that, everything else was too shrouded in darkness to tell what was there.

“You’re a diligent one.” Merit spoke as he sat next to me. “I can take over, you should get some sleep.”

I glanced at him before returning my attention to the scope. “You can have the second shift then.” Shadows danced in the moonlight, making it look as though ponies were moving about down there. With our luck, it was probably a pack of stalkers on the hunt. “So get some sleep.”

I felt a little pressure on my side. Merit had scooted a little closer to me, and his shoulder had lightly bumped up onto mine. “At least let me see first.”

“Fine, but stop getting so close. It’s distracting.” I had Minerva levitate the rifle to Merit. Not waiting for the rifle to move over to him, he pushed his head next to mine to look through the scope.

I was a little surprised at how close he moved in, but held my ground. Watching as his mouth opens ever so slightly, and he licked his lips, I couldn't help but feel that the pony was being a bit too close.

“Amazing, I bet this place could be fixed up and be up and running in a year. That is if the air was not so toxic.” His mouth moved quickly as he spoke, and as I listened I could hear a slight accent to it. “That roller-coaster is scrap, but I bet whatever is in that big building is in good condition. What do you think?”

I pulled my eyes away from his mouth to see him looking at me. “I uhhh.” Ya, this was embarrassing. “I don’t like it. The plants alone should have taken over, I mean you saw that tree in the front. I doubt that only the trees were moving in, there should be a lot more plants everywhere.”

Merit had a smirk on his face, it made me feel a little bonkers. “Maybe what Harp said is true, and there are ghouls removing the plants.” It was the most logical explanation, and there were plenty of old story’s about ghouls who had been found still working in the tunnels, not knowing that they had been down there for over a hundred years. I felt something soft rub on the back of my wings, Looking to see, I found that Merit had put his wing around my shoulder. I could feel my face heat up… aw fuck, I was blushing. “Well I hope its ghouls, this place is more than a bit weird, and some sound explanation would go a long way.”

I kept my wings tight to my body, not wanting to rub up on his, and my eyes straight. “I much rather keep it a mystery for now. As soon as the day brakes, were out of here.” Looking the stallion in the eye, he was so close I could feel his breath. “Also, I bet you have a special somepony who would not like you cozying up to another mare.”

He blinked and smiled. “Had one, but things didn’t work out.” Shit, I was hoping that would distract him, but it was not effective at all. I had to think of something else rather than get distracted by a handsome stallion.

“Well, we just met, and don’t you think it’s a…” He kissed me, and damn, he was a good kisser. My small wings went limp, and I let myself loosen up. I could feel my heart thump, and it felt good. I knew it was nothing like love, that was a sucker’s game, but right now I was loving this, this attention. He let me free from his mouths succulent grip, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Umm… Well, if you put it that way, there is a guest room.”

______________________________________

So I had only known the stallion for less than a day, and we had sex, but it was worth it. It was not like It was my first time, or that I was not on birth control, so not a big deal at all. Looking over at him, Merit was fast asleep, and defenseless. It wouldn’t hurt if I took one little sniff of his mane.

Stopping myself, I was ready to kick myself for that thought. I still sniffed his mane, it felt weird to do it, but it also reminded me of what we just did. It smelt like sex, the good fun kind.

Slipping out of the bed, I quietly walked over to my barding. I may have been okay with the encounter, but I was not going to give Sweet material to tease me with. At least everypony was asleep, so covering this up was as simple as getting back to the lounge with all my stuff.

I slipped my white shirt back on, along with my panties before putting on my barding. It felt a little tight around my waist, so I had to struggle a little to get the barding to hook together. Last was my saddle bag, and guns, momma was not going to leave it with papa… the fuck did I just call myself... and Merit?

Feeling weirded out, I shook my head and open the door. Stepping through, I quietly closed the door behind me.

“Surprise!”

I nearly had a heart attack as a pink pony threw confetti at my face. The pony was an earth pony mare, pink on pink in color, and had strikingly golden eyes. She had the happiest looking smile on her face, which made me feel more uncomfortable.

Looking around, I was in a brightly lit, and very large tunnel. One end of the tunnel was bricked off, and had a big, red ‘X’ painted on it. The other end of the tunnel was covered by a big white sheet, and a pony was sitting in front of it, staring at it.

In the middle of the tunnel was a party table, like when I was a foal. Brightly colored cloth adorned the table, with party hats and plates. A big pink cake was the centerpiece, looking so delicious that I wanted to take a bite out of it.

“Congratulations Vibraphone, you have been chosen, you get to save the world!” The pink pony, who I felt looked a lot like the pictures of ministry mare Pinkie Pie, but not as old. She was still throwing confetti around, making it look like it was raining the stuff.

“What’s going on, where am I?” This was considerably confusing, and I needed answers. Also the tightness in my stomach was getting worse, I could only hope I was not sick.

“What’s going on, well you have been chosen, that’s what! You’re where you can save the world, and be a hero.” The pink pony blew on a balloon that grew into a balloon pony. The balloon pony looked a lot like me, other than being made of a balloon. Pushing it to the side, I looked her in her golden eyes.

“Tell me the truth.” I said as flatly as possible.

The pink pony tilted her head with a wide smile. “You have been chosen, mongrel, to save the world.”

“Save it from what!” I demanded.

She bopped me on the nose, and giggled. “From itself silly, you must save the world from itself.” Stepping back, the pink pony trotted over to the other pony.

Following her, I got a better look at the other pony. It was a white unicorn stallion, both in mane and coat with a big black spot on his face. He had on a green vest, with a red frilly shirt underneath, and a sword on his side.

The pink pony stopped at the stallion, still with that wide smile on her face. “He understands, he has also been chosen, a hero who will save the world.”

The stallion turned to look at me, his eyes a piercing green that felt wrong to me. “Yes, Luna has chosen me to be her champion. I'll save this rotten world, and be the father of its new ruler.” His eyes looked hungrily at me, like a predator looking at prey. What he did next made my skin crawl. He prayed. Putting his hooves together, he opened his mouth. “Thank you Luna for blessing me with this opportunity, I will do as you wish, and free you from your prison.” He opened an eye and looked at me. “And I thank you for this mare, who will be the mother of our next king and savior.”

I took a step back, my heart pounding, and my breath shallow. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON.”

The pink pony’s color seemed to fade, but her golden eyes still as vibrant as before. She laughed, but the laughter seemed to echo all around me. Lifting the me shaped balloon, she popped it, blasting red confetti everywhere. Suddenly the tightness on my belly got worse, and I felt… Oh fuck, there was something inside of me. I fell over onto my side in pain, my stomach stretched as my barding ripped along the side. I could hear a sudden splattering of water on the ground, and in looking I saw that it was blood. Looking down at myself, I saw that my belly had split open, and in the pool of blood sat a hairless foal. The foal looked at me and laughed.

I tried to scream, but my mouth would not open, I couldn’t even breath no matter how hard I tried. The pink pony came walking around, but now she was all black. Looking at me with her golden eyes, she smiled. “Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

______________________________________

I sat up in a bed, almost screaming, but a hoof shoved into my mouth kept me quiet. “The fuck kind of nightmare did you just have!” Looking from the hoof up to the pony it was attached to, all I could see was a green visor looking back at me. The pony struggling to keep me still as I tried to push away. “Will you settle down Vibraphone? It’s me!”

I stopped struggling, still a little wary, but the pony knew my name. Calming down, It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, that visor was used by Orthrus Specters. Specters being independent agents of Orthrus, often working alone to root out threats to the metro. They kept mostly to themselves, so few ponies knew one personally, but I did, my sister Rototom. Seeing that I had calmed down, the specter removed her hoof from my mouth, letting me speak. “Sis, Is that you?” I asked quietly.

The specter chuckled, and brought her hooves to her helmet. With a soft hiss of air, the helmet came off, revealing the light brown coat and fizzy green mane of my older sister. She looked a bit like the trees we had seen in the old books, and would often speculate about her having a tree cutiemark, if she didn’t have metal legs like myself. Her eyes were as green as her hair, and always felt quite soothing to me.

“Alright, there’s a few things I have to say, and a lot of questions you have to ask, but first thing's first. Who is this winged slab of meat you got there?” She wiped off a little bit of drool from her mouth, and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “You should let me know about such a specimen, as sisters we should always share.”

“First off, ewe. Second, ewe. And third, why are you here?” Getting out of the bed, I hopped onto the floor, where my hips gave out on me. A shiver ran up my spine, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from moaning. “ahh… that can’t be normal?”

Rototom hopped right next to me, grinning all the while. “Did you forget to turn off the sensors in your back legs?” She slapped me in the flank, and I almost yelped as my nethers felt like they were vibrating. I shot her a glare as she snickered under her breath. “Thought so, Orthrus standards cybernetics are good quality and all, but not without flaws, like being a bit too close to our lovely bits.” She got in closer, still with that smile on her face, and whispered. “But it only pops up after a real good rutting.”

Embarrassed, I grabbed my shirt and barding, rushing to put them on. Rototom started snickering again. “What?” I said with loud whisper.

She dug into her bag, and threw out at me frilly purple panties. “Take 'em, they're your yours anyways.”

I sat there shocked, with the panties on my face, if my embarrassment was any higher the underwire would catch fire. “Why?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “After the tantrum you threw at your birthday party last month, you left most of your gifts behind at my place. So I’m giving them back.”

Merit turned overs, and groaned. Worried that he'd see me in such a state, I quickly put on the panties, and got my barding fastened. Strangely I stopped to check my waist, feeling relieved that everything was normal. “Fine, but you better tell me why you’re here first.”

“Right, right. Let’s just move to the lounge, don’t want to wake your coltfriend.” She trotted to the door, and I followed.

“He’s not my coltfriend” I whispered at her. She just chuckled, and left the room. I went to step out of the room as well, but all the sudden the hairs on my spine all shot up, like they were protesting. Stepping out of the room slowly, and I don’t know why, I expected something to jump out at me.

In the lounge, Wild Winds was fast asleep, but Sweet was sitting up. She did a little wave, and tapped at her ear. Telepathy it was then.

Sweets voice entered my head as I found a seat near, but not next to my sister. ‘Now I was thinking to myself; why the illustrious Shamisen Tuning would pick us, out of all the ponies she knows, to look for a lost princess.’ She looked over at my sister. ‘Then I remembered, Orthrus has a terrible retirement policy.’

I had to face hoof. ‘This is an Orthrus job. Is that who’s paying the ten thousand bits?’

Rototom nodded. ‘You remember what grandpa said about being in Orthrus right?’

‘That you never retire from Orthrus, you just get put on standby until they have a need for you.’ Grandpa was a lifelong member of Orthrus, always telling us how we were a direct descendants of the old R&D security team. He actually cried when sis had joined Orthrus, and again when I did. It was a good memory.

‘Yep’ Rototom responded. ‘Anything dealing with the Orpheus kingdom is a sensitive subject. You know, have as much plausible deniability as possible in case something goes wrong. So when the mirage pony princess passed through one of our tunnels, and I was assigned to track her, I had to have a backup plan in mind.’ I glared at her, I glared at her as hard as I could, hoping her mane would suddenly catch on fire.

My sister waved a hoof at me dismissively. ‘So when the princess arrived at Charon’s Stop I knew it meant bad news. Of course I could have stuck with them, but if it was Orthrus that saved the princess from her inevitable fate, it would have ended badly.’

‘How so?’ Sweet asked, as she cocked an eyebrow.

Rototom rotated her hoof as she looked away. ‘It was only a hunch, but I felt that I was being baited into following the princess. If they were going to just assassinate her, then they would have brought more ponies, make it all dramatic. But just one guard, it was a setup if I ever saw one. If they could pin an Orthrus specter near their lost princess, they could accuse Orthrus of assassinating her. It’s not the first time something like that had happened.’

‘But wait, what about Silver?’ I interjected.

She smiled at me. ‘I had almost missed the unicorn who was trailing them. He was much better at staying under the radar, if you call a well-dressed unicorn surrounded by mirage ponies being under the radar. That’s when I contacted Shamisen Tuning, and set up a backup plan. If the unicorn made a move, Shamisen would get him to hire you two for a job. I even convinced her to work her magic, and make him think that his plan might have failed dramatically. All subtlety of course, didn’t want him catching on.’

‘Okay, so then why are you here?’ I asked.

“DON’T YOU MOVE!” we all turned to see Light Turbulence pointing her magical energy rifle at us. “WHO ARE YOU, AND WHERE AM I.”

Rototom looked at the Pegasus, and sighed. “You might want to stop yelling, bad time for that and all.”

She pointed her rifle at my sister, and fired. My heart felt like it stopped as everything seemed to slow. The beam of pink magical energy flew from Lights rifle, and through my sister. It hit the wall, leaving a scorch mark. My sister flickered and vanished.

We all stared stunned, and Wild had shot up, awakened by the commotion. Appearing next to Light as though she was a ghost, Rototom pulled the magical energy rifle off of Lights battle saddle, and jumped on her. The Pegasus was too stunned to fight back, and Rototom quickly had her in a hold. Light flapped her wings, but was firmly pinned to the ground.

“THE FUCK ARE YOU DO… murfff, mufff!” Light attempted to protest, but her mouth was firmly held shut by Rototom.

Wild stepped off her seat, and rubbed her eyes. “Ok, I know she can be a bitch, but what’s going on, and who is she?” she pointed at Rototom.

Sweet looked at me, and I rolled my eyes. “That’s my sister, and we were about to find out before your captain tried to kill her.”

Wild cringed. “I see, maybe we should have told you that she can be a bit cranky when she wakes up.”

Both Harp and Merit had stepped out of their rooms, Merit having sloppily thrown on his uniform.

Rototom looked around the room, and back down at Light. “I’m going to let you go, but you’re going to have to be quiet. You understand don’t you?” Light looked away. “Seriously, were you trained by the most incompetent drill Sergeant? Let’s put it this way, if you keep yelling, you’re going to get everypony here killed. You understand that, right.” This time, after a long few seconds, Light nodded. “Good, I’ll explain the situation, so just stay calm.”

Rototom Jumped off of Light, who sat up and grabbed her rifle. The younger Pegasus scooted away from Rototom, taking a defensive position, not taking her eyes off her. The mare was scared of my sister, it was easy to see.

Harp trotted over to Light, giving her a hug. Light Blushed at the sudden contact, weakly pushing away. “Are you okay, did she hurt you anywhere?” Harp asked. Light attempted to talk, but only trip over her own words and looked away blushing.

Merit joined us, sitting next to me. “So, who's that?” He asked as he leaned in and pointed at Rototom.

“My sister, Rototom.” I answered. “She’s an Orthrus specter. Think Special Forces, but acting as an independent agent.”

Rototom winked at Merit, and he looked back at me nervously. ”Does she know?”

I sighed. “Yes she does, and let’s not talk about… that.”

“Talk about what, how he fucked you unconscious.” Sweet whispered into the conversation.

“It reminded me of my first time with my husband.” Wild joined in.

I buried my face into my hooves. I just knew that this was going to make its way back to my mother, and she’ll start the grandchildren talk again.

Rototom tapped on a coffee table in the middle of the lounge, gaining all of our attention. “Attention everypony, I know my little sister’s sex life is quite interesting, but I have very important information.” I don’t know how much more embarrassed I could feel. “Right now we have an invading force in the hotel, and they're making their way up here at this moment.”

Everypony had her in their full attention now. The pirates had gotten here, and if I was not fucking, I would have seen them coming here sooner. I don’t know if I could be angrier at myself.

“Don’t worry, I disabled the elevator after I got up here. So they are taking the stairs, and checking each floor on their way up. It won’t be long until they get here, but we still have time to prepare.”

Light spoke up. “How do they know we're here? And where are we?”

Shaking her head, Rototom answered. “You’re in the Future Hotel, in Future Park. They know you’re here because they’ve been listening in on your radio chatter. Guessing by your uniforms, they must have gotten the frequency from the two Pegasi that they strapped to that vertabuck”

Light took a step back. "You don’t mean… South, Warm, not them.” She looked away as tears formed in her eyes, a hoof visibly shaking.

Merit slammed his hoof on an end table, breaking it. Wild looked down at the floor, glaring at it.

Rototom looked at the Pegasus, and sighed “Ya, whoever this group is, they're the most fucked up group of bandits I have ever seen.”

“Not bandits.” Merit answered. “Their nothing but raider scum.”

“Right, raider, I’ll remember that.” Rototom commented. “But I need to know if you’re all ready to fight. I have a plan, but it’s going to involve all of us fighting through them.”

Clicking on Minerva, I brought up the map page. “What’s the plan?” I asked.

Rototom tapped at her own pipleg, and looked at me. “Other than fighting our way out of here. We need to head to the Captain Andromeda’s Space Adventure building. There's a maintenance tunnel under it, you should be able to get to a main metro tunnel from there.”

Minerva marked the direction on my map. I still didn’t have a map of the park, but at least I’ll know which direction the Andromeda building was at all times. A little notification appeared in the side of my vision, stating ‘Quest updated: Are you having fun yet.’ I never liked the quest system piplegs had, making missions, and simple tasks into some sort of big quest to be had. I could only guess that Applebloom had some sort of whimsical sense of humor to have that programed in.

“Oh, miss Echo.” Sweet had straightened up, like she was back in Orthrus. I couldn’t blame her, even if it was in a roundabout way, we were working for Orthrus again. “I’m low on ammo, do you have any to spare?”

I spoke up as well. “I’m down to six ball bearings myself.”

Nodding, Rototom tossed Sweet two canisters of the ball bearings. “I got plenty, so let me know if you need any more.” She looked over to me, and waved me over. “I got some for you to, but we need to do something first.”

Stepping up to her, I asked “What is it?”

She pulled out a cable, and a box from her saddle bag. “First I need to give you grandpas gift.” Opening the box, she pulled out a big red scarf. It was grandpa’s old scarf he wore all the time. Along the edge was a Zebra print, I didn’t read zebra well but I knew the words that appeared on the scarf: Courage, Wisdom, and Love. Attached to the scarf was an old medallion made into a pin, on it was the symbol of a shield with Celestia and Luna ruling in harmony on it.

I looked up at my sister confused. “I know what you’re thinking, why are you being given it, and not me. Well you will have to ask grandpa that.” Wrapping the scarf around my neck, it fit snugly onto me, the medallion holding it in place. “Now give me Minerva.”

I held out my pipleg, and she plugged the cable into it, and into her own pipleg. “Athena, download the specter program into Minerva.” Rototom’s pipeg beeped. “Don’t argue with me and just do it.”

“What are you do…” My HUD display in my vision suddenly turned on, and became distorted for a second. Shaking my head, I looked at Rototom.

‘This is an emergency situation, so I have the authority to do this.’ Her voice bounced into my head and she winked at me. ‘I hereby deputise you into the Specter Corp.’

My vision began to spin, no wait, it was My HUD display that made everything feel like it was spinning. I felt a bit sick, and if I had any food in my stomach, it would be on the floor by now.

Catching me before I fell over, Rototom propped me back up. “It’s okay, just let it pass.”

I pushed her away. ‘The fuck sis, why did you do that? You know I failed that test. You can’t just force me into the specters because I’m your sister.’ Glaring at her, she looked away. ‘What are you not telling me?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘You think you can take a simple test and become a specter. Play it safe and expect to just get what you want.’ her words bound around in my head. ‘You failed because you were too risk averse, too scared of messing up to be what Orthrus wanted you to be.’

‘And how was I supposed to prove myself?’ I shot back at her.

She laughed. ‘You had all the opportunity to prove yourself. But you never took it. Tunnel guard, engineer’s guard, paperwork courier for fuck's sake. You were playing things so safe, I had to force you out of Orthrus just so you would come out of your…’ she stopped, looking away suddenly.

‘It was you who wrote those reports about me.’ I was shaking, my last year in Orthrus had been hell. One report after another. All about how I was slacking off at my job, mouthing off about the managers, and threatening civilian ponies. All lies, it was all her lies. I contested every one of them, but the only pony to believe me was Sweet Sax. ‘It was all for what, to test me.’

She glared back at me. ‘Yes, and look at you now, all the way out here fighting off monsters, and raiders. It may have been a harsh test, but you passed, and now my superiors are actually interested in you.’

Something in me snapped, my face became hot, my body shaking. “I NEVER WANTED TO BE A FUCKING SPECTER DAMNIT!”

Rototom froze, like her words had been stolen from her mouth. This was good, because I had plenty to say. “Did you ever think I just wanted a simple life, you know, like mom. You’re the adventurer, the one who likes to get shot at, I’m not. But no, you can never let that be, always dragging me around to every one of your cunt waving contests, and pulling me into your fights.” I shoved my hoof into her chest in hopes to drive my anger right into her. “You know what I wanted to be before joining Orthrus, I wanted to be a teacher, like mom. Then maybe we would actually have more to talk about.”

“I, I didn’t…” Rototom stammered, but I cut her off before she could finish.

“Think? No of course not. If you did, then maybe I would still be able to talk to dad without him going on about rejoining Orthrus. But no, you didn’t think, you never did, unless it’s about dragging me into your stupid schemes!”

Looking around, everypony was looking at us.

“Wow, and here I thought your family had issues, Merit.” Wild commented.

Merit glared at her. “We don’t talk about them, ever.”

Having had said my piece, I loaded my rifle. Rototom had left me two canisters of ball bearings, giving me twenty six shots. My enforcer went back under my barding, snugly hidden from sight.

Rototom had gathered her guns, not saying a word. She had a M3 railgun, and a ten gauge double barrel shotgun. The railgun, knowns as the Zeus, was the most advanced rifle in Orthrus: quiet, powerful, and turned the cheap ball bearing into devastating armor piercing sniper rounds. Rumor was that it could kill a paradise dragon in one shot when fully charged. The shotgun on the other hoof was an oldie, but a goody. It was what most ponies used to take out monsters here on the big island, It was loud as fuck, but it tended to kill whatever was in front of it. Most ponies made their own ammo for it, often shooting steel slugs for the extra penetration power.

Everypony was ready, filtration masks on, prepared to run. It was going to be a nasty fight out of the hotel, but they had lost the element of surprise, with ushaving the first strike.

Rototom stepped in front of everypony. “Okay everypony, I’ll take point, the rest of you follow. Once we're out of the hotel, it’s just a clear run to the Space Adventure building. Vibraphone…” she paused for a moment. “You will be in charge of team Alpha, The princess and Miss Light will go with you. Sweet Sax, you’re in charge of team Beta, Merit and Wild are with you.” She looked at me and Sweet. “Get them safely to Orthrus.”

Sweet raised her hoof but Merit cut her off. “I know where to go, I’ll take point until we're there.”

I looked at Light, and nodded my head. “Trust me, they’re in good hooves.”

As it turned out, there were two stairwells down, probably in case of fire. Beta team was going down one side alone, where as my team had Rototom spearheading the decent. The pirates were well armed, had a vertabuck, and had numbers on their side. But they had never fought Orthrus. As bitter as I was about my new rank, I was going to show them how ill equipped they truly were when fighting an Orthrus agent.

The sound of a wiring engine slowly got louder from the outside, and we all froze. From the window we could make out the Vertabuck suddenly hovering outside. With a roar, bullets flew through the window, and we all ducked as the gunfire flew overhead.

The gunfire stopped, and I looked over at the vertabuck. Hanging out from the inside of the vertabuck, looking at us was a white unicorn with a big black spot on his face. He had on a green vest over a red frilly shirt. My blood ran cold as he pointed his hoof at us, no, at me. “BRING HER TO ME, ALIVE AND UNHARMED. KILL THE REST!” A Griffin and a Pegasus jumped out of the vertabuck, and into the suite, rifles at the ready.

Not wasting time, we slipped into the stairwell, knowing full well we lost our first strike advantage long before we even had it.

With a shot of her magical energy rifle, Light had sealed the door behind us, and tuned to Harp. “Don’t worry, we won’t let the raiders touch a hair on your head.”

I didn’t know why, but my gut told me that she was talking to the wrong pony.

“No time to waste, get moving!” Rototom commanded as she rushed down the stairs.

“Congratulations” slipped from my mouth, Before following.

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Progression -

- My Kingdom for a Pony – 25%

- Who Dares, Win – 25%

- Are you having fun yet? – 33%

Chapter 5 - Corps Brigade

We hadn’t gotten far before running into the pirates, only a few floors down the stairwell. They had two earth ponies in the front armed with long rifles, and a unicorn in the back holding a revolver with her magic. They spotted us just as we spotted them, guns aimed, words yelled, and bullets flew with the intent to kill.

*CRACK* A chunk of concrete on the wall fragmented when a bullet ricocheted off it. The pirate’s rifles were no joke, as each shot was deafeningly loud.

We didn’t have time to carefully fight off the three ponies, so my sister and I synchronized our timing, and entered S.A.T.S. as we peeked over the stairs. I found that I could only take two shots with S.A.T.S. but had a whole host of other options to choose from. I only needed to shoot the three ponies, so I didn’t investigate, choosing to go for a headshot on the two earth ponies.

The two ponies took defensive actions almost as soon as we peeked out to shoot, the unicorn dove back down the stairs. I hit the first pony, scoring a headshot, but missed the second one as the pony fell to the ground limp. Rototom had finished off the other, but the third pony had gotten away.

‘What’s going on with my S.A.T.S.?’ I asked Rototom through my telepathic link. I didn’t feel like talking to her at all, but the situation did not call for a family dispute, and I still had an overwhelming feeling of dread.

Rototom took a look down the stairs, and began walking down. “Let’s go before our window closes.” We all followed, with me keeping an eye on our flank. ‘It’s updated to tactical programing.’ She thought to me.

‘Tactical?’ I asked a little confused.

Stopping to quickly loot the two ponies we had killed, we quickly took their rifles off their battle saddles, and what ammo we could find on them. Minerva labeled the rifles as naval battle rifles, the one in my hooves looked to be in moderately good condition, looking as though it had been fixed up many times do to use. The second rifle was passed over to Light, her fumbling with it before strapping it to her back.

Sweet took one of the pirate’s uniforms, quickly looking it over. I could see the same symbol on its leg that I had seen on the vertabuck; a green ring of thorns with a red teardrop in the middle. It was safe to say that it was their symbol, though I couldn’t understand its meaning. Before stuffing it in her bag, Sweet pulled out a pipe bomb from a pocket, and smiled. “Crud, but probably better than a tin can grenade.”

‘It’s an alternative variation on the spell.’ Rototom responded. ‘S.A.T.S. simply helps a pony target an attack. Very useful to those with or without combat experience. The Arcane Tactical Spell takes that concept, and expands it to a wider range of actions. You only got two actions before the spell needs to be recharged, but you can use it to run, dodge, reload a gun, or even combine actions to run to cover as you shoot a gun.’

We hit the bottom of the stairwell, which was odd, as we had not gone that far down. On the door leading out of the stairwell were the words ‘First Class Dining Hall’, and I could see two red bars on the other side.

Rototom continued explaining the new S.A.T.S. I was now using. ‘The program has the ability to learn new actions as you use it, sometimes attacks, other times things like running in a way that’s better for you.’ She peeked through the door, and was greeted by gunfire, another pony had a battle rifle. ‘It also recharges fast’

Opening the door, more gunfire came from the pirates on the other side. As soon as the gunfire stopped Rototom became invisible. We waited for a moment, and the two red bars vanished. I waved at Harp and Light, letting them know it was safe now. Stepping in, dead on the floor was another earth pony, and what was probably a donkey, it at least looked like the ones from some old books I had read as a foal.

“Sis, where did the unicorn go?” I asked, feeling a little concerned about what the missing pony might be up to.

Reappearing, Rototom scanned the room. “She’s on the other side of the hall, with two others, and it looks like they set up a barrier with the tables.” Her helmet had some of the best sensors built into it, I never had one on myself, but I bet she could see as though the room was light up.

A door to our side burst open, and we raised our guns to it, only to lower them as it was the others. Merit, Wild, and Sweet had jumped through the door, a little dinged up, but overall okay. I could see that they had picked up some battle rifles as well, of which Sweet had already strapped onto her battle saddle.

'Shit, and here I was hoping to get down here first. What’s the situation?' Sweet asked as she kept her guns pointed at the other end of the hall.

‘We got three hostiles.’ Rototom responded. ‘Currently not moving.’

‘Probably stalling us until reinforcements get here’ I added. It was a standard tactic we would use in Orthrus when dealing with an armed and dangerous group. Personally I never been in that kind of situation, not until Sweet and I had left Orthrus, and we didn’t have the safety of having backup.

‘I agree, we need to move before we’re cornered.’ Rototom took charge of the situation with one sentence. ‘You two take your teams and move in the shadows, I’ll surprise them.’ With that, she became invisible again.

I turned to Light and Harp, who looked concerned, and a little confused. “Here’s the plan, we will move to the other side of the room, sticking to the shadows and regroup with the others there.”

“It can’t be that simple!” Light quietly retorted. “And what about the others, do they know this plan?”

I sighed, understanding why she was confused. “We have telepathic talismans on, so the others know the plan.” I looked at the princess and back to the Enclave captain. “We use it to talk to each other without alerting the monsters out here.”

The two had an ‘ahh’ look on their face, now understanding what I was talking about. I couldn’t help but feel that these two were made for each other. Following my lead, we headed to the other end of the dining hall, ducking behind the tables, out of what little moonlight there was.

The moonlight was luckily not shining directly into the building, so there was plenty of shadows for us to stick to. Though the pirates knew we were out here, they didn’t know where to fire, and didn’t know we had a bead on them. We just needed to get close enough to get a clean shot on them, and move on out of here.

‘So Viby, what happened to your panties?’ Rototoms voice jumped into my head.

‘Something happened to her panties?’ Sweet chimed in.

‘Well she didn’t have any when I found her with the Pegasus.’ Answered Rototom.

I had to hold back a groan, and kept myself from shouting at them. ‘This is not the best time!’

‘True, but I’m asking right now. You’re not the kind to go commando, so what happened?’ Rototom pushed the question.

‘Damn it, fine. I gave it to the princess. Her panties got ruined on our way here, so I gave her mine!’ I answered hoping to end this conversation.

Sweet chimed in. ‘So wait. You’re going commando right now?’

‘No, I gave her Shamisens gift from her birthday.’ Rototom answered.

‘You mean the frilly purple ones! I wondered what happened to those, I was hoping to steal them after she stomped out.’ Sweet responded, and I had to hold back from face hoofing myself.

‘Can we get back to the task at hoof.’ We were getting close, and I was getting distracted. ‘it’s not like we're in a life or death situation here.’

‘Right.’ Rototom responded. ‘When were close enough, Vibe will take the first shot.’

Now closer, I could see that all the tables were set; plates, silverware, and glasses. It was not something too out of the ordinary, as it was a common tale of discovery. Some far off forgotten rooms sometimes still had food on the table, long petrified after a hundred years. Half the time it was some pony’s last meal that they didn’t have the strength to eat, or they had rushed out of the room as their world came to an end, remembering to lock the door before never returning.

What was out of place was that, like with the rest of the park, it looked like it had been maintained. Everything was in its proper place, and in the moonlight I could see that it all looked cleaner than it should be.

*Crack*

From behind us, the sound of liquid splattered to the ground. Taking a quick look, what I could only guess was a wine bottle had been shot, and the liquid from inside was now dripping to the floor.

Harp had managed to keep herself from making any noise, but the sudden rifle shot sent her to the floor and she started shaking. It took a few seconds, but she managed to pull herself together, and we continued on.

‘A bit premature shot don’t you think.’ Rototoms voice kicked in, though it was slightly off, having a faint echo to it. ‘At least we know they haven’t seen us yet, so keep your heads down.’

‘We know what we’re doing Rototom’ I thought back at her.

‘On the topic of doing thing, so how was he? ’ I abruptly stopped, the other two behind me nearly bumped into my flank. ‘Does he talk dirty?’

‘Not the time for this!’ I thought back at my sister. I continued forward, making sure that the other two were following.

‘Must have been real rough, you practically came on the floor when you jumped out of bed.’ Rototom continued.

Sweet chuckled through the telepathy, her amusement bounced around in my skull. ‘Oh I hate it when that happens, fun at first, but one time it was so bad I couldn’t come in for work.’ I was not interested in having this conversation right now, or ever to tell the truth. But Sweet likes to feed the beast, so she continued. ‘After that I went and got a modification for my hips. A little pricy, but it was worth widening my hips just to get it to stop.’

‘So that’s why you had to get new armor a few years ago. Here I though you just had too many snack cakes.’ Rototom said in a joking tone. Being Sweets friend, I had known about the surgery, and it having more to do with a pregnancy scare than to do with sex. She had actually gone in to have a sterility implant put in, and payed extra to widen her hips at the same time. She talked about her rump for months after.

We finally got in close, my E.F.S. showed four hostiles, not three. As I looked over at the pirates, the unicorn’s horn glowed, and suddenly another pirate pony appeared before her. That answered were the reinforcements were coming from, and gave us a whole new problem.

‘I’m taking out the Unicorn. Cover me.’ I asked. As I levitated my rifle out, and aimed down the sights. Getting the mare in my sights, one shot was all I needed. Her attention suddenly turned to the side, one of her companions must have been taken out. Not wanting to miss the shot, I pulled the trigger, and with a soft ‘puff’ the ball bearing flew at her head.

The ball bounced harmlessly off the metal plate of a heavily armored pony. Taking a moment to process what had just happened, I took my eye off the scope to get a full view at what I was seeing. In front of where the unicorn was standing, was a large armored pony. It had to be power armor, no mistaking it. Unlike the power armor in Orpheus this one had a horn on its head, and what looked like lightbulbs along its side. Its head turned towards me, and the heavy table levitated up above the armored pony. I took a step back, knowing what was about to happen.

“TAKE COVER!” I yelled as the three of us jumped to the side, dodging the table as it flew at us. The table practically bounced on the floor before flying out the window. Beam and gunfire followed, most of it falling onto the pirates as Sweets group caught them by surprise.

A few pirates were killed outright, but none of them was the unicorn, who had already summoned in another pirate. The power armored pony hadn’t flinched, from Sweets attack, countering with a minigun it levitated. The roar of the gun filled the room, and I knew that we had missed our window.

My team was quickly pinned down before we could regroup. Harp had luckly gotten behind an overturned table, and was flat on the ground looking terrified. The tables were thick, so I doubt the gunfire could simply go through it. Light on the other hoof was in a real bad spot, simply hiding behind a chair. The only saving grace in her position was that she was in the shadows, keeping herself hidden. My position was no better, taking shelter behind an old food cart, it already had a bullet hole in it that ripped off its top.

“LIGHT!” I yelled out, getting her attention. The minigun was loud, so I felt confident that the pirates could not hear me as it was firing. “I WILL GIVE YOU COVERING FIRE, MAKE YOUR WAY TO HARP WHEN I DO.” She nodded, and I began to count in my head, going backwards from five.

Five, I placed my revolver in my mouth, my tongue right on the trigger.

Four, I pulled out the battle rifle, holding it in my hooves.

Three, I position the rifle in a way that I could fire it with my chin.

Two, levitating my hunting rifle I positioned my rear hooves on the ground, putting me in a squatting position.

One, I stood up on my rear legs, turning to the pirates as I did.

All three guns fired, it was a difficult thing to do, and lacked any accuracy, but the pirates all ducked for cover as the bullets flew over their heads. I had actually hit one, but he went down too fast for me to see if it was a kill shot. It all lasted a few seconds before I dropped back under cover, but it was enough time for Light to regroup with Harp. The princess clutching onto Light, tears in her eyes.

A bullet blasting through the food cart I was crouched behind made my heart stop for a second. The bullet didn’t hit me, but the shredded metal folded outward and cut my cheek. I needed to change positions or I was going to die.

“HEY! CRAZY CYBER PONY” It was Light, trying to get my attention. I nodded back at her, and she sighed. Harp said something to her that I could not hear, but the Pegasus nodded and turned back to me. “GET READY TO RUN, WE’LL PROVIDE THE COVERING FIRE!” Light hoofed the battle rifle she had over to harp, and the two poked out from behind the table and fired. Harp fell over after shooting once, the rifle falling to the floor.

I bolted, but despite the covering fire from Light, I could see that the pirates were not ducking for cover this time. I quickly activated S.A.T.S. slowing time to a crawl just in time to see a bullet pass in front of my face. It was so close I could have kissed it, and if I could, I would have jumped back in surprise.

Remembering Rototoms quick lesson, I quickly looked through the extra options I now had, and found the running option. It was one action point to move, and two to sprint. I chose sprint, and suddenly before me was a grid board that laid on the floor, and an arrow pointing at a square lighting it up blue. It took me a short moment to understand that this was the option of where to move, I selected behind Light and Harp, and selected enter.

All four of my hooves hit the ground, and with a sudden burst of speed it felt like I had just threw myself forward. I nearly crashed into the table before coming to a stop. “Right, sprinting moves fast.” I blurted out, my voice muffled by the roar of the minigun.

Gunfire smashed against the table, some bullets breaking through, some getting stuck in the wood. Both Light and I attempted to counter the attack, but another pirate pony had joined them, armed with an SMG, and kept us pinned down. That unicorn was really starting to piss me off, making me regret not shooting her first in the stairwell.

A loud explosion rocked the floor, and blew out what windows were still intact. The ringing in my ears had deafened me, but I could tell the gunfire had stopped. Peeking over, the barricade the pirates had built was in shambles, and the ponies that were behind it were either heavily injured, or dead. Rototom stood closer to the ruined barricade, the obvious perpetrator of the explosion.

The explosion did not take out the power armored pony, though it did knock the minigun out of its magic. The power armored pony had turned its attention to Rototom, and I could only guess the pony inside was scowling, contorting its face to look like the face of its helmet. I’d bet bits that Rototom was smirking under her helmet, her body posture looking ready for a fight.

“I GOT THIS, YOU ALL GO ON AHEAD!” Rototom yelled out, not turning her head away from the power armored pony.

Both my and Merits groups bolted, Light and Harp right behind my flank as we gave Rototom and the power armored pony a wide berth. The power armored pony attempted to grab Harp with telekinesis, but was interrupted by a shot from Rototoms railgun, shattering one of the glass bulbs on its back.

Rushing through a doorway, we entered what was a kitchen. The doors closed behind us, and the report of a ten gage shotgun blast shook the air, followed by the sound of wood being smashed on wood. Rototom could handle herself, but I couldn’t help but feel worried.

Like with the dining hall, everything in the kitchen was in its proper place, as though it was waiting for the staff to return. Knives, pots, and pans hanged from hooks, swinging ever so lightly. Plates and cups were stacked on top of each other, waiting to be filled and sent out into the hall. And other then some dust, the room was considerably clean.

“I’ve seen this setup before!” Exclaimed Sweet, as she ran to what looked like a small closet.

“Setup?” Merit asked.

She opened up the closet and a pile of canned food came tumbling out. Stepping closer, I could see that it was all canned Sweet Potatoes. “I hope you have an idea Sweet.”

“Yep!” Sweet pushed out the cans from the small closet and looked back at us. “Remember when we were working for that cook with a stalker. The kitchen he worked in kept all their supplies a floor below.” She aimed her rifle at the roof of the closet and fired, and to my surprise, the inside of the closet dropped. “They used an elevator to bring their supplies up.”

Walking up to the small elevator closet, I looked inside, and could not see the bottom. “How are we going to get down?” I asked, giving her my best ‘this better be good’ look.

“I was thinking we fly down.” She looked inside. “But now that I think about it, it’s a bit too small for them to use their wings.” Sweet looked back at me and shrugged. “Climb down I guess”

I faced hoofed. We didn’t have time for mane brained ideas. Taking my hoof off my face, I gave Sweet a glare and opened my mouth to chastise her. Before I could say a word, Merit stepped in-between us and stuck the front half of his body into the shaft. Sweet and I turned our attention to the stallion's flank that was now close to our faces.

“Looks like Sweet is right, there's a ladder in here.” Merit pushed himself and this time went flank first into the shaft. “Let’s go!”

Sweet looked at me and wiggled her eyebrows. “I see why you tapped that.”

I shook my head and picked up three cans of the canned food, placing them in my bag. “One more word about it, and I’ll tell Shamisen that you’re the one walking out with her beer glasses.”

“Fine, I get it, I get it.” She picked up a few cans as well, and stepped into the shaft.

Tuning my telepathy spell, I reached out and connected with Rototom. ‘We found a safe way down, a service shaft in the kitchen.’

‘Go on ahead, this bastard will take a few minutes to put down.’ Rototom responded, with a slight interference giving her a slight echo.

I let the rest go on ahead of me before going in myself. The shaft had a strong draft that riffled up my mane and tail, as well as sending a chill up my spine. The shaft itself was solid, and I wasn’t worried about the ladder failing on us, but I could see how worn out the inside of the shaft looked. It looked like we were in a two hundred year old shaft, which gave me the feeling that this shaft had been overlooked by whoever was maintaining the park.

_____________________________________________

The shaft went all the way down into the basement, which had seen better days. It was flooded, making Minerva click with radiation warnings, and was covered in dead plants. If any of us had hopes of stocking up on food and water here, the advanced levels of decay dashed any of that. The building construction was still solid, definitely earth pony construction, so there was no worry about the place coming down anytime soon.

There were signs that there was once a stalker down here, the bones of the mutated hound having long been picked clean by some bigger beast.

The shelves were mostly clear, with most of the items scattered on the floor. Even the most preserved food had fallen to the rot, or had been fed upon by animals.

After we had pushed our way to the stair well, we had seen nothing of any value, only more junk. If there were ghouls still living here, the basement was their dumping ground. We could only hope that we don’t run into them, ghouls this far out tend to be both insane, and infested with something nasty.

Out of the water, we all took a moment to dry off. Sweet and I simply shook the irradiated water off of our metal legs. The other four had to wipe it off onto their cloths, with Harp looking less than happy about doing so.

I took a step up ahead of the others, and turned around to look at them. “Right everypony, same plan as before. We head out through the restaurant, and make our way to the Andromeda building.” Everyone nodded, and we were off.

The basement was actually a few floors deep, with us only on the second basement floor. Anything below level two must have been under water. We quickly checked level one, hoping to find a tunnel system we could use, but only found more storage. It was hotel storage, mostly cleaner and spare sheets.

As we were looking around, Harp found a saddle bag. The bag was made of a red velvet like cloth, and had a big ‘FH’ printed on it. Quickly running around, she put two towels, a bottle of soap, and a small bag of hooficure supplies in it before regrouping with us.

“What? A lady must take care of herself. I say I earned this after all the muck I’ve been in.” Harp pointed her nose up a little as she spoke. I rolled my eyes, and got moving again.

The lobby floor was quiet, our best guess was that the pirates were moving upstairs in hope of trapping us there. If we’re lucky, we’ll sneak out of here before they know we’re gone. Like before, I took point, muffling my movement, and amplifying my ability to hear the sound around me.

A drip of water, the movement of wind, I could clearly hear the vertabuck outside keeping watch. There was a second vertabuck outside, flying over the other side of the building. Sneaking was still our best option, but it was not going to be easy.

I could hear something else, faint, but much closer. It was the sound of humming, just a little further ahead of me. A sign near me pointed in the direction of the humming, letting me know that we were heading to the Reception Desk.

As I rounded a corner I could see the reception desk. Faintly, the humming formed words. From the voice I knew I was dealing with a mare, soft, yet unnerving at the same time.

Saint Roseland protect me

Hold your Rifle for all to see

Thundering loudly through Luna's night

Keep me safe till Celestia's light

The empty room help to carry the song, and its slight echo made it feel even more out of place. I pulled out my rifle to get a better look through the scope before moving in.

In noble battle did she fall

Protecting us from evil's wrath

Now she leads us all

keeping us from sinful fall

In my scope sights, another unicorn… no, it was the first one from the stairwell. “How the fuck” Her outfit was similar to the other pirates, red and green, but in reverse, having more green than red. She had a tan coat, and a dark gray mane and tail, both of which were well kept and had small braids weaved into them. She even has some of the same accessories as the other pirates, with a gold stud on her nose, and gold rings in her ears. On her shoulder was the same symbol the other pirates had, a green ring of thorns with a red teardrop in the middle, but she had a second symbol under the first. The second was a green eye with red were the whites would be, and a line of red going down from the eye. The pirates loved their red, black, and green color coordination.

She turned my way, looking right at me. Her eyes were green, but some sort of wrong kind of green. I couldn’t place it, but her stare felt wrong, it made me feel wrong.

I couldn’t pull the trigger, I wanted to, but nothing in me moved, or even willed movement. I simply watched the unicorn as she got up onto all four hooves and slowly walked to me, never breaking contact. She pulled out a sword from her belt, but with our eyes locked, I couldn’t follow it.

‘Stop’

‘Stay back’

‘Somepony help me’

‘Anypony’

She was right on me, nose to nose, eyes locked.

The sword pressed against my side, she was toying with me, like she fed off of fear. The sword went in, and I could feel every inch. I couldn’t look away, not scream, not even call for help. The unicorn giggled and gave me a kiss, her tongue rolling in my mouth as she twisted the blade in my chest.

‘VIBRAPHONE!’ Sweet Sax’s voice rattled through my head. Surprised I fired my rifle, only missing the unicorn by an inch. She was back at reception, glaring at me. Looking away, I saw Sweet, she had a look of worry on her face. She was also holding me, her front legs tightly wrapping around me. “Good, your back.”

Looking around, everypony looked worried. “What just happened?”

Sweet shook her head. “You were lining up your shot, and then suddenly you were calling for help over telepathy. Before I could do anything, you were screaming bloody murder through the telepathy.”

I looked over at the Unicorn, avoiding eye contact, she was still sitting there, waiting for us. Turning my attention back to Sweet, I gently pushed her off of me. “Ya, I remember, she was killing me, and I couldn’t move. Something's wrong with her eyes, magic maybe.”

“Right, let’s pop her, and get out of here.” Sweet still looked worried, but in nudging me, made me feel better.

I looked through the scope, this time going for a body shot. Whoever, or whatever this bitch was, I didn’t have the time to find out.

I didn’t have the time to fire as she teleported from her position, and into the middle of the lobby’s main room. She was closer now, and I didn’t need the scope to see the smirk on her face. “Ahoy! ma chérie. I’m a little surprised t' see you down here so soon, naughty little rascals. It looks like I will have t' hold you here until the others come aft dovn.” Everypony already had their guns at the ready, so it was unlikely she was going to hold anypony. “Oh no no, zis vill not do, six agents moi. Well five.” She pointed at Harp. “zat one’s not much o' a fighter.”

Teleporting again, she had moved back to the reception desk, and pulled out an SMG with her magic. Sweet and I fired at her, but she took cover, and the ball bearings just bounced off the metal desk. Her SMG floated over the desk and blasted at us, forcing us to take cover as bullets flew wildly around the room.

‘Shit, she got me.!’ Sweet nearly shouting into my mind.

I looked over at her, Sweet was ducking behind a chair, and a small amount of blood was dripping onto the floor from her. ‘How bad?’ I asked.

‘Nothing that can’t be fixed, I’ll live.’ She pulled out a healing potion and sipped at it. ‘I’ll be charging your sister for therapy when this is over.’

‘Not before I get at her first.’ I responded.

I could hear the sound of metal scraping against metal, which I guessed was the pirate reloading her gun. Sweet looked over at me. ‘So got a plan?’

“YOUR ALL DAMN QUIET OVER THERE. VAT ARE YOU PANNING?” The pirate shouted, following her statement with another burst from her SMG.

Looking around, luckily nopony got hit this time. We couldn’t sit here and play bullet tag, we had to move. ‘Just run for it, I’ll go for the pirate. She can’t shoot all of us with me on her.’

Sweet looked over at the reception desk, and back at me. ‘Okay, but you better be right behind us. On your mark.’

Taking a moment to calm myself, I took a deep breath. The moment was ruined by another burst of bullets from the pirate. “Alright, on three we all charge for the kitchen and make a run for it.” The others looked at me concerned, but I knew this was going to work.

Activating my muffle once more, I charged. Without any old world garbage littering the floor, it was easy for me to close the distance without making any noise. “YOU'RE GOING NOVERE MY LITTLE PONY’S” her SMG burst again, and I ducked behind the desk. My ears screamed. My talisman was still on, and being this close boosted the noise to an extreme.

I held my breath, and holding my ears shut. It wasn’t much, but enough to keep myself from passing out. Waiting, I watched for when the SMG retreated back behind the desk. Seizing the opportunity, I jump up to the counter and shouted. “THREE!”

The unicorn mare looked up at me, and mouthed two words. ‘Clever girl.’ My hearing was shot, and everything sounded muffled, but it didn’t matter as I had the advantage. Tackling the mare, my metal hooves crushed her under me. The pain was easy to read on her face, I had hurt her good, and I hoped I broke a bone. With one more strike, I brought a hoof to her head, slamming her head between my hoof and the hard floor. All movement from the pirate mare stopped, eyes rolled back into her head. She was out cold.

I had time to see the rest make their exit, Sweet stood by the door waiting for me. ‘Go on ahead, I need to fix my ears.’

‘Do that and catch up to us. If I have to come back and save your flank than you owe me big.’ She thought at me before running out.

Everything sounded like I was under water, but luckily with the help from Minerva applying a little bit of healing potion to my ears was a simple task. Slowly but surely my hearing came back. Not that there was much to hear, other than the sounds of a vertabuck, it was all quiet. “Hearing check…” I flopped my ears around as I tested hearing myself talk “all good.”

*pop* something bounced off the back of my head.

I froze. It sounded like a bottle had been just opened, the kind of sound only a cork from a bottle could make. Turning around slowly, I saw another pony right behind me. It was another unicorn mare in the green on red uniform, symbols of Luna and Celestia adorned her cloths all over. She had a carrot red mane and tail, curly all over. Her coat was a vibrant green which blended well with her uniform, making the red even more striking. Her eyes stared at me with a hunger, with an unnatural looking green. In her magic was a Champagne bottle, bubbles pouring out of it, and onto the other pirate I had knocked out.

“Good that you can hear again lassie, cuss I got good news for you t’ hear.” She took a long pull from the Champaign bottle, gulping half of it down. “Ahhhh... And with the goddesses as my witness, I’ll preach it.”

“What?” I said as I backed away from the pirate slowly.

With a swift motion, the pirate swung the bottle of Champagne at me. I managed to hop backward in time to doge. Glass and bubbles flew everywhere as the Champagne bottle shattered on to desk. “I said I was going to preach lassie, now stop fidgeting and open your heathen ears.”

I had no time for this madness. Jumping back, I spun around and bolted for the door. As I ran, I heard a heavy click, my amplify sound talisman was still on. Jumping to the side, a burst of bullets flew into the kitchen, just barely missing me. My ears rang again, but not as bad as before, so to save me from anymore pain, I turned the talisman off.

“OY! Did I say you can run? What are you, some godless cunt?” The SMG levitated at her side, matching the anger on her face. “I got to make you a goddesses fearing pony, and then send you t’ them. Yes, that’s what I ot t’ do. May the goddess have mercy on your soul?”

The SMG pointed at me, and I had no cover to take. Activating S.A.T.S. time nearly halted completely. I was not going to outrun bullets, so I needed to out maneuver the pony shooting them. Looking through my movement options, I found a dash option. The distance was shorter, but it cost one point and was faster than running. My first dash I selected to move to the side and closer to the pirate, and for the second dash I picked straight at the mare. Pressing enter, the feeling of time returned to me.

I jolted right before the pony fired at me, the dash having me just avoiding the bullets as I got closer. The second dash took me right under the SMG, the pirate unable to aim the gun fast enough to hit me. Now close enough, I brought my hoof up at her face, using my back legs to push me at her, hoping to take her down in one strike.

The bitch dodged, not enough to get out of the way of my hoof, but I only managed to clip her jaw. Stumbling back, the pirate just glared at me, gun at her side. If she aimed her gun at me I would go for a tackle, and stay too close for her to properly use the gun. The tactic was better for countering rifles, but most ponies had a hard time aiming even a pistol when the opponent is right on them. I just had to move before she could pull the trigger, and I would be able to avoid getting shot.

“Not bad lassie.” The pirate rubbed her chin and adjusted her air filter. “Not bad at all.” Dropping the SMG, she took a step to the side, and placed herself between the way out and me. “Names Shamrock Bayonet.” She smirked. “Now tell me yours before I rip your heathen throat out.”

Times like this I’m glad I keep my enforcer hidden, putting me at an advantage when my enemy thinks we're on a level playing field. “I’m Vibraphone Echo. Now tell me why you’re here.”

Her smirk became a grin, nearly ear to ear. “Lassie… exactly what I’m going t’ tell you.”

A leg wrapped around my neck, and my own legs were kicked out from under me. With a thud I hit the ground, finding the unicorn mare I had taken out before on top of me, holding me down, with a sword to my neck. “If we were all introducing ourselves, names Couteau Duel” Looking up at the mare, her green eyes were surrounded by red, which leaked onto her coat. Her eyes were bleeding.

“Duel keep her there, I’ll explain our mission, our crusade.” A book levitated out of Shamrocks bag, and opened up in front of her. ”Witness heathen, for I have the perfect book here, written by our saint t’ the followers of the goddesses. Listen well and be in awe.”

Something fell on my neck. Looking at Duel, the blood from her eyes was now falling from her air filter, and onto my neck. My stomach churned at the thought of it touching me.

“Long ago we were lost, faith less, and easily fooled. We turned from the true path, and placed our faith into six false saints. In war they came, offing lies and gold. With our loyalty they promised victory, but in the end we received only damnation.” Shamrocks motion her legs in wide motions, looking overly dramatic. “Their true motives was t’ take the right to rule from the goddesses, and in the war they did just that, taking them away from us. We are the ponies who know the truth of this, and have devoted ourselves to the true path. Lady Thorns showed us the path two hundred years ago, and today we follow her still, the true Prophet of the goddesses.”

So a pirate and a cultist, next she’s going to tell me that there is a prophecy that is soon at hoof. I was going to say something, but the blade at my neck was way too close for comfort.

Shamrock continued “The way of thorns, the true path to know the goddesses. Now join me as we sing in her honor”

I felt something rubbing onto my lower body, just going up and down. Taking a glance, I saw that Duel was grinding on me. Looking back at her face, she was fixated on Shamrock, and grinding on me. The bad situation turned humiliating.

Saint Roseland saw coming of ponies fall

Her might saving us from the end of all

Duel pushed into me harder, making me glad that I had the extra layer of the panties on so that my barding didn’t rub into me.

Her wisdom to guide us through the end of days

Those that survived the end sang Saint Roselands praise

I could hear Duel breath heavily as she started grinding faster, my own body being rocked as she got off on me.

With cannons raised they would never fall

From all the lands the heathens they would cull

She arched her back, and moaned. The humiliation was complete, and all I could feel was the blood rushing to my face. Shame, rage, it all mixed together.

With Saint Roseland and our mighty fleet

With our end we shall not meet

The grinding slowed down, and Duel was now panting heavily. Her grip on the sword weakened and dropped, and she pushed her air filter to the side. “I like you.”

Everything came boiling out all at once, and I screamed, right in her face. With my free hoof i struck her in the face, sending a few teeth flying.

She rolled over, and back on her hooves, looking shocked. “Vas it somethin' I said ma chérie? Is it me, do you not want me?” She put her air filter back on after spitting out a bloody tooth, and pulled out a second sword. “If I cannot have you, then nopony should, NOPONY!” She charged.

I rolled back onto my hooves and entered S.T.A.S. Selecting my revolver, and having it fire at Duel took up two points, the option was called quick draw. Entering it in, time returned to normal, and in one simple motion I pulled my revolver out and shot Duel in the chest. The unicorn tripped over her own hooves and fell to the ground. She was not getting back up from that hit.

I turned to aim my enforcer at Shamrock, but she was already on me, a hoof striking the side of my face, knocking the revolver to the ground.

Shamrock sneered at me. “She offered you salvation lassie, and like t' heathen you are, struck her down. Typical o' your kind.”

“Like I give a fuck” I spat back at her. My hoof fell onto the sword that was once at my neck, and I smiled. “Minerva! Sword! Attack!” I lifted my hoof, and the sword jolted up and slashed at Shamrock. The pony rolled out of the way, and onto the SMG. Not wasting time, I pulled out my hunting rifle, and fired it at her. Scoring three shots into her, two to her center mass, and one into a leg.

She ignored the bullet holes in her side and lifted the SMG at me. I jumped, and she fired.

Screaming in pain, a few bullets hit me in the soft parts of my flank. I was able to avoid getting hit somewhere vital, but I now had lead in me.

Ducking to the side of the Reception desk, I quickly pulled out a Med-X and plunged it into me, and took a quick swig of a healing potion. It was a quick fix, but I was going to need to get a doctor to pull the lead out of me soon.

“We be here t' cleanse this world o' t' faithless, and brin' about a new golden age. Convert or die, CONVERT OR DIE!” Shamrocks shouting made my hair stand up.

*Clank*

Something had pulled on my lower leg. Looking down at it, I saw Duel chewing on my metal leg, drooling all over it. Pulling my leg away, I kicked her in the face. “Why the fuck won’t you stay down!”

“BECAUSE I VANT YOU IN ME, I VANT TO KNOW HOW YOU TASTE, AND TO SATISFY THIS HUNGER!” Duel screamed back at me, blood flying from her mouth, the kick having broken her snout. Her eyes were now darting back and forth, like a pony on a drug binge. Looking closer, her bullet hole was gone, blood still there, but her wound was gone.

She swiped at me with her sword, and I rolled out of her reach.

*Clack Clack Clack*

A burst of bullets flew from Shamrock, and I managed to just dodge them. Seeing my revolver not far from me, I ran for it, and entered S.A.T.S. once more. I selected to roll at it, and then pick up the gun. Returning time to normal, the roll managed to help me dodgemore SMG fire. I got the revolver firmly into my mouth and aimed it at Shamrock.

*Clack Clack Clack*

*Blam Blam Blam*

We exchanged fire. We stood in place for what felt like a minute, but only a second passed. Shamrock fell to the ground.

“FEED MY HUNGER!” Duel jumped out, only to stumble. Splattering blood from her face to the floor.

*Blam Blam*

Two more shots into the sick bitch. I would have put one more into her head, but I was all out of bullets. These two had cost me too much time, and I needed to catch up to the others. Putting away my revolver, and picking up the sword, I walked to the door. On my way I almost slipped on some blood, not once, but twice.

I entered into the restaurant's kitchen, as the door was closer. My breath was short, and my body dull all over, from my nose to my flank. The med-x did its job, and the bullets In my flank didn’t make it feel much different from the rest of my body. Though I could do without the lightheadedness.

Something gleaming caught my eye, and I trotted over to it. It was a silver looking frying pan hanging on a hook. Tapping it with my hoof, I smeared some blood on it, my hoof was covered in blood. The frying pan turned ever so slowly, its shiny surface crudely revealing my reflection, presenting me with my bloodied face.

I had a long gash traveling from my nose to my mane, and another along my neck, both leaking blood. Grabbing the pan, I used it to check the rest of me. My barding was slick and wet, and the white shirt I had underneath was a dark red. All four of my legs had blood leaking onto them, and my tail was stained red at the base, and at the end. The med-x had worked too well, and I hadn’t even noticed getting hit after the first time. I didn’t even know I was bleeding out.

Through the pan I saw a figure enter the kitchen and charge at me. Rolling to the side, I Just managed to get out of the way of Shamrock, who slammed into a stove. “Now I’m not into mare’s lassie, but I’ll make an exception for you.” Shamrock glared at me, her green eyes were now surrounded by the same blood red as Duel’s, and was now bleeding like Duel’s was. “I’ll make it a three way, Duel can peg ya with t' hilt o' her cutlas, and I’ll peg ya with a grog bottle.”

Backing away, I slipped again. The blood loss was making me uncoordinated, and weak, but Shamrock seemed to be just as healthy as before I shot her. Attempting to stand back up I slipped again. Shamrock was hovering over me before I could recover, grinning at me.

Shamrock chuckled. “You'd be amazed how many fights I’ve won like this.” She bent her head down and whispered “Lassie.” Lifting her head back up, she chuckled again. “It t' gift o' our saint and savor. We followed her as t' message o' her might, her corpse brigade.” A hoof slammed my face into a cupboard, imprinting my face on it in my blood. The hit made my head spin and I fell to my side. “Good good, you should sleep, a pony as strong as you needs their sleep.” She stroked my mane, which made me cringe. “Though you’re a heathen, I can tell that you will see the light. You just need a little push.” She pulled out a syringe from a little bag on her uniform, the liquid inside it had a green glow to it that sent a shiver down my spine.

I struggled to get back on my hooves and back away, but Shamrock just slammed her hoof down on my side. The pain could be felt through the med-x. I glanced around looking for a way to save myself, but the needle slowly came closer, and I was not getting away. “MINERVA!, S.A.T.S.!” I shouted, and time slowed to a crawl.

Without the beating of my heart, the panic in my breath, and the dull pain leaking through the med-x, I was able to properly think. Opening up my options, almost everything was in red, telling me that it was a non-actionable move. Any action available to me was for pulling things out of my bag, useless with Shamrock over me. Looking at her, somehow S.A.T.S. allowed me to look at whatever was in front of me. I could only guess that my eyes were moving at an extremely fast rate, like with my mind. In Shamrocks jacket, just under her leg, was a knife. Scanning the actions for S.A.T.S. I found what might help me, a target selection mode.

I had seen it in a movie once, were the hero, with the super special pipbuck, was able to use it to pull the bad pony’s gun from its holster, and shoot it. I was hoping to do that, but with the knife.

Push, no. Swing, no. Grab with my mouth, the option was predictably in red, so no. Pulling out the knife was not quite the option I wanted, if Shamrock could get up after getting shot, the knife was not going to keep her down. Swing back was an option, and the one I needed, the blue outline of the blade brought the knife’s point right under her head. Next was to get it in her, sadly the pipbuck was not going to have the strength to do it, but thinking about it, I knew what would. The Dash was in red, but only for landing back on my hooves, but I just needed to move, not land on my hooves. Selecting right at Shamrock, Minerva gave me a 0% to a successful Dash, but still let me do it.

Time resumed, and Shamrock had brought her hoof up, ready to strike me. My body jolted, and I could see the knife in the pipbucks magic swing out. My body moved awkwardly, but still right at Shamrock, my head making contact with the knife’s back end. We connected with a thump, and I hit the ground almost as fast as I had got up.

Looking at Shamrock, she had backed up, her flank hitting a stove. The knife had plunged deep up into her jaw, and must have entered her brain. The crazed pirates looked shocked, glaring at me with hateful scorn.

I didn’t wasting time, using Minerva to guzzle the first healing potion, and picked myself up. My body felt more compliant now, and my head didn’t feel as light. So I ran right out of the Kitchen, and to the exit. I took one more glance back at the kitchen, to see that Shamrock was pulling the knife out of her slowly, blood dripping down her chest. She glanced back at me, and grinned a bloody grin. I ran, not caring if I was going the wrong direction, I just had to get away.

_____________________________________________

Before I could orientate myself, I found a hiding spot, somewhere between a little foal’s space ship ride, and its older pony’s counterpart. With how I felt, the foals ride looked like too much for me. Due to my blood loss, my head was still feeling fuzzy, and would stumble a little from time to time.

I guzzled another healing potion, trying to get my strength back up. I had been hurt far worse than I thought I was during the fight, and the only thing that had saved me was my barding, and my saddlebag. Checking it over, I picked out a few lead balls that had gotten stuck in the armored padding and plates, the little metal lumps thudding on the ground.

A vertabuck flew overhead, its searchlight illuminating the area around me. I was underneath an old tarp, so it didn’t see me. Waiting for it to leave, I checked the map on Minerva, keeping its light off and using the hologram. I had definitely gone the wrong direction, but not so far that I had to pass the hotel to get to our destination.

The vertabuck moved on, the searchlight beaming at another section of the park. Feeling that it was my time, I ran out of cover and to the Captain Andromeda’s Space Adventure building. Sticking to cover I didn’t want to risk running into another pirate, and drawing the attention of a vertabuck.

An explosion came from the hotel, and looking back I could see fire bellowing out of one of the rooms. The place had actually withstood the test of time, and felt like it was waiting for the princesses to return. Now it was on fire, a fire that was sure to spread and consume the building. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad for it,only if I could have come here under better conditions.

Suddenly I remember Rototom was still in there, and I had to stop myself from running in for her. She could handle herself, and was far better geared than I was, so I had to have faith that she was okay. But it didn’t stop me from being worried about her.

“No time to waste.” I softly spoke to myself, and ran to where Sweet and the others were waiting.

I had to pass through what looked like a little village, though all the homes were of a round shape, and had mannequins inside. I could only just barely make out the figures inside, all in happy looking poses, but with the paint long faded off of them.

I had to cross the street, and I was free. Only problem was that there was a pony standing in the middle of the street, motionless. I stared at it for what was probably a minute, motionless. Light reflected off of a building, revealing that it was another mannequin. Letting go a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I trotted across the street.

As I passed the mannequin I could see that it was in far worse condition than the ones inside. It was covered in holes,charred black. On it was a sign dangling from its neck. The writing looked crude, but I could still read it clearly enough in the moonlight.

I am bad pony.

I lie like ponies

I stay outside like ponies.

It was probably the ramblings of a mad pony, or a ghoul going feral. But still, the sign didn’t look like it’s been here for a very long time, so whoever placed it here might still be around.

Holding the sign, I could hear the faint sound of an engine roaring back to life. The mannequin's head suddenly turned to me “Welcome to Captain Andromeda’s Space Adventure! Just stand in line and you will be inside in no time at all!” It’s voice was loud and scratchy, echoing past me.

The hair on my neck stood up, and I nearly tripped over myself. I was sure this thing just gave away my position, so I ran, ran as fast as I could to the Space Adventure building. I had a bad feeling down in the pit of my stomach, and I had to get to the others, and get to them fast.

_____________________________________________

Quest Progression -

- My Kingdom for a Pony – 50%

- Who Dares, Win – 50%

- Are you having fun yet? – 66%

Chapter 6 - The Void

Getting to the Space Adventure building didn’t take long, though between the fighting and having to take the long way around, the others were going to be far ahead of me. Sweet would not simply wait at the entrance, the inside would be safer, out of sight of anything hunting us. I just had to get in, pick up their trail, and regroup.

I just needed to get in…

Find a door…

There were steel shutters blocking the entrance, the sides, and the back. “The fuck!” I spat under my breath. This was going to be a problem, bigger once the pirates catch wind to where I am.

Even with the two vertabucks in the air, and a hotel on fire, the park was still quiet. If I tried to open the shutters the noise alone would reveal my position, and with so much around here was still working, I’d bet a hoof that the alarm was still active.

Activating my telepathy talisman, I hoped to contact Sweet. ‘Sweet are you there! The building is locked off.’ I waited for a moment, but got no response. “Shit!” I spat a little louder then I should.

Looking for another way in, the windows the building had were small, and too high for me to get to. There was a ladder to the roof, but it had long since rusted away and fallen apart. There were no sewer entrances nearby so I’d have to travel out into the park find a way underground.

Across from the Space Adventure building was what looked like the parks shopping mall. The front was bare, scavs having taken anything not bolted down. A bit daring for scavs to come out this far, but not unheard of. If the worse came, it would make a good hiding place until Sweet came out, or Rototom found me.

‘Sweet answer me!’ I attempted to contact her one more time.

Static bounced around my head. ‘Vibe!’ It was Rototom. ‘What’s going on, what happened?’

Looking around, my sister dropped her invisibility on my left. She looked good and well thrashed. Her back left hoof was missing, wires dangling from what was left of the leg, forcing her to hop as she trotted. The specter visor she wore had a fat crack in it, and her cloak was now torn up, and had a few holes in it.

Rototom poked me, balancing on two hooves. “What the fuck happened to you?” I was taken aback by her question for a moment, but remembered that I was covered in my own blood, and had dents and holes in my barding.

I waited for her to put her hoof down before opening my mouth. “Had a two on one fight, I kept putting bullets into them, but they just kept on coming. And you?”

She sighed. “You remember when I’d spin you around as a foal, so fast that you’d lifted off the ground.” I nodded. “Ya, that happened to me, but I was holding onto a minigun, as it was firing.” Rototom trotted hopped over to the Space Adventure building. “The stunt cost me the leg, and ended with me doing a face plant into the kitchen.” She tapped her visor. “These things absorb shock real well, so I should just count myself as lucky that I didn’t break my neck.”

I trotted up to her, and offered her my shoulder to help her balance herself. “So how’d you get away?”

She chuckled. “I set the kitchen on fire. I had gotten a few shots in, my Zeus punching right through the fuckers leg. Eye for an eye. So the pony was limping after me, which gave me time to turn on all the gas in the kitchen. After playing a little cat and mouse, I jumped down the shoot, tossing a grenade behind me. After that, I trotted the rest of the way here.” I gave my sister a hug, I was still pissed at her, and wanted to knock her around myself, but I was glad she was okay.

I looked back at the Space Adventure building. “And now you’re trapped out here with me.”

Rototom’s head scanned the building. Shifting her weight onto me, she lifted a hoof and tapped the metal shutters. “You think this place still has its alarms working?”

“I do.”

She put her hoof back down, taking some of her weight off of me. “Right, lend me some magic, and I’ll get us in.”

“How?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Just do it!” She responded with more authority in her voice.

Sighing, I gathered magic into myself. “You do remember that you drove me out of Orthrus, right?” Minerva clicked as the ambient magical radiation increased around us, a side effect of drawing magic into ourselves when in irradiated areas. It wasn’t anything our bodies couldn’t handle, but it could easily make a bad situation deadly.

“Here, when we get back, I’ll have your record cleared, and get you a nice safe job in Orthrus. Dad has been needing an assistant lately.” That was not going to fix things, and she knew it. I didn’t know what she was thinking at the time, but right now I just wanted to drop her, kick her, and scream my lungs out at her. But I knew that would not fix things either, and I’d only feel worse afterwards.

My entire body felt warm as the magic started to vent off me and shimmer. Rototom was also shimmering, her body now filled with magical energy. “Ready to transfer the magic to you. Oh, and when we're out of, this, we're going to have a long talk.”

Rototom chuckled. “I missed our long talks.” The magic flowed from me to her, feeling a bit like my blood draining, leaving me feeling a little cold.

Suddenly I was engulfed in a bright light, and then darkness. “What just happened?”

“Were inside.” My sister said, and with a click, the light on her pipbuck Athena lighted up the area around us.

I turned on Minerva’s light too, giving us a little more range of sight.

*Pop*

“Fuck!” my sister yelped as the remains of her back left leg smoked.

I trotted over to it, placing a hoof on the mechanical part of her flank. The hatch on the leg opened up with no effort at all, and I could see that the talisman inside had cracked. “Let me guess, your teleportation talisman?”

She nodded.

I threw out the broken talisman, and removed the broken leg. At this point it was just junk that was going to slow her down. “How much did that leg cost?”

“Me, nothing, Orthrus will flip the bill for it. But I may need to pull a few favors for a new one.” I cringed a little, full cybernetic legs cost a ton of bits.

Turning around, I offered my shoulder to Rototom again. “Right. Well let’s go looking for the others. The sooner we're out of here the better, I got a bad feeling about this place.”

Rototom nodded. “Agreed.”

_____________________________________________

The place was spotless, still with the rust and rot from age, but the place was as clean as the two tailed mare was. I think the walls even had a fresh coat of paint on it, covering a large crack. I was half expecting to see a ghoul mopping the floor like the old world had never died, the other half was expecting a robot.

“So strange.” My sister said outloud, sending a chill up my spine.

“Ya.” I responded. “You’d expect this place to be worse off than the metro, like the rest of the surface.”

“E’yep” She shifted her weight, pushing off of me to walk on her own. She was still doing the trot hop, but with less strain than before. “I understand the princess suite. A place like that must have had been reinforced.” She shook her head. “A place like this is not.”

We continued down the hall, and deeper into the building. Looking at a few signs pointing in the direction we were going, it looked like this place held a ride in it. Images of foals sitting in two pony seats with safety warnings were clearly visible. There were a few faded pictures as well, mostly ponies with a foal on the ride. There were three pictures that were still in good condition, and above all the others. Each one had two ministry mares in them.

The first picture had a much excited looking Pinkie Pie, and not as excited, but still having fun. Rainbow Dash. The mares of the Ministry of Moral, and the Ministry of Awesome. Everypony knew about the MoM and how it went from keeping everypony happy, to spying on everypony. Orthrus found feral ghouls of the MoM employees here in the park a hundred years back. On the other hoof, nopony knew much about the Ministry of Awesome. The leading theory was that it was a black ops group, and whatever they were up to, only Luna knew. Orthrus did find an MoA base a hundred years back, but all documents had been destroyed when the war ended.

The second picture had a bored looking Rarity and a sleeping Applejack. The mares of the Ministry of Image, and the Ministry of Wartime Technology. The MI was the propaganda branch, what’s left of the posters they printed out by the thousands were considered collector’s items now. Anypony associated with them had died when the war ended, or simply blended into the crowd, never speaking of their employment. The MWT did survive the end of the war, and their members were absorbed into Orthrus a hundred and twenty years ago. A few ponies still follow the steel ranger tradition, but it’s more out of tradition than anything else.

The third picture had a cowering Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle reading a book. The mares of the Ministry of Peace, and the Ministry of Arcane Science. For the MoP’s credit, they did their best as healers when everypony fled into the metro, and many of them died in the chaos. When Stable-Tec stepped up to help, the MoP were the first join with them, and get things under control. The MAS on the other hoof never saw the aftermath of the war. Their base of operation was a crater, of which the official statement was that their own megaspell went off there when the war ended. It's what probably turned the air bad, or at least that’s the leading theory.

“Done Vibey?” Pulling my eyes away from the pictures, Rototom was sitting at the end of the hall waiting for me.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming,” I snidely remarked, and trotted over to her.

We were at where the line for the ride would start, with a worn out velvet rope blocking our path. Rototom unhooked the rope and let me go first. It was a short walk to the ride, the hall filled with crude drawings of foals in space suit, obviously not postwar.

As we got closer, I could hear the sound of some pony crying, faint at first, but it grew more distinct. We reached where the ride was, and could hear the crying clearly. “Hello, who’s there?” I asked out loud.

Lifting my pipleg to get more light, I saw the distinctive blue mane and pink face of Harp behind the ride. Her eyes were red, and she shaking a little. “Vi…Vibraphone…” She slowly walked out from behind the ride, and trotted over to me. “Th…thank Celestia” Bringing her face into my chest, she cried like a little lost foal.

All I could do was put a hoof around her and pat her head. “It’s okay, we're here now.” We stayed like this for a long moment, waiting for her to calm down.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

She sniffled and pulled herself away from me. “Sorry, and here I call myself an adult, sorry” Harp took a deep breath, calming herself down. “Yes, you see the others went to scout ahead, looking for the lower level Rototom mentioned. When they walked into the ride’s area all the shutters closed, separating me and them.”

Rototom hopped over to where the ride would move to, and it was closed off by a large shutter.

Harp pulled her face back into my chest. “I don’t like being alone in the dark, I just sat down. And I kept hearing things all around me, just moving around.” I could feel her start to shake again, so I stroked her mane to help her calm down. “The others said they were going to look for a way around, but they never came back.”

I didn’t like this, not at all. “See anything Sis?” I shouted.

Rototom sat where she was for a moment, rubbing her chin. After the moment was done she turned her head slowly to me. “I got an idea!” She hopped off the rides tracks, and over to a nearby podium. “Get on the ride you two.”

With no plan of my own, I simply did what my sister told me, taking Harp with me. “What are you going to do?” I asked, hoping she had a good answer. I was doubtful.

“Simple, we’re going to ride the ride.” She smiled, hitting something on the podium. “No, not that, how about this!” The lights turned on, hurting my eyes. “Close but not right.” She hit another thing on the podium and music started to play. “Okay, this it is.” She lifted up a leg, and brought her hoof down in a dramatic fashion.

The shutters rolled up, and the ride began to move. Rototom ran past the podium, and jumped over a safety rail. Seating herself in the ride, we had Harp nestled between us. The princess was still holding onto me tightly, but having the lights on seemed to help her calm down.

“Welcome space cadet, are you ready for adventure?” The voice of a mare came out from behind us. As it turned out, what we were sitting in was fitted with a stereo. Taking a quick look behind me, a door closed us off from where we started.

The ride abruptly stopped and the room we were in lit up with lights everywhere. On our left was what looked like a wonderbolts poster, but there were no pegasi, there were rockets in flight. A single pony holding a space helmet was saluting in front of the rockets. It looked all patriotic. On our right was a large image of a space station, with the letters E.S.F.

“E.S.F. what’s that?” I asked.

“Welcome to the Equestrian Space Federation, Cadet!” The disembodied voice of a mare said, answering my question.

“Oh.” Was the only thing I had to say. Rototom chuckled. I felt a little embarrassed that an over two hundred year old recording had answered my question.

“Now before we get to the adventure, a few rules. First is to stay seated and keep all your hooves in at all times. We don’t want you getting captured by the aliens from Planet Z. How are you to help Andromeda if the nasty aliens capture you. Second, be mindful of your other cadets and keep your space clean. A cleanly cadet is a strong cadet. And last but not least, if you see any stripy aliens about, report them! A cadet’s job is to stay vigilant, and protect the federation from those who wish to see it destroyed!”

The door in front of us opened up, and the ride began to move slowly.

“What was that last part all about?” Harp asked looking confused.

“Propaganda.” Rototom answered plainly. “Prepare for lots of anti-zebra shit from here on out.”

“Oh, I see” Harp said meekly. She lifted a leg, and pushed the boot back with a hoof”, revealing a gray stripe on pink coat. She quickly pulled the boot back up, and took a deep breath.

“Must be difficult.” I said to the younger mare. She just nodded, not saying anything.

Pass the door was a long corridor packed with imagery of ponies going into space, along with what sounded like inspirational music. The first image looked more like a photo than a drawing. The pony was clad in a silver suit, and behind the pony was the flag of equestria, and a big blue ball on a black backdrop. Text under the large imaged stated “Astromare Marigold, first pony on the moon” The rest of the images were more artwork of ponies in space, building a space station and space ships. Most of them had faded due to age, so it was not all that impressive.

“You know Harp.” Rototom spoke up. “Me and Vibey here have Zebra heritage.” Harp perked up a little, looking at my sister. “If I remember right, they were farmers in equestria. Before the war started zebras were uncommon, but they were around.”

“How did they end up on Marewaii?” Harp asked, looking more interested.

Rototom chuckled. “Love!”

“Love?” the princess responded.

“E’yep.” Rototom answered. “How the family story goes, our great-great-great-great grandfather fell in love with a member of the royal guard. And she fell in love with him.”

Now she really had Harps attention. I’d heard the story before, so I concentrated on the ride.

The room we entered was made to look like we were in space, and it was done very well. To our right was a mannequin of a pony mare in a fancy space suit. I made an educated guess that it was Captain Andromeda.

“Good day to you cadets, I’m Captain Andromeda, and I’ve been looking for brave ponies to aid me on an adventure.” The elegant sound of a mare came from the direction of the mannequin, confirming my guess. “We’re heading to the research station Love and Tolerance off in sector ten. I heard that there’s going to be a star shower there, something I’d love to see!” Music began to play, but it was off tune, and soon fizzled out. "To tell you the truth, I've gotten reports of suspicious activity out there, and I mean to investigate it. Sector ten happens to be at the edge of federation space, so we have to be careful out there."

The lights went out and the ride began to shake as the sound of rockets filled the room. The ride began to ascend a slope, to our left the image of a rocket appeared moving alongside us, inside was Andromeda waving. All around us were the images of stars, making it look like we were traveling through the night sky.

My sister and Harp had taken a look at the scenery, but quickly returned to Rototom telling our family’s history. “Our family was the first to have cybernetics too. Underbrush, our great, great, great, grandmother, from before the war ended, had lost both of her back legs, so the tec’s back then just made her new ones. The legs are actually in the Orthrus museum if you ever want to take a look.” Harp nodded her head excitedly.

We reached the top of the incline, and my jaw dropped. Before all the stars just looked like little light tricks, nothing all that new. Here it looked like we were in a sea of stars that reached out forever. All around us were stars, I even looked over the side to see that even the floor looked like it was gone. If I didn’t know better I’d think we had just entered a vast void.

“Seems bigger on the inside right.” Rototom spoke up, catching my attention. “I’ve seen this before, it’s a mirror trick and some magic. The blue box in the orphic kingdom is better known, it’s still just a box, but inside it looks like you’re in a big room. There was a haunted house that did something like this on Nightmare Night, it freaked the fuck out of me when I walked into what looked like an endless desert.”

“If it’s mirrors, then shouldn’t we see our reflection?” Harp asked.

Rototom nodded. “That’s where the magic comes in. The mirrors are enchanted to hide the viewer’s reflection and anything that break the illusion. From what I’m told it’s a bit tricky to do, and bigger the room, the harder it is to keep the illusion working right.”

The ride slowly moved forward, giving me a feeling of drifting. It was strange, I knew it was all a trick, but my mind was still doing flips trying to grasp what I was seeing. My eyes started to dart back and forth, my breath was shallow and fast, and my jaw was clamping tight.

I was having a fucking panic attack.

I needed to find something to anchor my eyes on, a tear in the illusion, that would calm me down. I didn’t find anything, and only managed to make things worse, as now the stars looked like they were moving around. I held onto the side of the ride with my metal fetlocks, trying not to fall out as the ride tumbled through the void. My eyes could not focus on anything as the stars raised about around me. If I let go, I was gone, to forever be helpless in this void.

“Vibey!” Rototom’s voice whispered in my ear, and I could feel a hoof on my back. “It’s ok Vibey, just breathe, you need to breathe.”

Breathe? I opened my mouth and gasped for air. Clamping my mouth shut again, my body trembled as I forcefully sucked the air in through my teeth.

“That’s good Vibey, now close your eyes, think back to home.” My sisters hoof was rubbing my back gently. It helped calm me down enough to listen to her some more.

I closed my eyes, and thought back to home, to my bed, to… mom.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

“Now Viber just sit still, if you keep wiggling you’re going to fall over and hurt yourself” Mama had propped me up on the toilet, next to the bathtub, so she could undress before stepping into the water. She also undid the bun she had her mane in, letting her mess of a mane poof out.

I always found it funny how her mane would do that, and when I could I’d get Rototoms hair to do the same. My favorite thing was to put a bit on Rototom, and see how far her mane would throw it.

“Mama, why can’t we get a shower, Pianos family’s got one.” Baths always took so much time, and mama and papa always had to take off my legs and help me bathing. I didn’t like not being able to move around, and baths were no fun when you can’t play in them. “You know, the really cool shower. You don’t even need to take your legs off to use it.”

Mama sighed. “They’re expensive Viber, and we don’t have the bits for something like that.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s a lot of things that need to be done before one of those showers can be installed.”

“Why?”

Mama rolled her eyes, and turned to the door. “Dear, can you tell out inquisitive daughter why we can’t have a mister helper shower?”

Papa’s voice shouted back to us. “Well we can have one, but we would need to sell her to afford one.”

Turning around, mama had a smile on her face. “There you go.”

I stuck my tongue out at her, they always did this to me, teasing me whenever I had a good idea.

“Where’s the shampoo?” Mama asked nopony in particular. “it's ahh… oh who put it up there?” The shampoo was on top of the drug cabinet. Standing on her back legs, she reached out and picked the shampoo up in her hooves.

*Snap*

Mama suddenly fell to her side, hitting the lightswitch on her way down, turning the bathroom dark.

“MAMA!” I yelled. Without my legs on, I could do nothing but squirm. If I could get on my belly, than I could inch my way to mama, and see if she was okay. I tried to push myself forward, but only found myself falling back against the toilet.

I then began to slip, I could barely see where I was slipping to, but I didn’t need to. “MAMA!” my body fell to the side and I slipped into the bath.

I thrashed the best I could, but only managed a wiggle. Each attempt to get my head above the water failed. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t call out for mama. It hurt, I held my breath, but it hurt. It hurt so much I coughed, and bubbles came out of my mouth. More bubbles came out, and I couldn’t hold my breath anymore.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

My eyes shot open, and I was still tumbling in the void. I knew it was all fake, but I couldn’t get a hold of myself. Pushing myself up, my back hit my sister, and I heard a ‘eep’ from Harp.

“Vibey calm down.” My sister cooed.

I couldn’t stay here any longer, and the ride was moving too slow. It was tumbling in the void. No it was just moving slowly through this illusion. “I’m getting off.” I huffed. “I’ll look for the others on hoof.”

I jumped off the ride, and fell. “ouf!” I puffed as I hit the ground. The ride was actually suspended above the ground by a good four hooves. From my position I could see the room for what it really was, mirrors and bits of lights. It still had that extending off for eternity feel, but now I could see the floor and ceiling, which were more mirrors, but I could see myself in them. My eyes were red from crying.

“Vibey! Are you okay?” My sister asked as she climbed down from the ride. She helped Harp get down as well, the dainty princess landing into my sister’s hooves before being let down onto the ground. It reminded me of the old breeze tale I read as a foal, except the missing leg forced my sister to sit as she caught the princess. It made me chuckle a little.

“Ya, just give me a minute.” I said, still shaking a little. “I’ll be fine.”

“Lady Echo, what happened to you?” Harp asked softly.

My sister raised a hoof. “It’s related to something that happened a long time ago, let’s leave it at that.” Turning her pipbuck lamp back on, Rototom cleared her throat. “So, let’s look for them on hoof, I’ll lead the wa…” Rototom froze for a moment, and then aimed her rifle at me. ‘Vibey, get ready to move.’

Her voice bounced around in my head, echoing. ‘Where to.’ I thought back.

‘Your left… no my left, you're right.’

I nodded.

‘Now!’

I rolled to my right, and Rototom fired her Zeus, making a zap noise. It was followed by a high pitched cry that hurt my ears.

Turning on my pipbuck lamp, I looked over at what had made the sound. It looked like a pony, but only that, other than its shape, it was anything but a pony. A shell covered everything but its face, of which was pony shaped, but when it opened its mouth to cry again, it revealed no teeth inside, just more of that red glow. The things eyes, and its joints glowed red, much like a Sparkle Cola Rad. Blue blood leaked from its back leg, the shot from the Zeus had only grazed it, but had shattered the shell covering its leg. It was also wearing a red jumpsuit the theme parks logo on it. The jumpsuit had a name on it, ‘Turnip Soup’

“Hold it down.” My sister commanded, as she hopped over to it. I did as she said, and put Turnip into a hold. Whatever it was, it was strong, almost breaking my hold. My sister quickly pulled some bindings from her bag, and let her pipbuck wrap them around Turnip’s legs. When it was good and tied up, Rototom gave it a healing potion. The cracks along its leg healed until the only evidence that it was hurt was the blue blood that had leaked out.

“So… What the fuck is that?” I asked my sister.

She looked at me, the green glow of her visor giving her an unpony-like feeling. “Like i fucking know.” She motioned for me to let it go, and sat down in front of it. “Let’s find out. Hmmm, I doubt Turnip is its real name, but oh well.”

Letting go of the thing, Turnip started to squirm for a bit, eventually giving up, and looking at my sister. “Go, let, let, go.” It spoke in a garbled wet voice.

My sister looked up at me, and back down to Turnip. “Well we know it can talk, that should make it easier. Turnip, or whatever your name is, were looking for four ponies, one like me, and three with wings. Have you seen them?”

Turnip remained silent for a few seconds, blinked once, and opened its mouth. “Let go.”

Rototom sighed. “If you answer a few questions, then I might consider it.”

“Con-sider?” Turnip said and it tilted its head.

“Right, easier, but not easy at all.” Rototom took a deep breath. “Let go if questions answered, yes.”

“No, no, not seen. Heard new, yes. Queen knows, Queen sent other, get new” Turnip answered.

It answered our question, but gave us a new problem. Rototom undid one of the bindings on Turnip’s leg. “Take us to them.” She paused for a moment, scratching her chin. “Take us to your leader.”

Turnip looked around, down to its still bound legs, and back up to Rototom. Nodded. “Yes, can do. Queen deals with new. Will take. See queen.” Freeing the other legs, Rototom hopped back, keeping her gun aimed at Turnip. The shelled pony like thing got up onto all fours, standing around the same height as Harp, but shorter then me and my sister. Headed to the ramp we had come up from. “Come, follow. Queen is down lower.”

Following Turnip, I checked the E.F.S. Nothing. Other than my sister, and Harp, no others appeared on the E.F.S. Whatever Turnip was, it didn’t appear on my E.F.S. ‘Sis, is Turnip on your E.F.S?’ I asked, hoping Minerva just had a glitch.

‘No.’ My sister answered. ‘But now that I think about it, I might know what it is.’ I gave her a look, raising an eyebrow. Rototom continued. ‘Its blood was blue right, just like a lurker. I’ve only heard stories, but if DJ Cerberus is to be believed, there were some pony shaped lurkers living in the Sparkle-cola plant years ago.’

‘Strange’ I responded. ‘Let’s go with that, and hope this queen is not just some hungry brood mother.’

We reached the room we were in before, but without the lights on Captain Andromeda felt a lot creepier. In the faint light she looked more like a shadow that stood upright, unnatural and eerier. Turnip opened a hidden door that was disguised as prop door. Weirdly clever.

“So, Mister, or Miss Turnip was it?” Harp asked the lurker. “What do you do here? You do look like a engineer.”

Turnip made a few clicking sounds. “I Fix, I clean, I gather.”

Harp suddenly trotted a little faster, getting closer to the lurker. “So it’s your kind that’s been maintaining the park. This is so fascinating! Tell me, why did you pick the park, was it your queen's orders?” The princess seemed a bit too excited, which even seemed to surprise Turnip

“Queen Yes, queen decided to move, felt that stripy ponies would come, hurt the eggs. Here farther away, here queen is happy.” A few more clicks came from Turnip. “Queen says this is queendom, says we must make it strong.”

“Oh I’d love to meet this queen, she sounds fascinating.” Harps tail swished a little, reminding me a bit of a dog. “You know I’m a princess myself, my mother’s the queen of my people.”

The lurker stopped in its tracks. “Princess!” Turnip scooted a step away from Harp. “Yes, talk to queen.” Turnip started trotting faster than before. Harp looked back at us with a confused look on her face.

_____________________________________________

We soon found ourselves going down a stairwell. Unlike the rest of the old-world stairs, this looked in to be in excellent condition, like it had only been built in the last few years. I also noted that walls were decorated with seashells, nothing fancy, just every now and then it had a bunch of them glued to the wall.

At the bottom, Turnip opened a blast door. If this place was connected to the metro, it would not be a surprise to see such heavy duty doors down here. Two things struck me when the door opened, first was that the humidity was like a wall, and second, the sounds of life were unmissable. It sounded a bit like a busy substation, though with more clicking than pony chatter.

Stepping inside I saw the familiar sight of a wooden and glass door. ‘Solaris Inc. PR Office.’ The door cracked open, and a glowing red eye looked at us. Turnip stepped up to the door, clicking a few times. “Here to see queen. Let in. Kindly.” The door opened up, and the lurker waved us in.

Passing the door was like entering into another world. Lights illuminating the painted walls, which were in different bright colors, and decorated with shells. There was little order to the decoration, and color, everything looking more like somepony was using a color until the paint ran out, and moved onto the next.

The Lurker that let us in was a little taller than Turnip. It's purple carapace was splashed with green paint, and it had an old torn up yellow sun dress on. It clicked a few times, and closed the door behind us. She seemed a little scared with how she was avoiding eye contact with us.

Further in, the PR office had been turned into a recycling center. Lurkers walked about sorting through, and separating junk. Each thing was being broken down to its base parts, and placed into old metal crates. To a scrapper this would be a grand treasure hoard.

Every now and then one of the workers would look up at us, and immediately back down, continuing their work. Most of them had the same red jumpsuits as Turnip, all in different states of decay. Some of them had paint splashed on them, like with the one at the door, others were decorated in seashells.

Some doors were shut, and had a guard in front of it. Nothing about them was too different from the other lurkers, except it had what looked like a space suit on, and some nasty looking hoof claws. There was another guard armed with a riot shotgun, the gun looking old, but still in relatively good condition.

We walked to the end of the hall, to a set of closed doors. Above the doors were the words ‘Recording Studio’. Blocking our path were two very intimidating lurker guards. They both had the space suits on, but they were reinforced with scrap metal and pony bones. One of them had a flamer attached to its side, and the other had a gatling gun.

Harp had moved back between me and my sister.

Turnip stopped at the two guards. “See queen, pony princess asks, let in, kindly.”

The guards looked at each other, and back down at Turnip, clicking at him. “No go. Queen busy. Playing with food. Not now, Later.”

Turnip turned around and walked up to us. “No see, kindly wait.”

Looking at my E.F.S. I could see four blue bars pass the two guards. Looking at Rototom, she gave me a knowing nod, and turned her attention to Turnip.

My sister pointed at the door. “No, we must go in. Our friends are there, and we must see them.”

The lurker looked back at the door, and back at us. “No, we wait. Queen play with food first.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, and from the looks of it neither did Rototom. Clearing her voice, Rototom took a deep breath. “MY FRIENDS ARE NOT FOOD! LET US IN NOW!” I held my ears shut, with them still being a little sensitive from the fight before.

Turnip cowered back, and all the guards got ready for a fight. If we started a firefight here, we were not going to win it. I was still shaking from my panic attack, Rototom was missing a leg, and Harp was the farthest thing from a fighter. Add that the two door guards had just the right weapons to destroy the hallway before we could even find cover.

The guard with the flamer stepped forward. “Queen does what queen wants. You wait. Queen might not be hungry when sees you. Queen might be. You wait, you find out.”

It was a standoff, Rototom had her guns aimed at the guards blocking the Recording Studio, and I had mine aimed on the guards we had passed. Turnip laid flat on the ground, his hooves over his head. Every little twitch was met by another. Sweat fell from my brow, and my slight shaking threaten to have me accidentally shoot first. I was scared that I was about to kill us all.

“ENOUGH!” Harps voice resonated with authority, but lacked the aggression that Rototom had. “We are here to have a civilized discussion, not to devolve into senseless violence.” She stepped up to Turnip, and pointed at him. “You get up, as our guide show some self-respect. You are in the presence of royalty.” She stomped her hoof, and Turnip sat up straight. Turning her attention to the two guards, she pointed at them with her hoof. “You two, open these doors, and let us through.”

“No.” said the gatling gun guard.

“You no command us.” Spoke the Flamer guard.

Harp tilted her head. “I may not be of your royalty, but you will stand aside, and we will see your queen. Do you want to know why that is?”

“Do not care.” The flamer guard retorted.

“Not at all.” The gatling gun guard added.

Harp chuckled. “As a princess of the Orphic Kingdom, I have more authority than you. When I do see your queen, I’ll let her know of this insult, and she will see that it never happens again.” Harp lifted up a hoof, and looked at it with a smug smile on her face. “I’ve heard that severed heads on a silver platter are popular this year. A shame that two dedicated guards like yourselves would have to be made an example of for others. Such a shame.”

Everything went quiet, and nobody moved. Harp herself locked frozen in her pose, her tail tucked between her legs, but still holding firm.

“Fine. Go.” Spoke the flamer guard, stepping out of the way. The gatling gun guard also stepped out of the way, but didn’t say anything.

Turnip quickly trotted to the doors, and opened it for us. Stepping over to it, Harp nearly fell over when I patted her on the back. She looked at me, her eyes watering, and ready to cry. Rototom hopped in behind us, grumbling about stupid thick headed lurkers.

The inside of the Recording Studio was far different than the rest of the office. The lights were much dimmer, and bottles of sparkle-cola Rad decorated the walls. In the center was a long table, sitting at the table closer to us, was or friends. Light and Wild were on one side, and Merit and Sweet on the other. At the far end was a very tall Lurker, with a glowing red fin coming from her head and down one side like a pony mane. She had a golden crown on her head, decorated with shells, and on her right leg was a pipbuck. To either side of her were a two lurkers that looked like smaller versions of her. One had a headdress made of shells that flowed down to her shoulders, and the other had a tiara made of glass.

The tall lurker spoke “So there were more of your kind here. My hunters will need to be reprimanded for this oversight.” There was no denying it, she had to be this Queen. “Now sit, and I do hope you have some more stories for me to hear. Good for building up an appetite.”

Looking around some more, there were more guards inside, a good six to each side. Doing what the queen asked, I took my seat next to Merit, and my sister took the seat next to me. Harp Sat next to Light, switching places with Wild. Turnip, turned around and trotted to the door.

“You sit as well worker.” The Queen’s voice boomed unnervingly. Turnip, quickly turned back around, running over to taking a seat near Wild. One of the smaller lurkers with the head dress, a lurker princess maybe, had leaned in as she looked at Turnip, only to sit back into her seat when the queen’s head moved to scan us all. “Now that you're done making a racket, continue with the story.” Her eyes were looking right at Merit.

We looked at each other, but Merit suddenly broke eye contact, and avoided my gaze. I looked over at the two other pegasi, Light was distracted by Harp, but Wild was looking down at the table, looking a bit upset.

Merit spoke up, sounding less then sure with himself “The bombing run... it was a success.”

_____________________________________________

Quest Progression -

My Kingdom for a Pony – 75%
Who Dares, Win – 75%

Quest Completed.

Are you having fun yet?

Quest perk gained.

-Pinkie sense- Your frightful trip through Tomorrow Park has left you more aware of the world around you, for better or worse. +1 to perception, and sometimes your tail will twitch when something falls.

Chapter 7 - Pound of Flesh

All of the anti-air defenses in and around Oatland had been taken out, and command had ordered for all available strike forces to land and sweep for threats. Operation Cauterize was to be carried out as clean and quickly as possible. Unlike other enclave companies we didn’t have raptors to hold down the sky, but the commander was clever, and planned a one-two punch with bombers and vertabucks.

The vertabuck dropped low, nearly hitting the road as it flew between two semi intact buildings. “We’re heading to the target. No sign of ground threats on the road. Good job bombing team.” Captain Chuckles reported. Patting me on the shoulder I got up and took my position at the gunner’s seat, the captain taking the copilot seat. “Shoot anything that moves hoof shiner, we don’t need a rocket up our flank.”

“YES MA’AM!” I shouted, taking the mounted energy gatling gun in my hooves. Turning the thing on, it started vibrating and making a whining sound. I don’t know how the captain got approval to do it, but she had modified the thing into a beast.

The vertabuck shook as a payload of rockets flew off to our target, followed by two blasts of its energy cannon. Wub Wub was trying to take out the targets before I could get a chance, the greedy mare.

“On my mark.” The captain spoke, as the vertabuck lurched to its side, and quickly dropped in speed. The back door slowly opened, and I could see the targeted building come into view. Whatever it was, it wasn’t much of anything now. I aimed the gatling gun down center, waiting for the door to finish opening. “Hold” Eyeshadow and Lover pony took their positions next to me, magical energy rifles at the ready. In the rubble I could see moment, insurgents running between cover, taking position. One popped their head out, and aimed a rusty looking rifle at us. “FIRE” the captain shouted.

If I didn’t have my helmet on, the light from the gatling gun would have blinded me. It spewed a torrent of energy bolts that rained down onto the targets. The insurgents returned fired, but I didn’t even need to worry about aiming, I just pushed the barrel at them and the pony was dust in the wind. Lover Pony suppressed a few of them, calling them out for me to dust, and Eyeshadow picked off some snipers before they could take me out.

After what felt like a minute of nonstop fire, the target building had more scorch marks than ever, and the air was full of dust. “Let’s move out, Wub Wub, cover us from the sky.” Chuckles orders, as she jumped out of the vertabuck. Eyeshadow, Lover Pony and I followed.

As a team we landed right where we had been firing, scanning for any insurgents still hiding. The dust in the air was thick, making me glad that I had my air filter on, and a little sorry for the insurgents. Breathing in your own friend has got to suck.

Three shots slammed into my armor, not hitting anything vital. Looking over to my side was a earth pony mare in combat armor, welding a low caliber SMG in her mouth. She fired at me again, and I dodge, blasting at her with my rifle. Two shots were all it took, and she vaporized into dust. “Got one,” I shouted.

The zap sound of a magical energy rifle went off. “Got one too” shouted Eyeshadow.

Another zap went off. “Got one three” Lover pony spoke, sounding smug.

“That was so terrible you might get executed for that pun.” I retorted, trying to not snicker.

“Can it all of you.” The captain spoke sternly. An explosion of plasma followed, and we all looked in it’s direction. "Move in, and clear the place out.” She ordered.

The fighting wasn’t too heavy inside, A few big guns, many small, and even one energy weapon. Their main defensive force must have been taken out at the start of the assault. I worked side by side with the captain, as the other two brought up our flank, taking out any stragglers. Not that Chuckles left any.

The captain didn’t bother with fighting with her plasma pistol half the time, choosing to just throw a plasma grenade into the defended rooms if it looked too heavily defended. Her favorite trick was to cook the grenade so that when a unicorn attempted to throw it back, it just blew up in the air, doing more damage than if it was on the ground. She even had some on a remote trigger, so when it was thrown back at us, she'd just picked it up and kicked it back in, triggering it when it landed. Like a deadly game of hot potato.

We made our way to the insurgents command center, their leader waiting for us with heavy machine gun mounted on his desk. I didn’t know what looked more like an old piece of junk, the gun, or the old stallion using it. Blasting it at us, Chuckles and I dove out of the way, and returned fire. The old pony didn’t stand a chance.

“Command, this is team charlie. We’ve captured the insurgent’s command center. Now sweeping the area for leftovers, will contact when done.” The captain reported on her radio. Sweeping off the dust at the insurgent’s commander's desk, Chuckles began looking over documents that were there. “Hoof Shiner, go sweep the area.”

I saluted. “YES MA’AM!” and began sweeping the area.

The sounds of the battle echoed in the distance. Explosions, energy blasts, and the crack of surface weapons where a constant. It all felt surreal, all my training bringing me to this battle. Retake the surface and begin life anew.

The insurgents command center felt more like an abandoned home that a bunch of squatters lived in. Well worse than that, at least in the clouds there wasn’t so much trash everywhere. I found where all their weapons would have been kept, only a stray magazine of ammo left behind as evidence. Food rations were left on a table, all two hundred years old, and probably irradiated. Most of the surface ponies were probably mutated beyond salvation from consuming such tainted food.

Eyeshadow and Lover Pony joined us shortly after, reporting that the rest of the building was clear. I had nearly finished my sweep, finding next to nothing, and having only one more place to check. I found it during my sweep, a hidden door on the floor under an old rotten rug, with a few boxes placed on top.

Opening the door, a terrible smell of rot hit my nose from the darkness. Turning on my head lamp, I peered in, seeing nothing at first. The sound of something scraping on the floor below caught my ear, and I slowly leaned in to get a better look as I turned my head to see what it was.

Small little hooves came into sight, it was a unicorn colt. Next to him was a mare wrapped up in bandaging, and there was a stallion who was so thin I could see his ribs. Scanning the walls of the room, it was lined with foals, the injured, and the sick. All of them gauging the walls, staring at me with wide open eyes, and trembling in fear.

“See anything?” Captain Chuckles asked.

Pulling my head out I nodded to her, the captain now next to me. “Civilians ma’am, Foals, sick and injured.”

“I see.” Chuckles responded. “Good job.” With a movement as leisurely as a hoof bump, the captain tossed a plasma grenade into the hidden room, and shut the door. A sharp explosion came with a flash of green through the crack of the hidden door. “Objective complete, Regroup at the vertabuck.”

I stood there looking at the door, trying to process what had happened. “Ma’am, there were civilians down there.”

“Yes, and our orders were to clear the place out. Now move it soldier!” She spread her wings, and hopped out a nearby window, flying to our vertabuck.

Taking my eyes away from the hidden door, I straightened up and saluted. “YES MA’AM.” And followed her.

We all reconvened on the vertabuck, a few scuffs on the armor, and no injuries to send a letter home about. “We got new orders!” Wub Wub reported. “Heavy resistance at the old hospital, we’re the reinforcement.”

“Take us there!” The captain ordered.

With a dip in altitude, and a boost in speed, we were off. Taking a good look at the city below me, it was on fire. If the city was a near complete ruin, we had finished the job this day.

“Shit!” Cried out Wub Wub as she banked the vertabuck to the side sharply. “Who throws a sky wagon?” Before anyone could ask about what she just said, the right propeller blew up. “AW FUCK, ABANDON SHIP!” She screamed, jumping out of her seat.

We all jumped from the vertabuck as it fell from the sky, our wings catching the air. “What in Tartarus just happened Wub?” The captain sounding furious and confused.

Wub Wub pulled out her energy rifle, putting it at the ready. “Like I said, somepony threw a fucking sky cart at us!”

The captain crossed her hooves, her helmet staring at Wub Wub. “Who throws a skywagon.” A pop and a flash of purple suddenly came from behind the captain. Behind her a purple pony had appeared, twice the height of a normal pony, with gigantic wings, and a horn that looked like it could go right through a pony. It was a fucking Alicorn. Around her neck was a thick chain, and held in her magic was pole made of three pieces of rebar twisted together. “Oh…” Was the only thing the captain could say, right before the Alicorn brought the pole down onto her helmet.

We all hovered there in shock as the captain fell. Her body had gone limp, and just tumbled to the ground. Looking back up to the alicorn, we all drew our rifles, and fired. The Alicorn just glared at us, not making a move as the beams of energy bounced off a shield she had up

‘Murderers.’ She spoke to us, her lips not moving as hate filled eyes passed over each of us. ‘All of you.’ The Alicorn flared her wings and charged at me, the rebar pole winding back for another swing. With our shots having no effect, all I could do was dodge.

With each swing she would clip me, me never fast enough to fully avoid each attack. I attempt to flee, but she just teleported in front of me, and the dance would begin again. The others held their fire, more at risk of hitting me then stopping this monster. With no other direction to go, I kicked off the air, and dropped down to the ground. If I could get a wall between myself and the monster, I could have enough time to think of a way to kill it. Not skipping a beat, the alicorn teleported onto the ground with her pole at the ready. This time she didn’t miss.

Taking the hit and rolling with it, I managed to lessen the damage to the armor, but as I slid on the ground like a ragdoll, my air filter got ripped off. The smoke, I could taste it in the air, so thick and vile. Getting up, my vision was fractured, in the tumble my visor had also been damaged. Needing to see properly, I threw off my helmet, and saw the alicorn slowly walking to me.

‘We have seen your crimes, and judged you guilty.’ She swung the pole, smashing a piece of a brick wall like it was nothing. ‘Your sentence is death, and I will be your executioner.’ She teleported from where she stood to stand right over me. ‘Die’

I had no time to think, or make a plan, so I just moved. Jumping between her legs, this time she missed me completely, the pavement cracking under her heavy strike. Using the terrain to my advantage, I turned corners, and flew through ruined buildings. She was fast, and could teleport, but she was also too big to follow everywhere I went. It had become a game of cat and mouse, with my comrades as the only warning to where she would be waiting for me. They helplessly firing down at the alicorn, doing nothing but annoying her.

As I darted through the ruins, choking on smog and dust, I finally found what I was looking for. Captain Chuckles body laid out on some rubble, blood pooled beneath her, and her helmet caved in. I could only be thankful that her death was quick and painless. I quickly grabbed one of her remote triggered grenades, and the remote for it. I had one shot at this.

On que, the alicorn appeared above me, and used her falling momentum to bring her pole down at me with even more force. By a hairs breath I dodged, the pole coming down onto the captain's body, breaking her in half, and sending blood everywhere.

Whipping her pole to the side, sending the blood on it off onto the ground as a splattered line. ‘Fitting. You can die with your kind. After we dispose of you, we shall drag each of your own here and crush them under hoof. We are pleased by this.’ I would not be lying if I ever say that this bitch scared the shit out of me.

“EAT THIS” I armed the plasma grenade and threw it at her, it harmlessly bounced off her shield and fell to the ground in front of her. She looked at it for a few long seconds before looking back up to me, a fat smile on her face.

‘Accept your fate and despair.’ Her voice mockingly echoed in my head.

She stepped towards me slowly, her pole high above her head. I watched as the grenade passed under her shield, and smiled myself. “Accept yours and die!” I hit the switch. The inside of the alicorn’s shield filled with green flames and burst. There was nothing left where she stood but green goo.

My comrades flew down to me, stopping in horror at the sight of what became of our captain. We all stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, the battle could wait, for now we mourned the loss of a friend.

The moment ended when Wub Wub trotted up to me and saluted. “As the next link in the chain of command, what are our orders s.. sir.” I couldn’t see her face through the helmet, but I knew she was crying. I looked around us, smelt the air, and heard the sounds of battle.

“We are to provide backup at the hospital, correct.” Wub Wub nodded. I picked up the captains ID tag from her armor, and placed it in a storage pocket in mine. “Then what are we standing here for, MOVE OUT!” Jumping to the sky, we still had a duty to do, and comrades that needed backup. The Enclave did not train us to be cowards.

______________________________________

The look on Merits face was a mix of pride, and shame. It was the same for Wild, the two veterans reminding me of an old hunter who had outlived his friends and now retold their story to the next generation. Light on the other hoof has a confused look on her face, ranging from disgust to worry. It had the feeling of a pony from the Orphic Kingdom hearing a hunter’s story for the first time. The room itself felt tense as the story was told, with the Lurker Queen looking enthralled by it all.

The story itself had me filled with mixed emotions. In Orthrus we were trained to be ready for violence. If hostilities broke out between the Orphic Kingdom and the Republic, we were expected to either quell the violence, or protect the fleeing refugees. We also had to be ready if violence was directed at us, and ready to defend ourselves. But the sheer disregard for the lives of civilians churned my stomach. It was something expected of bandits, not of an established military. Well, as far as I knew.

‘Sounds like the world outside our islands is no better off.’ My sister thought to me, her voice crystal clear now, no echo, or fussy interference.

‘At least they can go around the surface without a rebreather.’ Sweet chimed in, also without interference.

‘Which is why we need to get them to civilization.’ I added.

The three of us nodded, Merit being left out simply raised an eyebrow. “So what are you three talking about?” He whispered as he leaned close to me. “Also it’s good to see that you’re ok.”

I couldn’t help it, I leaned closer to him, our heads nearly touching. It was a common joke that a mare always trotted after a pony who was like their father, but I never liked that prim and proper look. It was all about that ‘I can take care of myself’ look for me. “Same here. And it was about getting you three back to civilization alive. That’s all.”

He nodded, and we both returned to our seats. Light had leaned into Harp, and was taken off guard when Harp hugged her head and cuddled it. The princess had it bad for the enclave captain.

“Are you all done?” The Lurker Queen spoke up. Her tone demanded our attention, mixing fear with aww. She was as tall as Celestia, but had no horn or wings, just thick carapace that looked like it could stop small arms fire. It was like looking at a monster from an old horror movie, but as frightening as the book the movie was based on. “Good, now that your story is finished… is it?”

Merit nodded. “Yes ma’am.” The Lurker queen tilted her head ever so slightly, looking like she was raising an eyebrow without having eyebrows. “Yes my queen.” Merit spoke out quickly.

“Good, good. But what to do with the new ones here. And I had my heart set on one of you so dearly.” Her eyes seemed to look over at Light, the pegasus seemingly shrinking back into her chair. “But no matter, three more ponies, three more choices.”

“You mean three more ponies to eat, right?” Rototom spoke up.

The queen smiled and nodded. “Yes you are correct. A price to pay for trespassing on my territory.” She looked us over, her red glowing eyes unnerved me, making it hard to sit firm. Harp seemed to cower the most, almost disappearing behind the table. “But first introduction are to be made. Though I hate to repeat myself, Standards of education demand that I make myself known to my guests.” A Lurker came from behind the queen, holding a kazoo in its mouth, blowing into it much like a trumpet. “I am Queen Andromeda, first queen of the Lurkers, and ruler of Future land.” She lifted a hoof on her left, and motioned to the smaller lurker with the glass crown. “This is my eldest Berenices, she ensures that any trouble that befalls our queendom is swiftly dealt with.” Berenices tilted her head up, practically sticking her nose at us. Andromeda lowered her right hoof, and raised her left hoof, motioning to the lurker with the seashell vale. “This is my youngest Mayall, who leads our reconstruction of our home.” Mayall waved at us, though it was more at turnip then the rest of us. “Now who are you three?”

‘Be careful you two, the bitch is looking to eat one of us as an example.’ Sweet warned over telepathy. ‘Make yourself seem important, but not annoying to her. Or you end up in the hot seat like Light is.’

My sister was the first to speak up. “I’m Rototom Echo, Specter of Orthrus. My job is to covertly maintain the peace of the metro. Keeping to the shadows, and making deals on behalf of my ponies.” The queen nodded slightly, and shifted her eyes over to me.

“Vibraphone Echo, mercenary and bodyguard. I was hired to find and bring the princess back to civilization.” The queen slowly sat up straight in her seat, and smiled.

“A Princess?” She looked over to Harp. “Would that be you?”

Harp nodded softly. “Ye… Yes.” She stuttered. “My name is Harp Melody. Youngest of Queen Goldbrand Katana. And only Mirage Pony among the royal court.” The lurker queen nodded at Harp, a hoof to her chin.

“Tell me about this court of yours?” The Queen inquired, looking quite interested.

Looking to all of us, I gave her a nod. “Yes. Well the court is made up of three official groups. There is the crown’s council, which is made up of my mother, her advisor, and her successor. She is the highest authority, but is only the last to speak in any ruling. Then there is the counsel of defiance, their job is to shore up our border, and root out any threat. Our military is under their jurisdiction, and is made up of out five best generals. Last is the pony’s council, whose job involves taxes and public service. They balance our budget, and insure that our country does not collapse from the inside.”

I learned about the Orphic Kingdom’s political system in school. It was straightforward and efficient, but with the deep dweller population shrinking every generation, now a days it served itself more than its growing mirage pony population. A few scholars in the Republic predict that the royal council will collapse in on itself in another generation or two.

The Lurker Queen motioned to her daughters with her head, smiling. “Oh such things to learn. So similar, yet so different. It’s so sad we must still eat, our law is clear, and one of you must come forth.” She eyed Light, and she shrunk back into her seat again.

Harp saw this, and stepped onto the table. “No!” She looked at the queen, even standing on all fours on the table, she only came up to eye level to the queen as she sat. “There must be a way to negotiate the peacefully?”

The Queen eyed Harp, her carapace face preventing any emotion from showing. “Agreed, but our laws must be obeyed all the same. The Statute of Alpha III may protect those that are ignorant of our laws, but alas we are not a federation, but a nest. As Queen of this nest, I have a duty to provide for it. We have food, but not never nearly enough, allowing but one of you to feed my people is a generosity. My people would benefit more from all of you becoming food for our young and old. How would you negotiate that?” The queen’s head rose a bit, giving her a confident stare as she looked down at Harp. “Is it not the sacrifice for the many not a noble act, truly worthy of praise.”

“I…I.” Harp took a step back, looking unsure of herself. Taking a deep breath, and raising a hoof up as she exhaled. She took a step forward. “It is a noble act, I agree. But is it not a short-sighted judgment, to simply die to become food, when one can work to feed others over ten times one’s own weight?” The lurker queen rotated her hoof in a way that asked for the princess to explain. “You’re in a unique opportunity where you can earn your nest far more than one pony, far more than seven. I saw your workshop on my way here, seen your queendom. The resources you have at hoof, you can use them to trade, bring in more food for your people then the sacrifice of one pony could ever do.”

“And what pony would trade with us.” The queen retorted.

The princess opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stood there for a long moment, trying to find the words. “Somepony would.” Whimpered out.

Andromeda let out a bellowing laugh, somehow hurting my ears. “There is no somepony, never has been, never will be. Delusions is all you have, food is all you are to me.”

“We have food to give!” Sweet spoke up. We all turned our attention to her. “The canned goods, we picked them all up in the hotel. There has to be enough food in them to feed plenty. Food problem solved.” She punctuated her point by placing a can of beans on the table. “Open em up, cook em, and slurp em down. Problem solved.”

“Problem not solved, its food yes, but not a sacrifice.” The queen retorted. “A sacrifice must be made for your intrusion.”

The Queen seemed angry at Sweets outburst, her eyes on her. Harp stepped to her left, blocking the Queen's view of her. “We collected plenty of cans, see.” She pulled out four. I pulled out six. And all together we all pulled out thirty two cans of beans, trying to please the queen. “See, it’s food for us, but we are willing to sacrifice it all to you. We are sorry for trespassing, and wish to leave as soon as we can.”

Mayall leaned to her mother, whispering. The queen seemed to relax, leaning back into her seat. “Fine, we shall accept the food.” Berenices then leaned in, whispering as well, slanting her eyes as she looked at sweet. “You need not remind me my child. It is a sacrifice, but only half of what my people will accept.”

Harp straightened her back, trying to look taller. “Are you not queen, is not your word law here?”

Andromeda nodded. “Yes it is, but I have already set the law, my word carved into the stone wall for all to see. To change the law would break it, crumble it, and make it worth nothing but the rantings of a mad queen. My ideal, my queendom would crumble over but one broken law.”

“I… we…” Harp attempted to say something, but even I could not think of a counter argument.

‘If we weren’t outnumbered, and outgunned. I’d shoot the monster and fight our way out.’ Rototom thought to me.

‘Last I looked we were evenly matched. We just need to shoot all the armed lurkers, or hold the queen hostage.’ I added.

Sweet chimed in. ‘Not going to happen. The queen has some sort of sonic attack. Used it to shut Light up. They got us outnumbered, that’s for sure.’

Harp backed away, looking unsure. Andromeda laughed again. “Don’t feel sad, you did find a way to keep all of you together, we accepted the cans, no need to eat one of you. Worthy of praise even.”

“So what do you want sacrificed?” Harp asked, having lost any sense of confidence.

“A leg” The queen said nonchalantly.

“What!?” Harp spat out in surprise.

Queen Andromeda’s eyes scanned over us and smirked. “No, no. a leg will not do.” Her eyes fell onto Light. “A wing. No. Two wings will do. A reminder to why you ponies should never trespass.”

“WHAT!” Light shouted.

“It is fair.” The Queen said softly. You all live, we get food, and send a message. Fair is fair.”

Light slammed her hoof on the table, her body shaking. “THAT’S FAR FROM FAIR!”

The queen smirked, like she was gloating.

“I’ll do it!” Sweet spoke up. All eyes were on her. She herself had her own eyes closed. “I’ll sacrifice my wings.”

“What wings, I don’t see wings on you?” The queen asked, sounding a little confused and angry.

Sweet Sax responded by removing her vest. It falling to the ground with a thud. After that, she unzipped her jumpsuit, leaving the part covering her flank on, and exposing her small wings. The wings flapped a little, and stretched out. “These wings.” She stated.

I sat up in my seat, placing two hooves on the table. “Sweet!” She raised a hoof and shook her head.

‘It’s fine. We can’t risk any of the pegasus, or the princess coming to harm. Just… just trust me.’ Sweet sounded scared, bracing herself for the worst.

“Fine!” The Queen called out, and smirked. “But I’ll take her eyes as well.”

Sweet looked stunned, slowly looking over at me. “What…” One of the guards had stepped up behind her, placed a hoof onto her back, and pushed her into the table. “Why?”

The Queen giggled. “Your wings are just too small, I must have something else to balance the sacrifice.” I got onto the table, aiming my weapon. A sharp pain hit my ear and bounced into my head, causing me to fall over. “No I don’t think you should be standing right now. Stupid little pony.”

I laid there, my head pounding in pain, staring at Sweet as she looked at me in terror. Other lurkers came out of the shadows, swarming our table, and holding sweet down. I was a fool to think there were only ten lurkers in this room, the number was probably around thirty or more. My damn E.F.S. too useless to detect them.

I felt a lurker on me, rummaging through my bag. “What are you doing?” I cried out.

Queen Andromeda rolled her eyes. “Looking for useful tools. You stripy ponies always have something useful on you.” The bolt cutters fell in front of me, and I gasped. The queen giggled. “And I am proven right again you silly pony.”

“STOP THIS!” I yelled out. But as I got up, the weight of two lurkers came down one me, holding me down.

“The deal has been made. Unless you want her eaten, we can do that too?” Andromeda asked.

I looked at Sweet, the bolt cutters ready at one wing. She was breathing heavy, trying not to panic more than she was.

“Do you wish for us to eat her, it will be a painless death? Unlike what she agreed to.” I didn’t know what to do, darting my eyes between Sweet and Andromeda. “If you can’t make up your mind, I will for you!” She stated.

Looking at Sweet, she had steeled herself, controlling her breathing, and stared at me. “Fine, do it!” I said, feeling meek and helpless. All I could so was close my eye as hard as I could.

*Crunch*

Sweet screamed. It pierced my ears, and shook my soul. I could not move my hooves to cover my ears, all I could do was shut my eyes.

“Hey… Vibe…” It was Sweet’s voice. Opening up my eyes, I saw one of her wings on the table, no longer part of her. Blood was starting to pool on the table, and the lurker with the bolt cutters had moved to the next wing. “It’s going to be alright. Just get me home okay.”

“Okay, even if it kills me.” I answered.

“No, we get home together, or not at all.” She looked into my eyes, a dead serious look on her face.

“Together or not at all.” I agreed.

*Crunch*

Sweet screamed again, and her other wing fell to the table. A line of blood followed, forming a small pool next to the wing.

I was horrified by the sight, My best friend being hurt in such a way. I wanted to hurt them, kill them. I didn’t care if I was outnumbered, I would find a way to turn them to ash.

“Quickly now, we don’t want her to die before we’re done!” The queen spoke up, and a lurker stepped over with a spoon.

I could see the horror on Sweets face. We both knew what was about to happen. “STOP!” I shouted.

“A bit late for that.” Andromeda responded.

I sighed. “There’s some Med-X in my bag, use that first. It should dull the pain.” Why didn’t I ask for this earlier?

“No” The queen answered. “It’s no sacrifice without the pain. Now take her eyes!”

The lurker stepped in front of me, and Sweet began to scream like I never heard a pony scream before. All I could do was weep, and wish it was over. It felt like an eternity, but had to have been less than a minute, the lurker stood up and stepped out of the way. Right in front of me was Sweets eyes, laying on the table, still connected to her, and looking at me. It was too much, and bile fought its way up my throat.

As the bile seeped from my mouth, a blade came down and separated Sweets eyes from Sweet. A lurker picked up the eyes by their strands in its mouth, and took them to the queen. She had a smirk on her face as she held them in her hoof.

“Now that you know the price, never return. Not without approval first.” She put the eyes in her mouth and swallowed. “You may leave now. Through the tunnels was it. Yes, the worker here may take you to the tunnels.” She pointed at Turnip, who was hiding his face from the scene. “Take you all the way home.”

The lurkers on me let me go, and I jumped to Sweet. I rummaged through her bag, finding only one healing potion. Forcing it down her throat, and watched as her opened wounds closed up, stopping the bleeding. She didn’t move, so I pulled her close, my ear to her neck, hoping to hear a pulse.

*Thmp*

“Oh thank Celestia!” I held her close, hugging her neck, letting tears fall freely. “I’m so sorry, so, so sorry.”

A hoof rested on my shoulder. Looking over, it was Rototom. “Let’s get her out of here. The sooner we can get her to a hospital, the easier it will be for them to help her.” I nodded.

Merit came over and helped me hold Sweet up, as well as Wild. “We got her.” Merit said. “You take point, get us to civilization as fast as you can.” I nodded again. If we were to help Sweet, we were going to need to move fast.

“If he goes, i goeth, mother! I will not standeth f'r thou to separate us but yea a day.” We all looked to see that Mayall had her hooves around Turnip, the Lurker princess holding onto the confused lurker with all her might. “Send any worker but him ,mother. Can you not do that?

Looking at the three royal Lurkers, Berenices had a huge smirk on her face, and Andromeda looked angry. “So you did pair bond with a lowly worker. After I warned you so many times not to.”

Mayall pointed at her mother. “It's call'd loveth mother, loveth. Hast thou nay heart, nay cubiculo f'r loveth!” She then pointed at Berenices in a more accusingly faction. “'twas thy idea, thou betray'd me sister. I trusted thou and thou sendeth mine loveth to his death. wherefore?”

Berenices grumbled, and looked down at Mayall. “Always the drama my sister mine. I warned you as well my sister mine. But you prattle about love, and talk with the gibberish from book that hold no meaning my sister mine.” She lifted her head up, and ran her hoof over her neck, like she was slitting her own throat. “It’s time to grow up and let such ideas die. My. Sister. Mine.”

“Thou''r a bitch that deserves a thousand needles in the eyes!” Mayall spat out at her sister, still holding a still confused looking Turnip. Andromeda waved a hoof, and two Lurkers came and forced the two apart. “I will not standeth for this, I will not! Thou heareth me, i'll getteth thou f'r this sister.” The two Lurkers proceeded to drag Mayall away through a doorway to the side, and out of sight.

Andromeda held two hooves to her head, rubbing the side. “Now that’s over. Go, get out of my Queendom. Worker, go with them and find a place to die. Now go.”

Turnip got out of his seat. “Yes queen, I go, I not come back.” He turned to us and motioned for us to follow. “Come, follow. I take you away.”

______________________________________

Large blast doors closed behind us, leaving us in darkness. A Lurker with yellow paint dotted on it, and old relax wear over its chitin, waived us off before closing the door. Our encounter with the Lurkers left me with a mixed feeling, like they would be the friendliest people I ever met, and in the end they would kill me and eat me. It was strange, no malice or trickery, just it being what they were.

Light had chosen to carry Sweet, adamant that she was the one to do it. Wild held onto Sweets legs, lessening the burden on Light, and insuring we could all keep up the pace. My sister had attached Sweets back left leg to herself, allowing her to move smoothly once again. Sweet herself was still out cold, and the med-X we gave her probably contributed to her staying asleep.

I took point, with Merit right behind me to provide backup. My sister and Wild held the rear. Unless we were being hunted by a lurker we were not going to be caught by surprise. Harp, Light and Turnip were in the middle, being protected by the group.

We were unsure what to do with Turnip. Turning him over to Orthrus was probably the best move, as it was unlikely they would harm him, even if they wanted to check his insides. But that was something we would have to worry about when the time comes.

Overall I was glad to be back in familiar territory. The service tunnel looked like it was going to go on for miles, and with how well they were constructed, it was unlikely we would have to detour until we had to transfer to one of the main metro tunnels. From there, it was a straight shot to Charon's Stop. Still, the journey would take half of the day without interruption, so we marched on.

‘Vibey?’ Rototom thought over to me.

‘See anything on your E.F.S.’ I responded.

‘No.’ she answered.

‘Good, but keep an eye out for the lurkers.’ I asked.

‘I know. But well, Vibey?’ She thought to me some more.

‘If you see anything on the E.F.S. just let me know.’ I responded.

‘Fine, if you’re going to be like that, I can wait.’ Rototom spat through the telepathy.

I wasn’t in the mood for talking, I had just seen my best friend have her wings clipped, and her eyes ripped out. Talking can wait, getting Sweet help came first.

Stagnant air and rot filled my lungs as we walked, and roots from plants alive and dead poked through the ceiling, as though threatening to reach out to grab us. In the few stops we made, my pipbuck map showed that we had made good time, and we were to pass under the city soon. The tunnel itself was not in the preloaded map I had, but that was more of an annoyance than a problem. As long as we were not directly going into the city’s underground, and sticking to the metro, there was no way we would get lost.

Along our way were signs of the ponies who once lived over two hundred years ago. It was a small camp, with an aged tire used for a fire pit, and tents scattered about, all in shambles. On the other side of the track were the bones of a good twelve ponies, all lined up next to each other, and covered with a tarp each. Near the fire pit was one more skeleton, half covered in a tent, and holding a rotten plushie pony.

Lifting the tent to cover the skeleton fully, I saw one more thing on it. A pipbuck. Taking the old pipbuck, I covered the long dead pony with the tent, and gave the poor pony a silent prayer. Minerva silently beeped, and a notification popped up in the upper right of my vision. Survivor logs downloaded.

“Looks like they had a go at it, and the tunnel is clean of most radiation. Must have been dehydration or starvation.” My sister spoke up, looking at the camp.

“More reasons to keep going.” I responded. Merit put a hoof on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.

“We’re not saying we need to stop, only slow down.” Merit spoke in a soft, in a too gentle tone. “You and your sister are the only ones with E.F.S. the rest of us are blind down here.” I didn’t care, he was right, but I just didn’t care.

I shoved the old pipbuck into Merits chest, forcing him to hold it in his fetlock. “Here, problem solved. Now get moving!” He dropped the pipbuck, and stepped up close, and hugged me. “Wha… what are you doing!”

“I want to help your friend as much as you do, but you need to relax.” He whispered in my ear. “Sweet is bandaged up and stabilized. We just need to get her to a doctor, rushing headlong into a monster is not going to help.” He held onto me a little tighter. “I’ve seen too much death here already, let’s just slow down and be careful.”

When Merit loosened his grip on me, I shoved him the rest of the way off. “Fine. We can slow down, but no stopping.” I turned around and began to move. “Stable or not, I’m not leaving Sweet like that longer then I can help it.”

With a pipbuck on his hoof, Merit took point, and was joined with Rototom. I pulled back and joined Wild at our flank. Harp and Light were quietly having a conversation. Turnip had remained quiet, sticking to the formation like we told him to.

I tapped at my pipbuck for a second, bringing up the logs Minerva had downloaded in the holographic screen. I switched the text to speech on, and had it go through my telepathy talisman. The setup would allow me to remain vigilant, but help distract my mind from wandering to Sweet.

- Day 0 log 1.

Well, Marbles was right, it’s too bad he was on the other side of the island when the bombs hit. He’s either better off, or worse off than us. Sprout and Sticks cried the whole way here, dragging Poppy along the way. Poor girl, in the panic she got knocked over and some dumbass guest stepped on her head. Really the whole thing was a clusterfuck even before the sirens went off. A Gala event for the kids, fuck me that was a bad idea. Every uptight parent and their brats was here, none wanting to spend a damn bit more than the entrance fee.

Luckily we were able to break away from the main group, like Marble said. Still think we should have locked the door shut behind us. But we found Marbles cache, enough food for the five of us. We will save Marbles rations in case he shows up, you never know. I’ll take the first watch. Fiddlesticks, she has the second. Brussel Sprout, has third. Mint Tea is too busy looking over Poppy Seed to take watch.

Apple Seed, out.

- Day 1 log 2

Poppy Seed is doing much better now, thank Celestia. Remind me to kiss Loose Marbles for storing all those healing potions here. But she’s has amnesia now. She was asking for mom and dad when she woke up, and nearly fainted when she saw me. My best guess is that she’s reverted back to when she was eight or nine, ten years all gone. I’m just glad she recognizes me, even though her brother is not as scrawny as I use to be.

The others are also relieved to see her up, though Mint took it hard when she didn’t remember him. I know I would if Fiddlesticks suddenly forgot about me. We can only hope Poppy will regain the rest of her memory soon.

Apple Seed, out.

- Day 2 log 3

We almost lost Brussel Sprouts, That idiot had forgotten to take her medication, and had a seizure right in front of Poppy. Luckily we kept her from swallowing her own tongue before the seizure passed. She had left her epilepsy medication back in the locker room, and didn’t want to worry anypony. Ya, making us panic is a lot better than worry. Stick, on a hunch rummaged through our stash and found three bottles of epilepsy medication. Sprout cried when she saw the medication, If Marbles was here, she'd mount him right then and there.

- Day 2 Log 4

Well, we’re fucked. Somepony came looking for us, and stumbled onto our camp. I don’t think they were planning on coming this far in, but must have heard Poppy scream and came to investigate. We’re moving camp, but in case that takes too long, me and Mint are moving our supplies first. There's a little hidey hole further down the tracks.

- Day 2 Log 5

And yes, we’re fucked, ram a train up my ass, we’re fucked. The fucking manager Haystack is here, acting like he is the fucking king of Equestria. Worse yet, he has a fucking revolver. He’s waving the gun around and spouting teamwork and shit. Scared my sister half to death. I don’t know what he wants, but I know I don’t like it. Right now he left his goons here to keep an eye on us. The worst part of it all, was when Haystack patted me on the shoulder like we were buddies, I fucking hate that so much, my pipbuck ticked. The asshole was irritated.

- Day 3 Log 6

Well, bust goes our plan to get away. Haystack’s goons have guns now. I don’t know where they got them, but my pipbuck ticked when they were delivered. Mint also told me that he caught Haystack leering at the girls. Ya, bad vibes. We got to get out of here, and soon. Marbles did mention that the Tran’s Island Station is our best bet if this spot fails.

Apple Seed, out.

- Team leaders Log one.

Pipbucks are the best, with this I will keep everypony alive. Now to send one of my ponies to go and bring back the slackers, trying to hide important supplies from me! No, no, they will get what’s coming to them, I’ll see to it.

- King’s log 2

The two ponies I sent after the slackers never came back, No matter. I have plenty of ponies to send!

- Sky Singer log one.

Haystacks is dead. Stuck that monster with a stick, sharpened it myself. AppleSeed mentioned the T.I.S. as a safe place. Talked with the others, and we’re heading there, this place is dead.

- Log fuck the log

Convinced the turp to give up his pipbuck, fucking Pegasus, let their whole group go, no need for pussies here, we got things going good.

- ^_^

Pipbuck’s mine now, asshole threw away the tools, so I had to saw it off the stallions leg to get it. Never felt so alive, never, never, never, never! Fuck selling flowers, sooooooo boring. All the hoity toity ponies looking down on me, fuck em, fuck em fuck em fuck em! Ohhh that felt good, so good. I think the asshole has a few more rounds in him, the med-x helps keep him up… maybe I should let him breathe… now I think I can find a way to keep him up after he's dead. I wonder what my coltfriend would think if he saw me now, too bad he’s dead, I’d love to see the look on his face.

- No food left.

Mama passed away last night, got her pipbuck as my pound of flesh. Told the rest no eating her, it just make ‘em sicker. Told em not to eat the ghouls too, didn’t listen, three died choking on their own puke. Can’t eat the roaches no more, they glow now, not good eats. We tried to go away, but ghouls block the end of the tunnel, ate one of us. Sad mamas gone, love to hear about flowers, never seen one, or sky, or clean water.

- All dead

Gave me last of good food, and went to sleep, never woke up. My job to give last rights, send them to Celestia, hope she forgives us. I know she will not.

Tunnel Tunnel out, Tunnel Tunnel sleep.

The Logs ended there, ending my distraction, and leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t a new kind of story, Charon's Stop had plenty like that. But most were passed down from one generation to the next, not recorded on a pipbuck.

Even as I pondered about the Logs, I still kept an eye on my E.F.S. not seeing any red bars. My mind wandered, imagining a small army of lurkers following us, just out sight, waiting for our guard to drop.

Wild nudged me with her wing, getting my attention. “I think I saw Sweet move, she might be waking up.” My ears perked up. “Go, I got the flank covered.”

I trotted up to Light, she eyed me with some worry. “Is everything okay Vibraphone?”

I nodded, “Everything’s fine, It’s just Wild thought she sat Sweet move. I’m just checking.” Light nodded back to me, turning her attention over to Harp. “Are you awake Sweet?” I asked hopefully.

A grumble came from Sweets lips, “I could use some med-X.” She spoke suddenly. “And please tell me you have my eyes in a jar or something.”

I felt my heart grew heavy, my lips trembled. “No, she… she ate them.”

“Oh” Sweet said, futilely looking around. “What a bitch.” She rested her head back down. “So about that med-x?” I pulled a syringe from her pack, and applied it in her shoulder, sweet twitching from the needle, but soon relaxed.

“Sounds like she’s going to be okay.” Light commented, sounding sure of herself.

Sweet chuckled. “So you guys are having little miss yells a lot carry me. Not that I’m complaining, but I’d rather be riding the stallion.” I saw Merits wings pop out slightly at her comment. “But if you’re doing this, now I feel like I owe ya. How about I take you to my favorite hooficure salon, if you pay extra they give you some special treatment.” This time Lights wings flared out a little. “You know what, we all should go, what do you think Wild? It be fun.”

Wild chuckled. “I don’t think my husband would like that much, but a normal hooficure would be nice.”

“Hoof An Cure?” Turnip said, sounding, and looking confused.

“Who’s that, and why do I already not like them.” Sweet responded.

I sighed. “That’s Turnip Soup. Well that’s the name on his jumpsuit, so that’s what we’re calling him. It’s a bit hard to explain, but the lurker is part of our group now. It just kind of happened.”

Sweet huffed. “Thats… awesome.” She sarcastically said. “Just keep that thing away from me, okay.”

“Done, now get back to sleep, we’re already more than half way to Charon's Stop. Were almost to the main metro tunnel right now.” Sweet nodded, and let her head hang down. “We’ll get you home Sweets, so don’t worry.”

She chuckled. “If you’re leading the charge, then I know we will.” Her body relaxed, and she quickly fell asleep.

We came to the main tunnel not long after, the door to where we came from was locked tight, but with the door control pad on my side, it was not hard to force it open. It felt good to rip off the face plate, and manipulate the internal mechanics. With a soft hiss the door opened, and we all entered the underground station.

The first thing that greeted us was the chewed up corpse of a mirage pony. It had probably been here a month, with it mostly being broken bones and torn up barding. The pony’s metal legs also look chewed up, and showed signs of rust. I counted our blessings, the tunnel from the theme park was so closed off that we didn’t have much more then rad roaches to deal with. From here on out, I expected our guns to be used a lot more.

It didn’t take long to come across one of the more common threats down here. A pack of stalkers were in our way, eating a fresh corpse. It looked to be one of the bandits by what was left of the mane. Both Rototom and I took the first shot, taking out some of the bigger stalkers in the pack. We had fitted Harp with Sweets battle saddle and air rifle, so she got a few shots in. When the monsters got closer, Wild and Merit turned them into ash with their energy rifles. If we had time to stop, cooking the stalkers for meat would have been a good idea, but we pressed on.

Unlike when Sweet and I first passed through here, the tunnel was now buzzing with pests. The rad roaches were everywhere, and every now and then was another pack of stalkers. It didn’t take long to find out why. Every mile or so was another body, bandit normally, but scavs too. I half expected to see one of the scrappers along the way, with how many bodies we came across.

The roaches were an easy problem to deal with, even Turnip killed a few. The stalkers, and oversized flying insects were becoming a drain on our ammo. We still made good time, and after a while it looked like we were not the only ones heading back to Charon's Stop. Dead animals were becoming a common sight, as well as the odd ball bearing, which I would add to my ammo.

“Come on, let’s go!” The voice echoed around the corner. “This is bad news, so stop looting and move!”

“Now, it’s good, it’s good.” We rounded a corner to see two disheveled bandits standing over three bodies, and a shit ton of dead roaches. “Here it is, I told ya the cunt held out on us. And here you just wanted to cut and run, now we got shit to sell!” The bandit held a box over his head.

“Give me that!” The other bandit yanked it away, and looked inside. After a moment she just dropped it to the ground. “Fuck, this is not chill, it’s respiratory medicine.”

The other bandit kicked the body he got the box from, it looked like another bandit. “Fucking cunt, why become a bandit when you can’t even breathe right!”

*Crunch*

I looked over to see that Harp had stepped on a rad roach, so had the two bandits. “WHO DA FUCK IS OUT TH…” Rototom shot him in the head, blood and gore few off, as the bandits body fell to the ground spasming.

“Fuck this!” The other bandit bolted, vanishing into the darkness.

Harp looked around nervously, and scratched her head. “Sorry.”

We trotted over to the three bodies, now four. All of them were bandits, in different stages of death. We hadn’t stopped to check before, but something was bugging me that I needed to take a look. Two of them had been ripped apart, the third looked intact, though she was dirty and covered in blood. Looking at the box that was looted from her, it held four inhalers. Something clicked in my mind, and I remembered the bandit with the respiratory problem. Getting a closer look, I saw an eye looking back at me. The mare blinked.

My head shot up, and I looked around. With how the rad roaches had been in force, there had been a ton of red bars all around from the time we entered the tunnel. “What wrong Vibey?” My sister asked.

“This one’s still alive.” My head swiveled, back and forth slowly.

She stepped up to the downed bandit. “So, not like any pony is going to give a shit. I thought you didn’t want to stop?”

My tail began to twitch, and I looked over at my sister. With a slam, the large form of a Paradise dragon landed behind her. It must have been clinging to the ceiling the entire time, watching us. “Sis.” Rototom slowly looked behind her. “RUN!” Before she should react, the Monster swiped its claws at her, sending my sister flying into the wall with a crunch. The rest of us opened fire, but it didn’t even flinch.

Jumping over me, everyone scattered, as it lashed its tail at them. Harp stumbled, and Turnip took the hit protecting her. Merit and Wild took to the air, firing bolts of energy at the beast. Light managed to get out of the way, not letting Sweet fall from her back.

Over charging my rifle, I fired a shot, getting a satisfying thunk on the monster. The paradise dragon stopped its advancement on my friends, and turn to look at me. Its face was mangled, some bone showing, its eyes looked at me with hatred. It was the same goddess damn one I chucked the grenade at, and it looked like it had a score to settle with me.

“So you remember me right.” I said as I backed up, charging my rifle. The paradise dragon snarled at me. I took that as a yes. It charged, and I activated S.A.T.S. Even in the nearly stopped time, the huge beast was still moving. I selected to dodge it, and fire at its neck. The move proved successful as I managed to dodge the dragon’s teeth by a hair's breath, and sent a ball bearing into its neck with another thunk. It countered by swinging its tail at me. The large meaty whip slammed into me, sending me sliding further down the tunnel.

A warning popped into the upper left of my vision, telling me that my back left leg was heavily damaged, and I had two broken ribs. Getting back onto my hooves, the dragon was already on me, and swiped at me with its claw, sending me flying back in the other direction. It was not as bad as the tail, but Minerva warned me that I broke another rib. Lifting my rifle, I fired another shot at the dragon, only to have its air canister burst. The others fired onto the beast, but it didn’t even bat an eye, and slowly stomped towards me.

“Vibey!” Rototom stumbled over. “Take my rifle.” She had unhooked it from her battle saddle, and tossed it over to me. I caught it in my fetlock and aimed it at the dragon, firing the railgun. It made a quiet zap sound, and the ball bearing bounced off the dragon's face. “Charge it little sis, all the way!”

I didn’t have time, the beast was almost on me, and it's drool sloping on the ground as it looked at me. Merit, and Wild flew in, and landed on its head, energy rifles pushed into its eye sockets. The paradise dragon was quick to shove them off of itself, and managed to avoid getting an eye full of energy bolts. It bought me the time I needed to charge the rifle, and it lashed out at the two pegasi.

Magic shimmered around me as I focused on gather the ambient magical energy around me into myself, and from me into the rail gun. Merit and Wild were quick, but the lack of room in the tunnel quickly put them at a disadvantage. Merit managed to dodge being crushed when the paradise dragon jumped up, slamming into the ceiling. But the pressure wave sent him crashing into the ground and made him an easy target for a tail swipe. He took the hit better than I had, but it was easy to see that he had the wind knocked out of him. Wild nearly lost a hoof when the beast lunged at her. It was able to get her with its claw, but she was able to get away before it could slam her to the ground.

The rifle was fully charged, and I took aim. “If you’re so hungry, then eat this!” The dragon looked right at me, and I fired.

It.

Fucking.

Dodged.

I managed to take out a claw, only a fucking claw. The paradise dragon had jumped to the side as I fired, the ball bearing only hitting a claw on its back leg. It sneered at me, and huffed. I was being mocked, the monster was mocking me before it would kill me. It lumbered in close slowly, as though each step had purpose. Wild tried to get its attention, but her rifle had run dry and she had resorted to aerial kicks, of which the monster ignored. Merit fired at it as well, but after a few beams of energy, his rifle just clicked empty.

The paradise dragon opened its massive maw. I could see rows of massive teeth with drool lacing between them. Its breath was foul, making me wish it could breathe fire, just to get this over with quicker.

It was only a few hoof steps away from me when it stopped, and roared. It was like having the SMG near my ears again, but more hair razing. “YOU GOT THAT BIG GUN THERE, USE IT BEFORE IT BREAKS FREE!” Looking down under the dragon, blood splattered on the floor, and I could see what looked like a harpoon sticking through its back leg, connected by a chain.

The dragon snapped at me, but I was still far enough away for it not too reach me. Aiming the rifle, I once again focused magic into myself, and it into the rifle. A hoof placed itself on my shoulder, and another on my other side. Looking it was my sister and Harp, shimmering with magic.

Electricity sparked between the two magnets of the rail gun and random junk began to slide to us. I smiled as the rifle started to shake, it aimed at the dragon's head. “This time, you die.” I motioned at the trigger, and the dragon jumped back and to the side dodging, but this time I was onto it and didn’t fire. As the beast landed, getting into position to charge, I entered S.A.T.S. and aimed for it’s head. It gave me a 95% chance to hit, selecting the target, and executed the program, and fired the railgun.

This time the beast didn’t dodge, the ball bearing hit it between the eyes. It caved in its skull, sending bits of bone, brain, and blood flying onto the wall, decorating it with gore. Its massive body twitched on the ground for a few seconds before going limp, blood flowing from what was left of its head, pooling onto the ground.

I collapsed, Harp caching me before my head hit the ground. “Vibraphone, are you okay?” she said, in a squeaky voice. Tears fell onto my face as she looked down on me, her eyes puffy and red. “Please tell me you’re alright.”

I chuckled. “You better not have ruined my panties, I don’t want to give you the ones I have on.” Harp laughed as she rubbed her eyes.

“No, this time I held it together.” She said, smiling.

“SHIT, TALK ABOUT DEAD, YOU BLEW IT’S FUCKING HEAD OFF!” the voice from before echoed, sounding much closer than before. “You all alight?”

I looked over to see an old ragged looking mirage pony stallion, behind him were five others, all with makeshift armor on. “Ya, I think.” I responded, “The dragon got the drop on us, but we’re alive.”

“Hey pops, that’s her, the mare that got us out of the bandit camp!” It was a mare with a harpoon gun at her side, the harpoon long gone, with only a chain from her to the paradise dragon as the only clue of who shot the beast. On her other side was a large pressure tank that connected to the harpoon gun, which must have given it the power to punch through the dragon’s leg like it did.

The old stallion stepped up to me, looking down at me with tired eyes. “It seems fate has decided that I should repay a debt. Missy you must have gathered a shit ton of good karma to get out of this like you did.” He turned around looking at his group. “GRAB WHAT YOU CAN FROM THE CORPSE, WERE EATING DRAGON TONIGHT!” A cheer shouted out from the scrapper group, and they descended onto the corpse of the paradise dragon. Looking back at us, the old stallion winked. “The rest of the way is clear, best get going, looks like your group won’t last much longer down here if ya linger.” I nodded and attempted to get up, nearly falling over.

Merit came and helped me up, providing me with a pony to lean on. Wild helped my sister move, but another one of her legs was wrecked. Harp was helping Turnip, though he seemed just fine, despite having cracks all over his chitin. Light was still holding Sweet on her back, having kept her safe in the fight.

As we continued down the tunnel, signs of life became more and more common, until we came to the checkpoint. Groups of mirage ponies stared at us, whispering. We had put a gas mask on Turnip in hopes that he just looked like he had odd looking armor on, but it wouldn’t take long before word got around that a pony shaped lurker was in Charon's Stop. At this point I didn’t care, we just had to get to the Two Tailed Mare and rest.

“Signing in?” An Orthrus mare stopped us, and I nodded. “Should I bring the clipboard to you, or can you come under your own power?” I stared at her in annoyance. Even I was not this flippant when working at a checkpoint.

“Skip the bullshit.” My sister called out. “I’m an Orthrus specter, and require aid. I’ll see that the paperwork is filled out later, right now we need an escort.”

The mare looked confused, looking my sister over. After what felt like minutes, the mare trotted off, saying she would see her superior. After a few seconds three heavily armed and armored Orthrus troopers came running over.

They saluted my sister, and the closest one spoke up “We’ve been expecting you ma'am, how can we help?”

“My sister looked at the three and groaned. “Looks like subtlety is out the window.” She shook her head. “Take us to the Two Tailed Mare, we need rest and medical attention. Also a mechanic, we got a few busted up legs.”

The trooper laughed. “You’re in luck ma'am. Just follow us, and we’ll get you patched up.”

The trip to the Two Tailed Mare was luckily uneventful, a lot of ponies staring at us, but nothing out of the normal. Rufus greeted us at the door, sounding happy and concerned. Such a good dog. Shamisen happened to be out, so her employees provided us with rooms.

One of the troopers happened to be a medic, and looked us over, setting my ribs back in place before giving me a healing potion. Same for the others. He was shocked to see the condition Sweet was in, and let us know that he would call in a full team to pick her up. The mechanic of the three was actually a drone specialist, but knew enough about cyber legs to fix one up. So my damaged leg was popped off so that he could take a look at it.

Merit helped me to bed, I pulled him in with me. I didn’t have the energy to fool around, I just wanted some pony close to me as I slept. He responded by putting his hooves around my waist, holding me gently. It felt nice, whatever madness was going on, it could wait. Right now I had a fine stallion holding me, my best friend was going to be all right, and when I get my pay, I can leave this mess behind me. “Sweet dreams.” Merit whispered into my ear, and I smiled.

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Completed.

- My Kingdom for a Pony

- Who Dares, Win

Quest perk gained.

-The pony everypony should know- Your time with the mirage pony princess Harp Melody has given you a peek into the lives of royalty. +1 to endurance. Dialogue options are now available when talking to a member of the orphic royal family, and their servants.

-20% cooler- You helped the three wayward enclave scouts regroup and get to safety, seeing their loyalty to each other first hoof. +1 to agility. Don’t be surprised when a little filly starts following you around, cause you're awesome now.

New Quest - I like to lurk.

Chapter 8 - Parting Ways

The bed seemed to lurch upwards, dumping me onto the floor, as though it was telling me that sleep was over. I have actually fallen out of it, my head on the cold metal floor, and my plot in the air. My plot also felt cold, which was odd. Getting onto my hooves, I found myself naked. A little note seemed to glint, drawing my attention.

‘Sorry for the inconvenience, but we had to remove your gear as you slept. We left you with a complementary stable jumpsuit. Your gear will be returned after being washed and fixed.’

- Shamisen

I was unsure if this was an act of good generosity, or that the mare planned to do something with me. She was not so crash as to force a pony into a job they didn’t want to do, but it was unwise not paying her back. I just hoped that whatever she had planned did not involve a lifelong contract.

The jumpsuit must have been old, but well kept. On the shoulder was a patch with ‘R&D’ on it, not uncommon, but not normally hoofed out do to their history. I put the jumpsuit on, not wanting to leave the room with my bare plot hanging out.

Exiting the room, I found many ponies looking over the balcony. I tried to see what they were looking at, but none of them would let me through. The stair looked free of ponies, so I trotted over to it, to get a look. To my shock and horror, it was Sweet who was the center of attention. She was on a cot, had a bunch of tubes sticking out of her and into some metal box. Three medical ponies in white coats stood over her, focused on the box, or on Sweet.

Nearly falling down the stairs, I rushed over to Sweet, only to be stopped by Rototom, who held me back with a hug. “Calm down, everything is going to be fine.” My sister said in a calm tone. I didn’t want to be calm, I wanted to know that Sweet was going to be okay. It was her fault Sweat was like this in the first place.

Pushing my sister to the side, I trotted over to Sweet, one of the medical ponies giving me some space. She had two tubes going through her nose, two more sting into her neck, and a clear mask over her muzzle helping her to breath.

“Hey Vibraphone, you’re not looking so well, so what’s up.” Sweet rasped weakly.

I forced a smile. “I should be asking that of you.”

She blinked slowly, seemingly trying to process what I just said. “Naw, I’m good, I’m good. The doc’s gave me some medicine, so everything’s fine now.” She slowly blinked again. “So when did you turn purple?”

Taking a closer look at her eyes, they were glazed over, and unfocused. One eye was actually looking in a different direction from the other. Turning to one of the medical ponies, I cleared my throat to catch the mares attention. Her uniform covered her nearly completely, so I could only see that she had a black coat, and gold eyes. “What’s wrong with Sweet?”

The mare looked down at a clipboard. “Let's see.” She ran her hoof down along the paper, reading a list. “She has a lead slug in her left lung, a fracture in her skull that was healed before being properly set, same with two ribs. A parasite was located in her intestates, and five more were found hiding under her jumpsuit, drinking her blood. She has a blood born virus attacking her liver, and a massive internal infection.” She put the clipboard to the side. “We have her on an antibiotic cocktail, which is being done through a saline solution blood transfusion.”

I held a hoof up to my mouth in shock. “Will she be okay, will she recover.”

The medical mare looked over at Sweet for a moment before looking back to me. “The truth. If it was one or two problem than she would be fine, in time. But there is just too much going wrong with her, and if we try to move her, she would only get much worse before we got her to a hospital. We’ve done what we can, but at this point, she’s not going to pull through. The pain killers will at least make her comfortable before she passes on.”

My flank hit the ground as my back legs gave out from under me. “That’s a lie.” I weakly pointed my hoof at her. “Tell me that’s a cruel lie.”

She just shook her head. “If you have anything to say to her, now’s the time.”

I looked back at Sweet, one of her eyes rolling over to look at me. “Sweet, I’m… I’m so sorry.” This couldn’t be happening, I got her back to civilization, so she should be fine now. The doctors know anything and everything about saving ponies lives, yet they can’t do anything.

“For what.” Sweet said in her strained raspy voice. “Everything’s fine.”

I didn’t like this, backing away slowly, I just couldn’t see her like this, it was just too much. “I’m, sorry, but I need some air.” Turning away, I headed to the door.

“Vibey wait!” Rototom called out to me, stopping me before I opened the door. “You okay?” I just glared at her. She knew I was not okay, how could I be, my best friend was dying, I was far from okay. “I mean, if you want to talk about it.” She reached out with a hoof, but I just slapped it away.

“Ya talk. Like how this is all your fault, how you sent us on this clusterfuck of a job.” I looked her in the eyes, locking our gaze. “So let’s talk.”

Rototom sighed. “Shit happens okay. How was I to know there was were going to be pirates, how was anypony going to see that coming. The Lurkers too, until recently we both thought it was DJ Cerberus making up a story.” She looked away. “It’s just… It’s just that, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn't fix Sweet.” I spat back at her. She looked ashamed, and she should be. After all of this, manipulating, I just wished she would find some deep hole and stay there. “She’s dying, and all you can say is sorry!”

She glanced back at me. “It’s all I got, it’s all I can do.”

I used my hoof to force her to look me in the eyes, I wanted her to not just hear what I was going to say, but see me say it. “Then stop doing things. Stop interfering with my life. Stop thinking that you know the best for me. Princesses know, you only fuck up everything you touch.” I glared at her in the eyes until she looked away. I wanted to know she felt ashamed for this, that this was her fault. “If you wanted to do something, you should have taken her place.”

Rototom turned away, and walked off deeper into the bar, head low to the ground. I didn’t wait to see where she went, or if she just got a drink, I didn’t care.

Outside of the bar, everything was quiet, all but a low rustling of wind. My eyes welled up, and my nose began to run. I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and collapsed onto the ground and bawled like a foal. The tears ran freely, soaking the fur under my eyes and falling to the ground.

I had no right to say what I just said, in the way I said it. I might as well have just stabbed my sister with a dagger. I knew that every time we traversed the big island metro that we might not come back. One false step, turn around the wrong corner, or simply run out of supplies. Death was a way of life in those tunnels. I should have stepped up, and taken Sweets place. We could have shared the punishment, any pain would be work saving her. I would’ve survived, I know I would.

I don’t know how long I sat there on the floor, seconds, minutes, hours, not that it mattered. What was I going to do, Sweet was the one who got the jobs, last time I did it, we ended up foal sitting for a day. Work as one of Shamisen lackey, I didn’t know any other ways to get good work. I could join back with Orthrus, but I didn’t don’t like the idea of returning to them with my tail between my legs. “Just tell me this is a nightmare.”

“I say it's a sad dream, one I wish t' make happy.” The voice of a stallion surprised me.

Finding the strength to get up, I figured I had enough strength to deck the asshole. It was an all-white unicorn, with a black spot on his face, and piercing green eyes. The hoof I was going to deck him with went limp. “How?” Was all I could mutter.

He laughed, rubbing a hoof on his green vest, cleaning it of dirt. He gently place a hoof under my chin, smiling at me. “My dear lady, no distance can separate you and I. T' goddesses themselves have chosen us, we have a destiny t' fulfill.”

I backed away, getting his hoof away from my face. “Who are you?”

“Oh my, where be me manners.” The stallion bowed. “Thy names Black Spot, first mate o' t' ship T' Weepin' Pegasi.”

“So it was your ponies who attack us in the metro, and at the hotel?” I readied myself to attack, regretting leaving my enforcer behind.

Black Spot raised his head. “Regrettably aye, t' crew be not known for their delicate work. T' captain you see,... she be one for t' quick and effective approach, and t' crew follows in hoof step.”

“Let me guess, you’re different.” My comment seemed to make him beam with pride.

Winking at me, he took a step closer. “Of course I am, I was taught under Victoria herself. I understandin' t' art o' delegation, interrogation, and subduction. T' captain be only me captain for she has seniority over me. So in time, I’ll captain me own ship, free on t' waters.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And let me guess, other than you, the ship would only be ponies by mares.”

“HA!” His head tipped up, and chest puffed out. “And why not, it would be my right.”

I had enough, this stallion was both full of himself, and insane. “Well you go do that, without me.” I turned around, and wiped my tail at him as I walked away. My path was blocked by an oversized stable door. Clearly painted on it was ‘R&D’ and right in front of me was the controls to open it.

Black spot laughed. “Luna has chosen us, and we must obey t' word o' t' goddess. So me lady, me love, me empress. I’ll be seein' you, count on it.” His voice was like a whisper on the wind, eerie and foreboding.

Turning around, he was gone, so was the two tailed mare. Everything was dark, a pitch black inkiness. Across from me, two golden eyes stared back at me, doing nothing, just staring at me. I was frozen in place, me and the eyes, locked.

*Clang*

The sound of rusted metal scraping on rusted metal filled the room, and a flood of light broke my gaze with the two eyes. Looking up, some pony had opened up a door on the sealing, flooding light down, and banishing the darkness. I could see a head poking out, but do to the light, I could not make out who it was.

The head slowly pulled out. “I found a civilian Mam!” Merits voice called out.

“Good job.” The voice of a gruff mare spoke up. “We can move on now.”

Something fell through the hole, and landed at my hooves. Looking down, it was a small metal sphere with small green bulbs on it. It would flash green every second with a beep. Looking back up, the door was pushed closed, the grinding sound filling the air, and returning me back to darkness.

The only source of light was that of the plasma grenade, which would flash green ones a second.

“I’m sorry.” A week voice whimpered out. In the short flash of green light, I could make out Merit, whose wings were drooping weakly on the ground. “I’m so sorry.”

Another flash of green light revealed that we were surrounded by ponies: tall, short, young, old. All of them looking back at us, hollow expressions all of them.

“Merit.” I spoke. He turned his head, and had the look of shock on his face.

The plasma grenade went off, and everything burned in a flash.

__________________________

My eyes shot open, the only thing keeping me from rolling off the bed in a panic was that I was being held onto it by another pony. Merit’s hooves were lightly wrapped around me. Odd, because we were both still fully dressed, so it couldn’t have been comfortable. But it made me feel calm, just knowing that some pony was with me, it was a good feeling.

Merit had been woken up by my sudden jolt, he letting go of me to rub his eyes. Taking the opportunity, I rolled off the bed, and hit the floor. I had forgotten that my front right leg had been removed for repairs.

“You okay Vibraphone?” Merit peeked over the bed, looking like he was ready to laugh at me.

I got up on all three, and stabilized myself. “Ya, just forgot I’m missing a leg right now. Let’s go down to the bar and get a drink.”

He hopped out of the bed and sat next to me. “What time is it?”

Checking Minerva, it was early morning. “Looks like we slept for the rest of the day, and all night. Time for breakfast.”

“Morning ehy. Haven’t slept that long in a… well a long time.” His stomach growled. “Ya, breakfast sounds nice.”

I checked my gear fist. My trusty hunting air rifle was still broken, its air container had blown open, the barrel was bent, and a valve was loose. My revolver was still good, just needed some polish, but my knife was bent. I still had that battle rifle from before, and a few bullets for it, so if worse comes to worse I could rupture a few eardrums with the thing. My scarf had been scuffed up, but nothing a quick wash couldn’t fix. My tactical barding had seen better days, the alloy plates where my knife was had been bent, that hit was probably what damaged my leg as well. The rad-boar leather was still intact, aside from a few bullet holes, but the stitching had come loose. Tailoring to fix the barding was not going to be too expensive, so it was not a big of a loss is it was for the rifle. My medical supplies was all gone, mostly used on Sweet to help her pull through. I still had my screwdriver, and even the bolt cutter, which made me shiver a little.

“Can you help me down the stairs Merit?” I could walk just fine, it just involved some hopping, it was just that I didn’t feel like hopping around. The stallion offered me a shoulder, and we made our way out of the room.

The two tailed mare was all quiet, and waiting for us outside the door was an Orthrus regular in dress uniform. The regular was a mare, her mechanical legs painted blue to match her uniform, and was reading a comic book to pass the time. ‘Drum Tablature’ a classic detective comic from the republic. The pony took note of us, putting the book down, and saluting. “Morning ma’am, I’m here as your escort.”

I exchanged glances with Merit. “Could you rephrase that?”

The mare looked at us confused for a moment, before her face turned red. “Oh, sorry, sorry. I.. I mean that, I’m to… Oh this is embarrassing.”

“She’s here to make sure you come downstairs and talk with somepony important.” Shamisen spoke up from the top of the stairs. The very zebra looking mare gently trotted over to us, each step having a sense of elegance to it. “But I can’t have that yet. Not with you looking…” she sniffed the air. “And smelling like that.”

A drone came out from behind Shamisen. It looked like an oversized Twittermite, a bit bigger than Shamisen’s head, and had a camera lens for a face. “Agreed, I can smell them from here” It’s mechanical voice chuckled out. “Did you to sleep with your armor on? Kinky, but not my kind.”

The stupid remark reminded me of somepony I knew well. “Sweet, is that you?”

The drone bobbed. “E’yup! The trooper hooked me up to her drone so that I can see. Makes me want to go back to Orthrus so that I can play with this cool stuff.”

I sighed. “It’s good to know you’re okay. I actually had a bit of a nightmare where you didn’t pull through.”

“Ehh, it comes with the job. Oh they told me that you killed a paradise dragon while I was out, wished I’d seen it.” The two of us were silent for a moment. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. “Oh sorry, didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“No, no. I just wished you saw it too. It’s just that I should have…” The drone flew up to my face, cutting off what I was going to say.

“Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” Sweet-bot backed up. “I made my decision, and payed the price for it. You just made sure that that I lived to talk about it. When I get patched up we can have a few drinks. I’m thinking of getting lasers eyes, and rippers for wings. What do you think?”

I chuckled, the tears fell from my eyes, but no new ones followed. “I think you should just stick with the standard. I don’t even think you can get laser eyes, not without risking burning your brain. As for ripper wings, you would have to be somewhere beyond crazy to do that to yourself.”

The Drone bobbed. “Ya, that is a bit much. But there is a market for ponies with augmented eyes. And the wings, that opens a lot of options.”

I trotted up to the drone, and hugged it. “Sweet, please just don’t go overboard. I don’t want to see you catch cyber-sickness. I you want the options, go for it, but don’t forget yourself. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

Sweet-Bot hovered out of my grip. “I know, I know. I don’t want to turn into an emotionally dead rapist. By Tartarus I don’t want to lose the ability to get drunk, or have foals of my own.” The drone hovered over the edge of the balcony. “So don’t worry, after I’m done getting fixed up, it’ll be like nothing ever happened. Though I’ll still need to see a therapist for all of this. Had a fucked up nightmare while I was out.” The drone shivered before floating down into the bar, and out of sight.

That was a huge weight off my shoulders. Knowing that Sweet will be back to her normal self, if with a few new metal bits, put my mind at easy. Shamisen had been waiting patiently, but when I looked at her, she just pointed at Merit, who was standing in place looking confused.

“What just happened, what was that?” He said with a worried tone.

I cocked an eyebrow. “You mean the drone. You don’t have them back where you’re from?” he shook his head.

“We don’t have cyber ponies where I’m from.” He shook his head, removing the confused look on his face. “Actually were almost back to banging rocks together at this point. Our tech has only lasted over two hundred years due to diligent maintenance. Unless it is made out of clouds, we just didn’t have the materials to make anything new, or fix some of the old stuff.”

I almost face hoofed. Worrying about Sweet must have made us forget to explain to the pegasi about our world. Culture shock would be expected. “We’ll explain in due time. But in short, we have drones, and can control them with our minds. We just need the right talismans to do it, limits what we can do physically, but very useful for a weak bodied pony. It’s also a common tool for lazy ponies, if they can afford it.” Merit nodded, and took a deep breath before sighing. I took that as a confirmation that he understood.

Shamisen cleared her throat, catching our attention. “Good, now that that’s done, we can move onto the task at hoof. Everypony else has already gotten cleaned up, so I expect you two to do the same.” Two boxes that were sitting on a nearby table were levitated over to us by Shamisen, placing them at our hooves. "Take these, it’s a change of clothes for you both. I also set up a hamper for the both of you to leave your things in. My staff will pick them up for you, so don’t worry if you can’t find them after washing up. Now go, I don’t want to keep my guest waiting too long. It’s most impolite.”

Merit picked up the box with a wing, and balanced it on his back, I activated my telekinesis talisman, it flickered to life slowly, and had difficulty holding the box steady at first. The talisman must have gotten damaged in the fight with the dragon, which meant I was going to spend bits replacing it. The Orthrus Regular had gone back to reading her comic, probably avoiding gaining any more attention.

The wash room was much like the rest of the Two Tailed Mare: made from old salvage, and polished to a smooth shine. But unlike the rest of the place, it had a coating of paint and wax that gave it an extra shine. Preventing rust was probably the main idea, but it gave it a calming charm to it. The room had a main showing spot, big enough for a group of ponies to wash themselves, but not for relaxing. The showers themselves were push button that only gave you a few seconds of water before turning off, common for those trying to save water. There was a drying station too, which would blast a pony with hot air, this was set up with less concern over conservation, and more on effectiveness. Next to the dryer was a box for cleaning cyber legs, and prosthetics, it was a simple automatic cleaner, allowing a Mirage pony to get some of the dirt and sand out of their joints without needing to scrub.

Near the entrance were the two hampers in question, both with our names on a paper stuck on them. Merit walked up to his, and began undressing. “I gotta say I’m impressed. When I first entered this station I was worried. So many sickly ponies cramped together, with homes made out of junk. But here, it feels like a real peace of civilization. Nothing like the clouds, but then nothing is.” He looked back at me. “Um, Vibraphone, is something wrong.” He caught me staring at his plot.

Quickly looking away, I cleared my throat. “Nothing, I was just thinking.” I trotted up next to him, in front of my hamper. “Charon’s Stop is just not the best example of our people. It’s in the name, Charon’s Stop, it’s superstition, but many ponies believe that the grim reaper makes regular stops here before going back to the afterlife. It’s a place were down on their luck ponies make one last effort to improve their lives, though most only finding their death.”

“I… See.” Merit finished taking off his uniform, and placed all of his gear into the hamper. His face and hooves were covered with grime, but the parts of him that were hidden under his uniform were still clean, aside from being sweaty. His cutie mark was of a metal cross with two ribbons coming from the top of the cross and forming a heart around it. It was charming to say the least, and made me a little jealous. “Oh, one other thing. It’s not cold down here, but every one of you I have see are fully clothed, why’s that?”

I had only detached my barding when he had said that. My mind did a backflip thinking about what he just asked. “You mean your people don’t get dressed before leaving the house””

“Some do, mostly military, but most don’t see the need outside of special events.” He said with a shrug.

I let my barding, and saddle bag fall to the ground with a thud, the drop of weight on my back felt nice. “Well here it’s a matter of decency. Not to offend or anything, but ponies going out in public in the nude are seen as savage. It’s what separates us from those who lost their way, shows that we are a civilized society. Order, culture, and decency. That’s what makes us who we are, and keeps our civilization from collapsing from the inside.” I attempted to stop, but without another leg to keep me balanced I had to sit down before I fell over.

Merit chuckled. “I get it, it’s just the thing you ponies do down here. It’s just that up in the sky we can’t make new clothes, so everything we have is passed down from our parents.” He patted down his uniform. “This was once worn by my grandmother Grand Cross. She wore it when doing recon missions over the ocean.” He opened up the uniform to reveal a few symbols on the inside, and pointed to one that looked like a cross shaped medal. It looked a little like his cutie-mark, but rounded on the ends, where his had two points. “This is her cutie-mark, proof she once owned this uniform.” He placed it into the hamper gently. “Because of that, most pegasi tend to not go out with their clothes every day, they don’t want to accidentally damage a family heirloom.”

I started to get it, why they were going out so far to look for a new home. A shirt was not meant to last generations, it was meant to be used until it was worn out, and then replaced. But the pegasus must have managed to maintain everything they own for over two hundred years. It was hard to imagine how they were able to maintain most of what they had passed the first hundred.

Taking off my shit, the thing was once a clean white, but now stained with sweat and blood. It was torn in a few places, and a button was missing. Life in the metro was rough, and fragile things never lasted long, but at least I knew that I could still replace things like this shirt at the end of the day. I tossed it into the hamper, along with the rest of my gear, making sure that my scarf was gently on top of the pile. Last was my panties, it did feel embarrassing to have a stallion in the room with me, but I could grin and bear it. The panties went under my scarf.

Leaning on Merit for support, I pointed for us to go to the automatic cleaner so that I can get my legs cleaned off first. The box only took one leg at a time, but it was easy to see it was of good quality. Detaching one of my back legs, I placed it in the box and turned it on.

“I’ve been wondering.” Merit said, looking at me, I made me feel a little embarrassing being seen in the nude by a stallion. “You said that most of your kind, the Mirage ponies I mean, are born without legs. It must make life difficult, not being able to move around as a foal.”

I nodded. “It is, even after were old enough for our first prosthetics, things don’t get much easier. But we learn how dependent we are of others at an early age, the most rambunctious of us often find themselves stuck, their legs getting away from them. Outside the very lucky, every one of us has a story where as a foal we found ourselves in serious trouble. Some story’s they look back on and laugh, other it’s a scare they carry with them.”

“And you have such a story?”

The box dinged, and I popped my leg out, putting it to the side, and placing other back leg in. “Ya, and it’s not one of the funny ones. My sister has three stories, all involving her attempting to do a stunt, and accidentally sending her legs flying. I learned from her about what not to do.” Pressing the button, the box hummed as it cleaned the leg. “Unfortunately for me, it’s one of those nightmare moments that catch you off guard. My mother was about to give me a bath, so I didn’t have my legs on. She had to grab something up high, and a wire in one of her back legs snapped, causing her to fall and hit her head. As a filly, I panicked, and fell into the bath tub. The water was not deep, just deep enough that I couldn’t get my head above water. I nearly drowned, but dad pulled me out before I did, sis said she never saw him so scared.”

Another ding from the box, and I popped out the leg, putting it next to the other. This was going to be the most difficult, and most embarrassing part, I was going to need help. “I’m going to leave my pip leg in the cleaning box. So can you help me wash up?”

Merit saluted. “Yes ma’am!” I rolled my eyes. Typical stallion, at his best when a mare is at her weakest. Charming, and I did like the attention, but I didn’t like being so helpless around another pony. I popped the leg off, and it fell into the box. Merit caught me before I fell over, and placed me on his back. “If you need to take your legs off to shower, how do you even wash yourselves?”

“I put in the extra bits to have an automatic shower, so I don’t have to take my legs off.” Merit gently placed me under the shower. “But most legs are made to be waterproof, I just need to clean the connectors, and I rather not have to dry off my legs afterwards.”

Water came down on me, socking me before stopping. Merit applied soap to my mane, and began scrubbing. I was held in place by his two back legs, my back on his chest. The feeling of gentle hooves on my head was relaxing, almost helping me ignore the poke I got on my lower back. “Sorry” he said.””

I shook my head. “Don’t be. Why don’t you tell me about yourself, get your mind off of me?” I couldn’t help but tease, it was too easy. “How about how you got into the Enclave?”

Merit chuckled. “I admired my grandmother, Grand Cross. So I followed her hoof-steps and enlisted as soon as I was old enough. My mother wanted me to go to college, and become a doctor, so she was right angry when she found out. You see being in the Enclave was a family tradition, one that my mom broke, turning her relationship with my grandmother sour.” He hit the shower button, and the water rinsed off all the soap, and grime out of my mane and coat. “I was actually patching things up between my mom and I when the big operation happened. Haven’t seen her in ten years.”

“Sorry” I squeaked out. Merit had used a rag to wipe off my connectors, which pressed on a few nerves sending a chill down my spine.

“It’s fine. I have a good feeling that she doing well for herself back in equestria. She’s a nurse you see, worked in a maternity ward, loves little foals. Somepony like that is never without a place.”

He finished washing me off, and helped me out of the shower, and onto my belly. The stallion proceeded to wash himself, keeping his back to me, hiding his half erection. “So what about you, was there more to the story you told back in the metro?”

Water showered down onto Merit, and he applied the soap to his mane. “Oh, that. Ya, more happened. We finally got to the backup, and it turned out the hospital was still intact. Ministry of peace made sure the building would survive most disasters. And Talon company had turned it into their base of operations. So we had a huge flock of griffins to deal with, and they were pissed.” Merit was covered in soap bubbles before he turned on the water, washing it off. “We were joined by a few other strike teams and with vertabuck air support, eliminated the threat. Three other teams had taken heavy losses, so I absorbed them into my team, and continued our mission. In the end, we won the battle, but lost the war. With clear skies, every civilian could see what we had done, so we ran.”

He finished getting all the bubbles and dirt out of his coat and mane. Putting me on his back, he took me to the dryer. “I said that the Enclave didn’t train us to be cowards, but by the end of that day, I was proven wrong.” The dryer was switched on, and warm air surrounded us. “So, do we just stand here?”

“E’yup.” I responded. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

It was like a warm vortex, the air turning around us. Merit held me in place as the dampness slowly evaporated off of me. It only took a minute, but we were mostly dry. Our manes and tails still held some of the water, but that would dry on its own in time.

Helping me put my pipleg back on, Merit seemed to enjoy carrying me around. Supplying some magic to the leg, the hud display appeared in my vision, doing its routine checks before disappearing. With the leg back on, I used the telekinesis talisman to attach my two back legs. I tested the legs out, the back legs were made for reliability, nothing all the specialized, so all I had to do was move them a little to see if they worked right. They required only a little magic to move, the more complex spell matrix programing was in my hips, so it took only a few seconds for them to calibrate.

Standing on three legs, it felt good to be up under my own power. I just needed to get my fourth leg back and I could leave all this behind me. Though I had one more question. “What happened after the war, to you I mean, in new Cloudsdale.” The hamper holding our stuff was already gone, and the boxes Shamisen gave us were in their place.

Merit opened up his, pulling out a standard stable barding. It had no marking on it, meaning it was surplus, and the wing holes were a little larger. “Not much really, I stood by my commander, it was what I was trained to do. Things went smoothly for a year, and I found myself ranking up quickly.” He slid on the jumpsuit, his wings popping out of the back almost comically. “Then the commander got assassinated, the new commander didn’t like me much, and so I found myself in the brig for a year. The new commander later got assassinated, along with his three successors. They all happened to be family members.”

“Sounds bloody.” I added. In my box was what looked like another stable barding, but far more customized. It had no sleeves, something that never went well with metal legs, and was a little thicker than normal stable barding. On top of it were purple frilly panties, something I quickly put on.

Merit continued. “After I got out, I found myself a head away from being the next commander. So I did the smart thing and vanished. Wild took me in, she had retired from the enclave and gotten a job teaching foals how to fly, that’s it where she met her husband.” He patted down the jumpsuit, zipping it up so that it was snug on him. “I worked as a laborer for a few years after that, helping to keep the city together as I waited for things to cool down.”

Placing the barding on, and zipped it up. It was more snug then tighten, and the tab for the zipper was hidden under a button down collar. It was nowhere near as protective as my tactical barding, or had as many pockets, but it was nice and comfortable. The hem and trim were heavily done, its gold color was bright on the navy blue barding. “But you did get back with the Enclave.”

“Yes, but it’s only been two years since the team was put back together. Were more law enforcement now then a real military. The ponies need us, but they still don’t want us.”

I nodded. “I can understand that. Well I can only hope things work out well. I know that once New Cloudsdale is publicly known, it’s going to be all that anypony can talk about.”

Merit chuckled. “It will be nice to be popular.” He offered me a shoulder, and I used him to keep myself stabilized. Clean and dressed, we left the wash room.

__________________________

The Orthrus Regular guided us downstairs, and to one of the game tables that the Two Tailed Mare had. Light and Wild were sitting at the table, playing a game of cards, along with a third pony. The pony was an Orthrus officer, her uniform having more decoration than the regular, and a few medals displayed on her blue jacket. She had a tan coat with a cream colored mane, both accented with gray stripes. Her brown eyes sized Merit and I up, and smirked. She had a normal right foreleg, which had an Orthrus pipbuck attached, the Orthrus symbol boldly imprinted in it, another sign of her importance.

“Good, good. Now that you’re here we can get to business. Besting these two at cards was starting to get a bit repetitive.” Her voice had a bit of a deep tone to it, not close to that of a stallion, but deeper than a mare commonly has. The mare motioned with her foreleg to two empty seats at the table. “The names Mandolin Clef, of Orthrus Pony Relations department. Now please, sit.”

Taking a seat, I quickly took a look around. Sweet was on a cot, covered in clean bandages, and the drone hovering above her. Next to Sweet were the three troopers, the four of them were talking among each other. Harp, Turnip, and Rototom were nowhere to be seen, and other than two employees of the bar, the place was empty.

Mandolin gathered the cards and chips, neatly placing them to the side. She also call over one of the staff to clear away a few drink glasses that sat empty on the table, along with the coasters that kept the table clean of water stains. When everything was clear, and both Merit and I were settled in, Mandolin placed two small boxes on the table and spoke.

“Now I don’t think need to explain why I’m here, not completely, so I’ll just go over the cliff notes of what’s going on. First off, the princess will be taken under our protective custody. With her safely out of danger, it’s all a matter of treating her as a pony of her station before returning her home.” She pushed one box over to me. “As a mercenary under the employ of Shamisen, we are simply offering a rewarded for locating Harp Melody, and bring her into our protection. Any talk about Orthrus being directly involved passed your return will be seen as slander, not that such a thing would get public acknowledgment.”

Pulling the box to myself, I opened it to find it full of Orthrus minted bits. One Orthrus bit was worth ten Republic bits, of which was more commonly used. Quickly counting them, the box had twenty of the Orthrus bits, making it a payment of two hundred bits. Not a big payday, but I still had the big payment coming my way, so I accepted the hush money.

Clearing her thought, Mandolin continued. “On the subject of Orthrus involvement.” She pushed a second box to me, another twenty Orthrus bits. “For your assistance of an Orthrus specter, who was in an investigation of the unknown vertabucks seen flying around the islands. A second reward is due.” I nodded, accepting the second hush money. “Good, good. Now that that’s over, we can move onto the issue at hoof.”

I cleared my throat, catch a glance from Mandolin. “My partner Sweet.”

“Your employer will have her taken care of.” Mandolin answered. “Now about our three outlanders, they will be coming with us.”

Merit glanced about, his eyes falling on Light.

Light sighed. “We had a long talk, and Mandolin has guaranteed our safety, and eventual return home. We are to lead a delegation to New Cloudsdale, so that Orthrus can establish peaceful communication between our ponies, and theirs. Until then we must remain in their protective custody.”

“So what’s the catch?” Merit asked, turning head over to Mandolin.

“This will not be an immediate action.” Mandolin answered with a straight flat tone. “Between internal politics and outside events, we dare not risk the few vertabucks we have until we know it’s safe for such a mission. Contacting this New Cloudsdale is useless if it only leaves us open to an attack. So until this storm passes, you three will have to stay in our custody.”

He leaned back in his seat, and looked over to Light. “And you agreed to these terms?”

Light nodded. “I don’t like the idea of waiting anymore then you, but if it insures that our mission is a success, then we will have to wait.”

Merit sat back up in his seat. “So we got our marching orders, but can we at least have breakfast first.”

“Afraid not” Mandolin spoke up, answering Merit. “With our top priority to the princess’s safety, we will be moving out as soon as possible. Allowing all of you a rest has drained what little time there is to spare.” She got up out of her seat, and trotted past me and to the door. “Oh, and don’t worry about food. The mess hall serves a fantastic pineapple pie all day, I’ll send an order to hold one for you three.”

The three pegasi shrugged and got up. Merit gave me a less than happy look, and I nodded back at him. It was sad that I was not going with them, well mostly him, but not being part of Orthrus meant I had to stay put. I was of course, no pony of importance. One of Shamisen’s staff gave a bag to one of the regulars, probably the pegasus stuff. And as though they were never here, they were gone, the door shut, and I was sitting alone at the game table.

The three troopers were still around, keeping sweet company, I could only guess that they were under a different command.

The door from the kitchen opened up, and Shamisen came walking through with a plate of grilled pineapples and a potato patty. The smell was absolutely divine. Placing the plate in front of me, one of her staff also placed a pint of lager. Looking from the lovely breakfast, and up at Shamisen, who now had taken a seat. “A bit early for a beer don’t you think?” raising an eyebrow as I spoke.

Shamisen covered her mouth with a hoof and chuckled. “In my line of work, it’s never too early for a drink. It can be too early to become inebriated, but not for a simple drink.” One of her staff dropped off a cocktail glass filled with a blue glowing drink. “I find it calming for the nerves, and a good pick-me-up for what might be a busy day.”

Sighing, I took the beer and gulped half of it down. Holding in a belch, not wanting to be unmannerly, I gave Shamisen another look, this time with my brow lowered. “Can’t I just get paid and go home. I did what you ask, and Sweet lost her eyes because of it, so whatever you have planned, leave us out of it.”

She just put her elbows on the table, and held her head up with her hooves. “Darling, I’m sorry to tell you this, but were in it deep. The recovery of the princess was one thing, all you would have gotten was a few knocks on the door, and a few ponies asking about her. But not long after you left, ponies started coming back from the surface, talking about vertabucks flying about. One said they saw a griffin, and another saw a Zebra.” Shamisen sat back and took a sip of her drink. “It’s all any pony can talk about around here, and then you come through after killing a paradise dragon, with three strange pegasi, a specter, and a pony who looks a lot like the mirage pony princess Harp Melody.”

She didn’t need to spell it out for me. Even if I had no importance to all this, there was going to be ponies who think I did. “And you want to use this to your advantage, right?”

Shamisen smiled. “I’m so glad you’re not some simple brute. Though a bleeding heart intellectual would probably be worse.” She sipped her drink. “But yes. This is a unique opportunity where doors that are normally closed to ponies like you and I, are now cracked open. Out of simple curiosity of course, but just open enough that we can get our hoof in.”

“Okay, I understand that, but why would I even want to do, whatever it is you want me to do?” I already had a huge payday coming my way, so going in for more bits was just playing into my sense of greed, something that had little power over me.

The door from the kitchen opened up again, and Rototom stepped out with a bag on her back. “Because why not, that’s why.” She dumped the bag on the table, smiling.

“That’s not a good answer.” I responded.

“Okay fine, I get it. You just want to get paid, go home, and wait for Sweet to get her new eyes. I understand that, and if things were different, I wouldn’t stop you. By Tartarus, I’d join you if things were different.” Rototom took a seat and opened the bag.

The first object to come out was a cyber leg, it pushed over to me. “So what makes the situation so different that I, not Orthrus, have to do this?” I used Minerva to help me attach the leg. It was easy to tell that the leg was not the one I was using before, it looking more armored, and the hoof was a little odd looking.

“Because right now Orthrus command has a stick up their plot, and think this is going to be another political shitstorm, that they can wait out.” Checking the bag, I found my revolver, now polished clean, along with the leather cartridge holders for it.

“So what are you not telling me?” I was still not convinced, but my interest was peaked.

Rototom pulled out my scarf, and medallion from the bag, hoofing them over to me. “Before I joined up with your group I went to investigate the pirates myself. I didn’t get much information, but I did get enough to set off a few alarms so to say.” A pint of beer was dropped off for Rototom, I dug into my food as she took her first sip. “You see the ship they came off of, is but one of a fleet of ships. I don’t know how many, but from the sound of things, there are a lot of them.”

Putting the scarf and medallion aside, I pulled out a black jacket. It looked like the kind that the bandits used, but with all the spikes removed, patched up, and reinforced. “So they’re here to stay, not a big problem. Between the three big factions here, I don’t see them fighting their way in.”

My sister tapped on her pipbuck, and selected a recording. “True, and that’s what I thought. But this changed my mind.” She pressed play on Athena, and the recording crackled on.

“This be first mate Blackspot too Weepin' Pegasi, reportin' in. I repeat, this be first mate Blackspot too Weepin' Pegasi, reportin' in.” I cringed, that was the stallion from my dream, it was hard to remember, but I knew he was in the dream I had earlier.

A regal sounding voice of a mare spoke up “Ahh good, good. Been takin' your time welp, now report.”

“Madam Admiral! Aye, at once.” Black Spot’s voice was filled with surprise and worry. “T' hunt continues Madam, they managed t' stay just out o' reach, but have made a fatal error. T' foals got separated and have started usin' their radio t' communicate. Their meetin' up at a ruined hotel at some theme park.”

“Anything else” The admiral inquired.

“Aye, interestin' news.” He whistled, showing that he was excited. “In our chase we broke through t' what looked like a drug manufacturin' facility, like what t' zebras tend t' have, but with more tech and less cast iron pots. Here’s t' real interestin' part, t' ponies runnin' t' place were like no ponies I ever seen”

“How so.”

“T' ponies have little horns, little win's, all t' colors o' t' rainbow, and gray stripes. Strange no? Well stranger still they were all cyber ponies, and not like t' kind that come out o' Caledonia, it’s like their legs came off an assembly line. Also, one we capture also happened t' be pregnant, so not a zonie, unless they can get preggers now.”

“I see.” An odd silence followed with no pony talking for at least half a minute. “It’s confirmed, t' dead islands be in truth, alive. Take your captives to t' Weepin' Pegasi, I’ll personally see t' their interrogation.”

“And what about t' enclave?”

“Continue your hunt, but by mornin' return t' your ship.” I could hear a soft chuckle from the admiral. “choices, choices.”

“What be it, me admiral?”

“Oh just thinkin'. Should I send t' fleet after a mobile target, or a stationary one?”

“A stationary target would be easiest, would it not?”

The Admiral laughed, sending a chill down my spine. “And so you show t' difference between you and I. You’re a sgrog who knows nothin', and I’m a true pony burdened with knowledge beyond your understandin'.” A loud sigh came from the admiral. “Remember, you have until Celestia’s first light, may Luna favor your hunt.”

“Yes My Admiral, Madam Flintlock Hook.”

The recording cut off, and Rototom lowered her pipleg Athena.

I had attached the new leg during the recording, and tested it out a little. The leg was a sturdy piece of tech, and the hoof could turn into three digest in which I could grab objects. It made drinking the beer much easier. “So how did this change your mind?”

Rototom emptied the rest of the bag, my air rifle had been broken down to parts, and a new knife was in my old knife sheath. The battle rifle I had pilfered was also broken down to parts, it’s ammunition in a box. I placed them all to the side neatly. “She said where to send her fleet” Rototom huffed. “Not where to attack. Whoever this Flintlock Hook is, she is a thinker, I’m sure of that.”

I raised an eyebrow, showing my skepticism. Shamisen cleared her throat drawing our attention. “Sorry love, but your dear sister may have the right intuition, but just lacks the proper way to communicate it.” She finished off her drink and put the glass to the side. “What she is trying to say is that this Admiral does not sound like a pony who chooses brute force to solve a problem, but her own intelligence. On top of that, they have captured a few bandits, which means it won’t be long until pirates start leaking into Charon’s Stop. From there, they can learn of other points of entry to the other Islands, remember, smuggling makes a quarter of Charon’s Stop’s economy.”

I let my head hit the table. “Show how do we stop this from happening?”

Shamisen sighed. “Not a damn thing I’m afraid. With Orthrus’s hoof off approach to the bandit problem, the pirates are going to find allies among our own population. Even I will have to change how I do business to deal with this new faction.”

“So we can’t stop them from coming in, then what do you want me to do.?” I understood the situation, but the rest just flew over my head.

“Simple really.” Shamisen said with confidence. “We need you to help the rest of the metro get ready for them.”

Rototom patted me on the shoulder. “Shamisen is going to call all of her contacts for this, get them to prepare for trouble. Your job will be to help convince them that the oncoming storm is going to be the biggest one in our history, and they need to get ready. You can say that the personal touch is best for this situation.”

“Okay, I get it. Things are going to get bad, and you want me to warn the rest of the islands.” I checked the knife: it was another combat knife, but new and polished. “How am I going to do that?”

Shamisen answered. “Simple, you just need to meet with a few key figures, and help them with a problem. I’ll reimburse you for the job, but past that, this is a favor for a favor job. You do something for them, and they do something for me.”

I nodded.

“I’ll be contacting the Orthrus council, and see if I can get them to put more resources into the issue.” Rototom pulled out a holster from her saddle bag. “Until then, take this. I meant to give you it a few months ago, but well you know.”

It was a rad boar leather gun holster, fine crafted, and looked like it fit my enforcer nicely. It had leather straps attached to it, which looked like it was meant to go over my shoulder, and around my waist.

“I’m sorry that I have to do this, but there’s no pony in this world who I trust more than you.” My sister spoke with a worried tone, and hopeful eyes.

I sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Shamisen chuckled softly. “That’s good to hear. And don’t worry, you will not do this on your own. That lurker you had with you.” She clapped her hooves and one of her staff went to the back, and soon returned with Turnip. He had leather barding on that covered him from hoof to neck, and a reinforced gas mask sat under his head. The barding had a large hood, and a few metal plates on it, along with two large saddle bags. “He will be joining you. With him at your side, it will be easier to convince others of our situation. That and he can carry any extra supplies you might pick up.”

Thinking about it, a pony shaped lurker was as farfetched of an idea as one could think of. So having him with me would give me the benefit of a doubt. He would also scare the shit out of any pony that saw him, which was something useful I could use. Turnip himself looked a little confused but said nothing.

“You will have one other companion.” Shamisen clapped her hooves again, and the other member of her staff opened the front door. Rufus ran in, his metal paws clapping on the floor. “I know you like him, and he has been needing to get out. It’s bad for his brain to stay in one place for too long. He’s a carrier dog, made for hauling supplies, but his real use is sniffing out trouble. I’m going to have to double my guards with him gone, but I feel he is better use to you right now, than as a guard.”

Rufus ran up to me and put his paws in the chair I sat on, giving me a lick on the face. I responded by petting him. “Aren’t you a good boy, yes you are!” He barked one time and sat on the floor. I turned my attention back to Shamisen and my sister. “So that’s the team, me, a lurker, and a cyber dog. You think this is a good idea?”

Shamisen laughed “Darling, in my line of work, first impressions are a must. Everypony is going to expect ponies in suits, acting like they own the place. They will see you coming, but will not know what to do with you, and that’s how you win this dear.” One of her staff came in and took our empty glasses away. “They need to know that I’m not playing some simple game. It’s a dangerous gamble, and will draw my enemies to come after you and I, but I know this will pay off in the end.”

“When I’m done with the council, I’ll join you as soon as I can. They will listen to what I have to say, but no guarantee they will move.” Rototom find her sentence with a sight. “If things go right, even if the council refuses to move, they will be forced to.” She then pulled out a card, and passed it to me. “One last little help from me. She’s a gunsmith on Pineapple Island, best I have ever seen. Tell her I sent you, and she’ll show you her best stock.” Rototom winked. “Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

The card read ‘Cornet’s guns and Knives’ it was a business card, and on the back it stated ‘Best custom weapons in all of the metro.’

Rototom hoofed over three spell talismans “Also take these, Sweet felt that you'd need them more than her.” it was Sweets Telekinesis, Teleportation, and her magic armor talismans. At the very least I could use the Telekinesis talisman, with mine damaged, so I changed it out. I also changed out the telepath, and amplify sound talismans, putting them away in a pocket.

I looked over the rest of my gear, and began placing them on my barding. The gun holster fit nicely on my left side, strapped down, and the knife had a spot next to it. The bullet holders found a place on my right. The sleeveless black jacket fit easily over me, and my weapons nicely, and I found that I had extra pockets on the inside, which would allow me to hold more bullets for my revolver. Turnip took the gun parts, still not saying anything.

“So where do I head to first?” Both Shamisen and Rototom snickered.

“You’re to head to the pineapple islands, and talk with DJ Cerberus.” Shamisen answered.

“While you're there, go see Cornet, and get some new guns.” Rototom got up out of her seat “Also give her your enforcer, she knows some useful modifications for it.” She moved to the door, looking back at me. “I’ll contact you as soon as I can, so stay strong.”

I could only nod as she left, behind her were the three troopers, one with sweet on their back. Sweet waved at me, but in the wrong direction. “Take care, we’ll be back to being a team in no time flat, I know it.” Her voice was rough, but calm. The trooper with her on his back was the last to leave, as the other two passed him as Sweet talked to me.

I looked over to Shamisen, and she nodded. “Finished your breakfast first dear. You have a long road ahead of you.”

Sent the next few minutes was spent in silence, Turnip and Rufus both also got some food and water. When we were done, we were sent our way, and Shamisen informing us that DJ Cerberus will be expecting us, so it was best to not let her wait too long. Outside the Two Tailed Mare, I felt a lot more eyes on me, but no pony approached. It was not out of fear, mostly, but felt more out of curiosity.

__________________________

“Good morning Marewaii! This is radio station 5-O, deep in the heart of Pineapple Island, here in club Three-dog. That’s three, not one, or two, but three-dog. Baucus the first head is too busy sniffing its own plot, and the other can’t decide what’s left or right. So it’s up to the third to tell you the news.”

“First on in the news, if you heard stories about vertabuck in the sky, well interesting fact, it’s true. We don’t know who has been buzzing about in the sky, but we know it’s not Orthrus flying about. That is unless they have griffins jumping out and attacking scavengers. Yep that’s right, Griffins, as in half cat thing, half bird thing. If you see one, expect hostility, whoever it is, they are less than friendly, and more than willing to shoot on sight.”

“Next on the news feed, The Orphic Queen has made an appearance, and any of you who tuned in may have heard the sad end to her speech. Now I’ not a big fan of the deep dwellers and their bigotry, but queen Gilded Gold has been as far as I know, the most accepting ruler in the Orphic kingdom. So it was sad to see her unable to finish her speech due to illness. I just hope whomever she pick as her successor will be as open as their mother. Somehow I don't see that happening.”

“Last and certainly not least, some good news. That paradise dragon who moved into a main tunnel near Charon’s Stop last night, well it’s dead. Yep, and it wasn’t even the volunteers who killed it, though they helped. A mercenary on her way back from a job killed the monster, took off its head if the report is to be believed. The Dragon Slayer had been on a recovery mission from what I’m told, looking for a lost noble who went off hunting on their own, stupid I know. Well on her return to Charon’s Stop, she had Harp Melody, the Mirage pony princess, three unknown pegasi, and a specter following her. The leader of the Scrappers who went after the Dragon said, and I quote. That mare saved my filly from bandits, and killed a dragon, a hero type if I ever saw one. Take it as you will, but looks like Charon’s Stop has a new celebrity, and who knows, maybe yours truly will have an interview with her.”

“That’s all the news I have for this morning, and I’ll keep you posted in events as they happen, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, some music. What we have is a pony my scouts found in some far off corner of the metro, Acoustic Guitar is his name, and he will be singing his rendition of ‘Queendom of dirt’ now I don’t know about you, but I think he has the potential to be something great, so give the stallion your ears, and open up your feels.”

__________________________

We had gotten on the train, the next cart over was filled with the dead who were on their way home to be buried. The cart we were in had few ponies in it, three to count to be exact. Me, a mare, and a filly. Rufus and Turnip did not count as ponies, so I had to think of a new word. People maybe?

The mare in our cart look on guard, her large traveling bag was kept close at hoof at all time. The filly on the other hoof was more unguarded, hobbling around on the train, practicing walking on her prosthetics. She looked at me with with eyes so wide I thought they were going to pop out of her head.

“You’re the dragon slayer! Right?” she said with exuberance and suspension. I just nodded, knowing no other who would be called by that. “OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH.” She ran around in circles, as though she was not hobbling on prosthetics. It made me smile. “Ca... can I have an autograph?” I nodded again, and the filly ran over to her mother. Pinging her mother with her hoof, the mare gave her a doll, trying to ignore the pleading.

She trotted over and passed me a small statue. It was of the ministry mare of peace Fluttershy, on the base was the Words ‘Be Pleasant.’ And on the bottom it had writing already on it. ‘To my good friend Healing Herbs, I miss you, and wish you the best of luck.’ The statute made me feel warm, but I politely hoofed it back to the filly. "Best, not ruin such a treasure.” I thought for a moment, and had an Idea. Pulling out one of my .357 rounds and gave it to the filly. “Think of this as your lucky bullet. If you ever have a gun that can use it, only use it when you need it most. It might save your life.” It felt like a cop out, but the look on her face was all I needed. She placed the bullet in her pocket, and skipped away to her mother. It was strange having that statute in my hoof, like it was important. But it felt better to give it back.

“Next stop, Curtius Station, Pineapple Islands. Keep all your belongings at hoof reach.” We had arrived at our first stop. I didn’t worry about who the next target was, seeing the DJ was top priority. Once the job was done, the next one was sure to follow. But my mind wandered, to the dream I had, and what I said to my sister. I didn’t want her hurt, or dead, did I?

__________________________

Footnote-

New Quest - Family Matters.

Author's Note

Well this one took it's time to come out. I lost the original rough draft when I saved over it, and had to re-wight the hole thing. A good thing too, as I was just not happy with the original, probably powered through it a bit too hard. After that, life got in the way for my editor, so much waiting time.

So some advice t all you who want to wright a story. re-writing can be your friend.

Chapter 10 - Disco Panic

I was worried that they were going to shoot Rufus, but thanks to him being well trained, and the bandit not wanting to draw attention, I just needed to call him over to me to ease the tension. Turnip on the other hoof nearly passed out when a blade was brought to his face, and was unceremoniously thrown over to me. We were placed in the corner of the club, making it easier to keep an eye on us, and left with a guard to loom over us.

The club was mostly a large empty room, it had lights of different colors all over, but right now it was just the white ceiling lights. The walls were as if a rainbow had been splashed all over, and along the walls were black cutouts of ponies, the size of a normal pony with dim lights behind them. The ceiling had a big glass disco ball, currently still, and the floor was messy with hoof steppes all over, only a quarter clean. There was a second floor which connected to the DJ booth, currently dark and empty, but I could see a lot of tech blinking inside. The bar was closed down, except for one of the cabinets, which had been smashed open, and the contents on the bar table. A big sign above the bar read, “Party Hour, 10pm-2am, drink responsibly.”

Our guard, a bandit mare with obviously dyed bright blue mane, which was matted back, and ending in some ugly spikes. It was easy to tell her mane normally was done up in a mohawk, but was pushed back and down, to make her less easy to pick out for being a bandit. Her coat was greenish brown, and sported some nasty looking scars, a few looked recent, along with a burn mark that looked fresh. Brandishing a customized AG-3, the air powered shotgun had a shortened barrel, a bigger air tank, and a reinforced frame. It looked ridiculous, and absolutely deadly.

She spat at my hooves. “Bad timing girly, don’t cha know, no clubbing in the morn.” She had taken a seat, her shotgun lazily swaying at us on her battle saddle. “But good news for us, we got hostages now. The bitch better give herself up or have blood on the dance floor.”

I dared not to make any sudden moves, I got lucky that they missed my combat knife when checking me for guns, so I was not completely helpless.I had to think of a plan fast before I lose my usefulness. The thought of jumping behind the bar, getting smashed drunk, and winging it came to my mind. But remembered that alcohol is not some super drug that makes a pony a badass. I’d be killed as soon as I become imbalanced. My best bet was to wait for my guard to get close, slit her throat, and run for safety. Not as simple as it sounds, but my best bet.

I could feel Rufus tense up, so I lightly petted his head to keep him calm. “Risky don’t you think, I thought your kind avoided acting in such a populated place. What are, too…” the bandit whistled loudly, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“Ya think you're smart don’t ya. But I know what you’re going to say, that I’m too shit to work in the shit.” She laughed. “Sorry to tell ya this, but we're moving up in the world. Privileged folk like you will soon be kissing my hooves, groveling for me to fuck ya and not kill ya.”

I shut my mouth. The bandit was waiting for me to do something stupid, waiting for enough justification to shoot me. She was drug addicted, but not stupid. If I insult her, she shoots me. If I let her know I want her to get in close, she will suspect that I have a weapon, and shoot me. If I do nothing, she is going to shoot me when they no longer need me.

“So what cha doing going to the club at this time. My bits on you being a whore, but Drum Sticks says yous look the slugger kind.” She grinned, showing some of her rotten teeth. “So show me the goods. Or the goods.”

Turnip tilted his head. “What goods?” I sighed.

A nearly empty glass bottle of vodka smashed on the wall neared Turnips head. “Give me goods, or she show me her plot!” the bandit mare shouted out.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit demoralized, and scared now. Others always warned of male bandits being rapists, but having seen the aftermath of a bandit raid on a scave group myself, at least the male bandit leave survivors. Victims of female bandits would be raped with objects, often glass bottle, and later break the bottles inside their victims. Buy what the survivors told me, death having broken glass inside you is among the worst ways to die.

“Come on now pretty, take off that suit, and wiggle your plot for me.” The bandit was drooling now, her eyes jittered from withdraw, and she reeked of alcohol.

Compliance was my best option for survival right now, but I had a grim feeling about what waited for me if I didn’t get out of this situation. Standing up, I removed my scarf and jacket carefully, so not to tip her off to the gun holster and combat knife on the inside. Placing them on a nearby chair. Rufus gave me a little whimper, so I patted him on the head. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be alright.”

Unzipping my jumpsuit I slowly peeled it off of me. I could hear a slurp from the bandit, she probably sucking in her own drool. Dropping the jumpsuit to the ground, I put the jacket back on.

“Hay! Did I say you can put clothes back on?” She shouted at me.

Taking a deep breath, I managed to keep myself calm, but I felt myself ready to crack. “Isn’t it more erotic id something is left on?”

The bandit pushed for a moment, scratching her chin. “Fine, keep it on, but the panties have to go. I want to see all the way inside you when you spread your legs.” I shivered, but with the shotgun trained on me, I complied, placing my frilly purple panties on top of my jumpsuit. I felt exposed, my body shaking, and my face struggling to keep myself stoic. Sweet and I always worried about a situation like this, but we had each other's back, and she was good at fighting up close, here I was on my own. Rufus and Turnip could help, but they were no gun support. “Now come here, give me a dance.” The bandit ordered.

I attempted to sway my hips as I walked over to her, but tripped over my own hooves. She bellowed in laughter as I struggled to get back up to my hooves. The fur under my eyes was starting to feel wet, my composer was almost lost. She directed me closer, and closer, until I was almost next to her. I just needed to get a little closer, and I could strike.

“Turn around!” She commanded, and I hesitated. “Turn around or I will make you spin with one shot of my gun.” This time I complied. “Now dance, shake your plot, give me a show.” I fought to hold in a whimper, trying to keep it together. Moving my back end side to side, I hoped that was enough.

*SMACK* A metal hoof hit me between my cyberlegs, right under my tail, and on a sensitive spot.

She kicked me in the cunt with her metal hoof, and I fell face first into the floor. As the bandit laughed, tears fell freely from my eyes, and my nose ran. “Now get the fuck up, and I’ll show you how to shake ya hips bitch.” I pushed up, getting back on all fours, I felt two hooves hold onto my waist. Instinctively I flattened my tail, covering myself. Another hoof strike hit me on the back. “Lift that fucking tail bitch!” complying I felt the mare press right up onto me, making me feel sick. “Now move like you’re getting fucked by a big meaty cock.” She used her own body to force me to thrust, further humiliating me.

It went on for over a minute, her drooling on my back as she forced me to move my hips. It reminded me of the pirate Duel, being as sickly twisted. When she was done, she pushed me down, and rolled me over, putting her legs between my own. In her TK spell was a full bottle of alcohol. “Now I’m going to make you feel real good, but you must do the same for me.”

I couldn’t take it anymore, having the digest in my right hoof come out, I pulled out my combat knife, and slashed at the mare. She leaned back, and dodged the blade. Falling on her back, she pushed her flank up and over, landing back onto all fours. “Now that was not very nice!”

I had managed to get myself back on all fours, at the same time she had. Not caring what she had to say, I lunged. She fired her shotgun, but without the time to aim it, I only caught the shrapnel on the side of my face. With tears flowing from my eyes, I didn’t care that I almost had the side of my face blasted off, I wanted to kill this bitch.

I got in close, and brought my knife down at her head. She lunged forward, having my knife go into her back, and head butting me. Pushing me off of her, the knife carved a gash from her back to her shoulder, stopping at her metal connection. I fell into my flank, and she talked me, stomping my stomach. I counter bat stabbing at her, again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again.

The bandit fell over in a bloody mess, her neck nearly hacked all the way through. I was covered in her blood, and the knife in my hooves was bent.

“THE FUCK!” another bandit had come to check one the commotion. Luckily he didn’t get a chance to call his friends, as Rufus was on him in a second, lunging at the bandit’s throat, and tearing it out and she jerked the bandit to the ground.

Turnip quickly trotted over to me, helping me up. “You okay.”

I shook my head, holding onto the lurker. “No, no I’m not. Just give me a minute.”

“THE FUCK!” Another bandit showed up, but this time on a balcony above us. He reached over to talk on a radio, but before he could speak, one of his eyes was pushed back into his skull, and the combination of blood, bone, and gray matter splattered on the wall behind him.

“That’s three down.” Looking over to the voice, I saw the gangster looking pony from the show room. He had a guitar case on his side, aimed like it was a rifle “If my information is right, we got four more at least.” He pulled out a towel from a saddle bag, and threw it to me. “Fine work there, I can see why the syndicate is all abuzz about you.”

I quickly wiped the blood from my body, lots of it stayed in my coat, but the towel helped dry the rest, dry me enough to put my cloths back on. “Who are you?”

“Guitarrón, a shadowrunner.” He said with a bow.

I raised an eyebrow “So a criminal mercenary.” I knew of shadowrunners, whenever something goes wrong in a big way, an assimilation, or a factory is set on fire, it’s often done by a shadowrunner. They are often skilled ponies who had changed their names, and faces, taking on mercenary work for rich ponies who want illegal work done. Reaching over for my panties, I quickly slip them on. “What’s your kind doing here?”

He trotted past me, eyeing me. “A job, same job as you.”

“Hogshit!”

Seeing him look over at me, I quickly put my jumpsuit on, forgetting to take my jacket off first. “Okay, not exactly the same job. You can say, that were two rails on the same track.” I was able to get the vest on after throwing off my jacket.

Putting my jacket back on, the last peace was my scarf, of which I took extra care to put on. “Fine, just help me kill the bandits. But if I see you try to harm any innocents, I will end you.”

“Fair enough. I’m not some gun nut idiot. Harming civs is more trouble than it’s worth anyways,” Guitarrón trotted over to a door leading to the backroom, opening up his guitar case, and pulling out an AG-5 air rifle. It was painted black, with a shortened barrel, and two air tanks. “Their bound to know something up, so move fast,”

I picked up the AG-3, and five shrapnel shells the bandit had on her. “I know what I’m doing.” Looking at the case, it was actually half gun, half gun case. An air rifle was built into the thicker part of the case. The other part of the case held an SMG, and two heavy looking revolvers.

“I can tell.” He closed the guitar case and put it to its side. “Most ponies in your situation crack, often losing the will to fight, or attacking too soon and end up dying.” The rifle attached to what was probably a hidden battle saddle. “Takes some grit to hold out like that.”

I wiped my face, still feeling sick about being molested like that. “Do you know why they’re in here?”

Guitarrón shook his head. “All I know is that they were spotted coming in from a back tunnel, shot the lookout.” One of his wings fluttered a little, and slid into a slot on his suit, probably the firing mechanism. “My employer is mighty pissed, Orthrus was all over the tunnel after some pony saw the body. Now they have to pay a rival for use of their tunnel.”

“Let me play my hoof sized violin to show how much I care.” I placed the shotgun on my back, its strap over my shoulder, and sheathed my knife.

Slowly Guitarrón opened the door, taking a peek in. “I get it, you’re an Orthrus freelancer. All by the book, no braking the law, and maintain as a reliably clean reputation as you can.” He slowly pushed back from the door, and looked back at me. “Are you sure you’re good, you can sit this out.”

I shook my head. “No I’m not, and I’m not going to. Now is the way clear?”

He nodded. “Looks like the bandit your dog took out was the guard here. So we have a clear path to the DJ’s room, that’s where the rest of the bandits should be.” He opened through and trotted through. Signaling for the other two to stay behind, I followed the stallion in.

The hallway were far more muted in color, still an overall rainbow of colors, but far more dulled and easy on the eyes. A mop was left on the floor, the handle broken, and still visibly wet. In the distance we could hear shouting and banging, both sounding angry.

“Open the fucking door bitch, I ain’t playing around!” A red bandit mare spat at a metal door. A stallion bucked the door, not even putting a dent into it. A third bandit mare had her head in a box, digging out some random junk.

The stallion bucked the door again and the mare with her head in the box pulled back and chuckled. “You think we should just use the bomb Drumsticks? They didn’t say we needed her alive.”

The red mare, I presumed was Drumsticks, kicked the other mare in the face. “You don’t fucking think that I already considered that option. We need that bomb to distract Orthrus, not to call them right to us.” She walked over to the mare, and helped her up. “We need to gas them out, so keep looking for the shit we need.”

Guitarrón readied his rifle. “I’ll take out the leader, you take out one of the lackeys.” I nodded, and the stallion took aim. I readied myself, but with how this AG-3 had been modified, I had limited range with the gun. “On three.”

“One” The other mare knocked over a metal box, its contents spilling over the floor.

“Two” The stallion bucked the door again, only scuffing it.

“Three” Guitarrón fired his shot.

Drum Sticks kicked the metal box up in time to deflect the ball bearing, her eyes locking with Guitarrón, and she snarled. “Fucking shit, should have known you’d be here.” The bandit signaled to her subordinates, and they rushed out of the line of fire, around a corner.

We gave chase, following them up some stairs to the second floor of the club. The bandits had barreled through the doors, and taken defensive positions on what looked like the lounge area of the club.

*Pop, pop, pop,* Guitarrón and I had to dive to the side, avoiding the bandits shots from their air guns. I held up behind a couch, and my companion took shelter behind an overturned table.

“What the fuck are you doing Drumsticks?” Guitarrón shouted. “Last I heard you were fucking around on the big island.”

I heard a chuckle over from where the bandits were. “Give me back my foals, and I might tell you!” Drumsticks spat back, followed by a bandit taking a potshot at him.

Guitarrón shot back “They’re not you foals anymore, and never will be.”

“FUCK YOU!” Drumsticks jumped from her cover to another spot, taking another shot at him. “I’LL KILL YOU LIKE YOUR DIP SHIT BROTHER.”

I rolled from the couch, to cover that was closer. The bandits had spread themselves out, the leader, and the stallion were going after Guitarrón, and the mare with the black eye was looking for me. The mare had an AG-1, the old air gun looked over modified, and topped with a bayonet.

“Sorry, already have a wife.” Guitarrón retorted, taking a shot at Drum Sticks.

Lurking around a booth, I quietly attempted to flank the bandit, she trying to do the same to me. It was a cat and mouse game, but with the both of us being the cat.

Knocking over a table for cover, Drum Sticks shouted again “I’LL FUCKING KILL THE WHORE TOO.” Guitarrón took a shot at her, sadly missing.

I rounded a corner, and came face to face with the bandit. Pulling the shotgun out into my hooves, I fired at her face. Unfortunately the short few seconds it took to aim was a few seconds too long, and the bandit was able to knock the barrel away from her face as I fired. Some luck was at least on my side, and the bandit’s rifle got stuck on a chair, preventing her from making a counter attack. Not wasting time, I talked the mare and pulled out my knife. The fucking bandit was quick on the defense, and held back the strike with her fetlock, the blade but an inch from her face.

“Hay, let’s say you let me go. Not like I liked the bitch anyways.” The bandit pleaded with a smile.

“Okay.” I responded.

“Really?!” She said in surmise.

“After the shit your friend put me through.” The color on her face seemed to drain, she must have known the pony left to guard the prisoners was a rapist. I used my left hoof to punch her in the stomach. “Fuck no!”

Her block weekend, and the blade went down. The bandit managed to regain control, but I was able to cut her neck before being pushed back. It was a small cut, but the blood streamed out of her, I managed to nick an artery.

“Common, not all of us are that bad. I’m only doing it because I got no other place to go.” She looked me in the eyes, scared. “Honest really, I was starving and they had food.” Tears welled up in her eyes and I pushed down on her. “You don’t need to do this.” I rolled off of her, and she quickly covered her neck with her hooves, trying to stop the bleeding. “Thank yo…”

I slit her throat, giving her a quick death. Blood bubbled from the slit throat as the bandit mare attempted to speak. “You should have just yourself starve.”

“DRAGON SLAYER, A LITTLE HELP HERE!” Guitarrón was pinned down, Drum Sticks was on the other side of the overturned table, and the bandit stallion had picked up the rifle of the pony Guitarrón had killed earlier, and was not trying to flank him.

Placing my combat knife in my mouth, I slipped into S.A.T.S. giving myself time to plan my attack. The shadowrunner was only a few short seconds from getting killed, so I was going to need to act fast. Grabbing the bandit mare’s rifle would take too long to unstrap from her, and the shotgun was a pain to reload. Among the option for my actions was to use my spell talismans. I had stupidly forgotten that I had them, and the bandits probably didn’t think I had anything but basic spell talismans. I didn’t like the idea of just going at the bandit Vanguard style, but it was my best option.

The teleportation talisman would not be able to take me far, about half way to the bandit stallion, but if I galloped, I should be right on him before he knew what to do. The magic armor should provide me with enough protection to endure any hit I took, presuming I avoid taking a direct hit.

With a flash, I was on top of a table, plates of green magic covering me. Dashing, I pulled myself into a sprint at the bandit. He didn’t have time to aim at me, giving me the opportunity to tackle him. The bandit rolled hoof overhead, but quickly recovered. I spat the combat knife into my right cyberhoof, catching it in the digests. Leaping at him, he had time to fire off a shot at me, it deflecting on the magic armor. My knife came down on the bandit's head, right in one of his eye.

Time seemed to have frozen, the bandit looking at me eye to eye. He knew he was fucked, I had closed in on him hard and fast, and now he had a knife in his head. I twisted the blade, and the bandit collapsed, his body twitched as blood spouted from the eye socket.

A ball bearing bounced off the side of my head, the magic armored saving me from losing an ear, and possibly some skull. It was enough to make me stumble a bit, but not to do any damage to my brain. Drum Sticks had shot me, but in doing so opened herself up to Guitarrón’s attack. He tackling her to the ground, and restrained her by pounding her head to the ground a few times, and proceeding to remove her legs.

The now legless Drum Sticks looked around, now having trouble concentrating on me or Guitarrón, her head wobbling. “Fuck…. You.”

Guitarrón spat at her. “Not even with a ten hoof pole Sticks.” Trotting over to me, he offered another towel. “You alright?”

“I am.” Taking the towel, I wiped off some of the blood on my hooves. It felt surreal. The act of cleaning blood off my hooves gave me a feeling of dread, not because of who I killed, but just that I had, and three times now, with a knife. Sighing, I gave the towel back. “Why do you have two towels?”

“Three actually.” He said in a matter-o-fact tone. “Their super useful, so I never leave home without one.” He put away the towel, and trotted back to Drum Sticks.

Trotting over to them, I looked down on the legless mare. “So a friend of yours?”

The Shadowrunner spat on her again. “Sister in law sadly, drove my brother to suicide.” Drum Sticks laughed, and Guitarrón kicked her in the stomach. “Somehow convinced his doctor to give my brother antidepressants, and would switch them with narcotics when she was pissed off at him. The chemical imbalance was too much for him.”

Looking at the mare, I felt disgusted. “So that’s why she became a bandit?”

“No, she got away with that. It wasn’t until she dropped my nephew in hot oil when the law came down on her, and she ran.” I cringed, and he kicked her again. “Turns out she had relatives and friends who were bandits. Former equality death squad to be correct. She fell off the raider up until today.”

“Like you’re no better! I know…” Guitarrón kicked Drum Sticks again, and she puked on the floor.

Aiming his gun down at her, Guitarrón spat on her one more time. “Speak when spoken to you peace of hog shit!” He placed the barrel on her head. “Now tell us why you’re here, why are you attacking the DJ, what’s compelling you to do act so brazenly?”

The bandit laughed. “You’re all fucked. We’re going to tear down your fucking system, and make a new one. The age of the metro is over!”

She got another kick from Guitarrón. “What does that mean, explain”

“It means when we're done, you will beg to be my sex slave!” She said with a mocking tone

Guitarrón went in for another kick, but I stopped him. “ Does the name Flintlock Hook mean anything to you?” The bandit paused, no longer laughing. “I see. What can you tell us about their ship?” Her face scrunched up, and she looked. “No matter, I know Orthrus will be able to get the information out of you.”

“The syndicate has first dibs on this.” Guitarrón said, placing a hoof on Drum Stick’s neck, and looked over at me. “Any problems with that?”

Before I could respond, Drum Sticks started convulsing violently. Guitarrón took his hoof off of her, and her face exploded. Blood splattered everywhere, getting on everything.

Guitarrón looked shocked, I knew I was. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!” he shouted.

Looking over at the body, if there was still anything in my stomach, I would have lost it. The Drum Sticks head was hollowed out, her face now missing, with the back of her head the only thing still attached. The inside were scorched, some of it still burning, she was as dead as dead could be.

Pulling out the towel Guitarrón had given me originally, I wiped off the pieces of Drumsticks off of me. Guitarrón was doing the same, having walked a bit away from the body. Trotting over to him, I gave him a knowing nod, confirming how disturbing that was. “My guess, must have some information protecting countermeasures.”

He nodded, “That makes sense.” Finally cleaned up, he put the towel away. “I’m betting you know who is behind this?”

I nodded. “Vaguely. Had a run in with them on the big island. They’re from outside the islands, have ships and vertabucks. They captured a bunch of bandits two days ago, probably these ones.”

Guitarrón paused for a moment, thinking about what I just said. Sighing, he trotted over to the stairwell. “Sounds like shits going down. Let’s get to the DJ, so I can report this to my broker.” I nodded, and followed him down the stairs.

____________________________________

DJ Cerberus didn’t respond to us at first, but after talking to the door for a few minutes, the DJ opened up. The DJ was a golden colored mirage pony mare with a flesh and blood front left leg, a pipbuck attached to the leg, and her hoof was painted purple. Her glowing red mane was branded back, tied to a glow stick on the end. She was also pregnant, her stomach bulging at the sides bigger than I had ever seen a pregnant mare’s stomach bulge before. She had forgone on most cloths, only wearing rainbow colored panties, and a thin torn up rainbow color shirt. Dark Red tinted glasses hid her eyes from me, It was hard to tell if it was perception or simply for style, not that I was going to ask of she was colorblind or not. Overall, she looked excessively unusual, making me feel a little wherry about associating with her.

In the room with her as a far more plain looking mirage pony mare. A bit small, she had a grayish green cote, same with the mane, and her cloths were a gray jumpsuit, identifying her as a janitor.

The room itself was also toned down, with the walls a simple powder blue, the ceiling a concrete gray, and the floor a soft pink. The walls were sparsely decorated, mostly photos, but also a shelf full of trophies, and some metro cola promotional items. She had one large bed with a rainbow colored sheet, and next to it were two baby cribs. The door was a beast to look at, thick, and with five locks on it. A pony would have to cut through the door to get in.

The DJ waddled over to the bed and laid down, bags under her eyes. With a wide mouth she loudly yawned. “The assholes are gone, good, I can finally get back to sleep.”

Guitarrón and I looked at each other and back to the DJ. I cleared my throat getting her attention. “Sorry, but I was sent to see you, by Shamisen.”

Nodding, Guitarrón spoke up after me. “I to have dealing with you mam. It should be quick, and then I’ll be out of your mane.” She sighed, and waved at the janitor to leave. The scared janitor mare was stopped by Guitarrón before she could leave, and given a coin. “Give this to your boss, and don’t ask questions.” Nodding, the janitor galloped off, stumbling along the way.

Eyeing us, DJ Cerberus nodded. “I remember now, the syndicate’ trying to pull strings, and get information. So they sent their two best agents to ensure my support.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Sorry, but syndicate agent? I don’t do busses with any crime organization.”

Guitarrón laughed. “Sorry to burst your bubble miss, but you do. You just do all the legal jobs, I’m the one who does the real dirty work.”

Cerberus whistled, catching our attention. “You two may care about who works with what, but I don’t. Now if I remember correctly-“ She pointed at Guitarrón. “Your owner wants to set up deal in my club, and keep any equalist spies from finding out. I can do that, but it’s going to cost extra, the pricks have been more active lately. I don’t know what’s going on, but if a shootout happens on my dance floor, the cost doubles.”

He bowed. “Trust that our best will be there, and on their best behavior.”

Her hoof then pointed at me. “Now for you, your employer was vague on the details. Something about getting the old radio station up and running. I don’t know why she needs it, or how she knows I have it, but I know she is good for the bits.” She pointed at one of the cribs. “The items is under that, it’s the pink box with the party balloons painted on it.”

I trotted over, finding a small odd pink box under the crib. A small rock was on top of it. Pacing it on the bed I poked at it. “What’s it do?”

Lifting it up, Cerberus pointed at two ports on the box. “Well the rock’s name is bolder, right now he protects the box. As for box itself, it’s a Ministry of Moral bux. One that was oddly made to be super durable. It also works as a signal booster, so everything tends to come in loud and clear. “

So it was an M.o.M. artifact. “How did you come across it?”

She took bolder off the box, and onto her head. “Been in the family for generations, same with bolder. My mom gave them to me for good luck when she found out I was going to have foals. It’s a family tradition, you understand.”

I lightly patted my scarf, and nodded.

She passed the M.o.M. bug over to me. “Good, then you know to be careful with it. Now what you’re going to want to do is head over to the old radio tower on the surface. It’s a historic sight, so the path there will be clear. There, you just need to get the tower up and running, and install the bug into the broadcasting booth. You will be looking for a big boxy computer that sends and receives radio signals.”

I placed the box in my pocket. “Anything else I might need to know. Not to be suspicious, but I’ve been running into one surprise after another lately.”

The DJ chuckled. “Smart mare. If it was a week ago, I’d tell you to watch out for the scouts. The adults like using the tower for a camp ground when taking the foals to the surface.”

I nodded. “Ya, I remember. Got my surface expedition badge from that. Went up there a few more times as a senior scout.”

DJ sighed. “I was one of the foals who pissed ourselves scared, and chose not to go all the way.” I held back laughing, it was actually quite common. Living underground your whole life, and being told about how horrible the surface can be, most foals were terrified of leaving the metro. “But sadly that’s not going on this week.”

I had a feeling that I was not going to like this. “What’s up there?”

“Short answer, the republic. Well the equalists to be exact. Don’t know why, but they’ve been really active for months now, and in the last week have been getting aggressive. They’ve been staying out of the way of the island's normal activities, so your best bet is to wait until a maintenance crew goes up to check on the tower. But that’s in a month or two.”

I sighed. “I don’t think I can wait more than a day.”

She nodded. “Then I suggest going in at night, and stay as below the raider as you can.”

“That should work for me. I still need to pick up my guns later.” I was not going to the surface with just a knife, or some air rifle cobbled together by a bandit. “Guess I’ll be going then. Thanks for the advice.”

Guitarrón and I turned to leave, but the DJ whistling caught our attention. “The stallion can go, but if you would be so kind miss, and help me out for a minute.” Guitarrón chuckled, and winked at me before trotting off. I turned around to look at the mare, who was struggling to get onto her hooves. “Sorry, my brother had been looking after me, but right now he’s out working. Good thing too, the stallion can’t stand violence.”

I helped her up. “What about the father?”

She shrugged. “Don’t know who the father is. Orgies tend to do that.”

I almost tripped over myself. “Well do you have any suitors, some pony who wants to be the father?”

She laughed. “You sound like my friends. But ya, I have a few. Being as well-known as I am finding suitors easy. But I’m not ready to settle down and do the family thing.” I cocked an eyebrow, and furled her eyebrow at me. “Yes I know I’m bolted up with two healthy foals, no need to get eye snippy with me. Just take me to the back parlor room, it’s just next door.”

She was able to walk on her own, if a bit with a waddle. I mostly moved the random bits and pieces that were left by the bandits, out of her way. The parlor room was about as toned down as her bedroom, but much bigger. It had its own bar, game table, and a big puffy couch sitting in front of a monitor.

I helped her onto the couch, she sinking into it with a satisfying sigh. “So if you’re not interested in starting a family, why have the foals?” I couldn’t but help to ask, or it would bug me.

She sad there for a few seconds, relaxing, with her eyes closed. “It’s for my brother. Him and his wife are sterile, so I asked them about it, and I was stuck in a hug for over a minute. Just didn’t expect it to be twins.”

“Oh,” was all I could bring myself to say.

She chuckled. “Ya, life’s little surprises, the names Cabrette Pieper.” She reached out a hoof.

“Vibraphone Echo.” I shook hooves with her.

“The foals will be in good hooves, and I can see them whenever I want. It’s the best thing I can do for them, which is what matters the most.” Cabrette placed a hoof on her stomach, looking satisfied. “Can’t say I’m not growing attached to the troublemakers, despite all their kicking.”

“Kicking?”

Cabrette smiled. “E’yep, last I checked, they have all their legs. The club is not the cleanest environment, but I’ve managed to keep myself clear of toxins for years. So after a quick stop at New Gen, and nearly half my savings, I now have two very healthy foals inside me.”

I couldn’t help but feel warm, like the events of just a few minutes ago were washing away. Making the humiliation feel worth it, knowing that I helped save Cabrette and her unborn foals. “So what can I help you with Cabrette?”

“Yes, can you grab a box from the fridge at the bar? It’s on the bottom.”

I trotted over, and opened the fridge. It was full of food sticks, and vegetable juice. Despite her outward appearance, Cabrette was a very health conscious pony. Picking up the box, I trotted back over to the couch, and placed in on the floor near her.

“Thanks.” She said with a smile. “Lately I’ve been getting cravings for my mother’s soup, so she’s been making extra batches for me. Never thought I’d crave rock soup.” I cocked an eyebrow at the last statement, and Cabrette chuckled. “It’s a family thing.”

I chuckled back. “Ya, my family has a few zebra recipes passed down through the generations. I even know how to speak a little bit of zebra.”

“Zebra, that’s rare.” She scratched her chin. “You know, I have a friend who told me that she had a griffin as an ancestor. Had an old photo to prove it. You think that the line was at zebras, but turns out ponies can mate with griffins too. Strange.”

I nodded. “Orthrus has a whole record on family histories. Mostly to help keep inbreeding from happening, but also to track the different birth defects in some families.”

Cabrette rolled her eyes. “let’s not talk about Orthrus. I got nothing against the group, but my family’s not on good terms with them. Something about a family heirloom no being given back.”

“Right, well is there anything else I can do for you?”

She thought for moment. “I could do with a cuddle partner.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m into stallions.”

Cabrette sighed. “A shame. Well I’m covered here. If you come back later, I’ll have the VIP booth open to you, so just hit me up the next time you're over. Oh and before you go, take one of my hats as a reward, the ones above the bar. My employee’s will see it as your VIP pass.”

“A hat?” I asked.

She nodded. “Their good hats, custom made too.”

I sighed, and trotted over to the bar and looked for the hats. There were six hats on display above me. One was an old Sparkle-Cola cap, the front having a metal plate advertising Sparkle-Cola rad. I left that one alone. Two were for club Three Dog, and the last three were from Metro-Cola. I picked a red Metro-Cola cap, it was thick in material, had a flat top, and a stout and thick metal plate above the bill that was a matted silver and yellow. On the metal plate was ‘M-C’ which was simple enough for my liking.

The hat fitted nicely onto my head, it made to accommodate for a mirage pony’s horn. Trotting back over to Cabrette, she gave me a smile and nod. “Now that one brings back memories. The Metro-Cola’s emergency rush race. A pony would drink a Lurker-Blue and then try to run an obstacle cores. The hat was given to whoever got to the end, and the winner was the one with the shortest time. Only three ponies got the hat.

Saying our goodbyes, we parted ways. Making my way to the club’s dance floor, Guitarrón was waiting with Turnip and Rufus. My two companions were happy to see me, Rufus quick to jump on me and give me a lick.

Guitarrón trotted over, a slick smile on his face. “Nice hat, it goes well with your scarf.”

“Thanks.” I gave a little glare. “So I’m guessing you want something else?”

He nodded. “There’s some pony who would like to talk to you at the Lucky Rabbit's Foot. A free lunch, and show is included.”

I pushed Rufus off of me. “And what’s it about? And if it involves me dancing on a pole, you will be the fourth pony I stabbed today.”

Chuckling, Guitarrón trotted to the door. “No worry, this pony may work with the syndicate, but it’s all legal stuff. She just needs a pony with a clean record to do a job for her. Actually she’s the reason I’m here in the first place.”

Thinking about it, my real job started after nightfall, so I at least had time for a free lunch. “Fine, I’ll go see what that mare wants.”

______________________________________

The red light district doubled at the gray market of the station. Nothing sold here was illegal, but most of the stuff couldn’t leave the island, some couldn’t even leave the station.It was the drugs that had the restrictions, but there were services as well that were mostly illegal off the island.

One shop was for Cybernetic modifications, a pony outside the shop had altered wings that were three times bigger than normal, and in a rainbow of colors. Another pony had her back hooves end in wheels, and her horn extended.

A tattoo parlors specialized in risky inking, and even advertised using magic ink. The artist inside the shop had glowing blue eyes, and strips. Only the stripes in his mane did not glow, hinting that it was inked in, which means he inked his eyes.

There were a few less extreme stores, mostly porn shops. I had little interest in most of them, not being into BDSM, or other kind of roleplay, but an underwear store did catch my eyes. It sold cloths done in the Orphic kingdoms style, with lots of frills and lace. The clothes themselves were simply short paradise of the real thing, as sex was still the team of the shop, but I didn’t mind browsing the store. The mare who ran the store was also very friendly, and did let me try on a few outfits the last time I was over. Made me want to get socking friendly legs just so I could where some of the other outfits.

At the end of the street was the Lucky Rabbit's Foot, It reached to the ceiling, and was covered in lights. Next to the neon sign was the image of a mare in a red piece and rabbit ears, she looked down onto the street with a surly stare, almost beckoning every pony to come in.

On the ground, escort mares and stallions called out to other ponies, offering their company for the day. They weren’t prostitutes, though it was known that sex did happen from time to time, their main talent was stroking a ponies ego, and helping them have a good time. Most ponies who hire them tend to lose all their bits, but rarely seemed upset about it.

Guitarrón stopped at the entrance. “Just follow me, I’ll take you the place.” Nodding, I followed the Shadowrunner in, Rufus and Turnip behind me.

______________________________________

Footnote:

Item Obtained:

‘M-C’ Cap. A strong Mirage pony cap reinforced with a metal plate. The M-C stands for Metro-Cola, a popular soft drink in the Marewaii Metro system. +1 Per, +1 DT, +5 Survival

Chapter 11 - The White Rabbit

Taking up a long stretch of a tunnel, the inside of the casino was just as flamboyant as the outside, bright lights pointing the way to game tables, slot machines, and one big arrow pointing at a big wheel. The sound were nonstop clicks, beeps, and laughter, with an odd moan now and then. Most ponies here had their best clothes on, trying to live the life of the wetly as they make themselves poorer, though the odd pony dose trot away richer, they were the exception.

As I followed Guitarrón further into the casino, I had to keep my eye on Turnip. I wasn't sure which was distracting the lurker more, the ponies in skimpy one piece bunny suites, the games, or simply sensory overload. I was a bit worried about him, and if he was going to be okay after all of this.

We wanted the next section of the casino, and the thick humid air smelled sickly sweet. Unlike the game floor, this part of the casino offered no hope of getting your bits back. Known as the pony auction, it had a stage in the middle of the room, a bunch of private rooms off to the side with their own small stage. A glorified brothel, the pony on the main stage would commonly auction themselves off to the heist bidder.

One of the private rooms was left open, and I could see the ponies inside. The working mare straddled a pole, bending over with flexibility that made me a little jealous, and was wrapped up with ribbon like a present. Upside down, she was giving one of the patrons a long kiss.

Not wanting to get caught staring, I pushed along, ignoring the debauchery, sadly Guitarrón had stopped to watch one of the strippers instead of moving to the next room. Irritated, I looked up at the mare, she had a glossy teal coat, dark blue mane, and she had what I would describe as a slutty stable pony outfit. The barding was basically just a corset, panties, and leggings. All of it held together with leather belts.

I poked Guitarrón. “I get you like this stuff, but I have things to do.”

He waved me off. “Just wait a moment, it’s almost at the good part.”

Sighing, I decided to humor the shadowrunner, though I couldn’t understand the appeal. Now it it was a stallion with a little extra fur on his face, maybe I’d be more inclined to enjoy this. The mare herself maneuvered on the pole with the kind of agility expected of an acrobat, twisting all the while in seductive poses. The mare suddenly sped up, climbing higher on the pole, and kicked off of it, right at us.

Guitarrón caught her in midair, spun around once, and finished with a kiss as she led back. Pulling her back onto her hooves, the stripper hugged Guitarrón, and he nuzzled her back. “Miss Echo, this is my wife Conga Pulse.”

Conga sized me up with her eyes, looking a bit unshared of me. “You don’t look like another floosy.” She tilted her nose up at me. “Just so you know, I can and will knock out a few teeth if you’re after my husband.”

I sighed. “No, thrice no. I’m here for a job, you can keep him.”

The look on Congas face went a blank for a moment. “So you’re here for that.” Her eyes shifted about. “Well don’t let me keep you from it.” She tugged on Guitarrón shirt. “Now come on sexy, there’s an empty room on the other side.”

Being dragged away by his wife, Guitarrón waved at me. “Just go to the far back room, you’re looking for the mare from Ironshod, the one in the red dress.” I nodded, and went on my way, not wanting to hear the two get close to each other.

The next area was a bunch of private rooms, of which I quickly passed. At the end of the casino was where the real business took place, as scantily clad ponies were replaced with ones in suits. There was a small cafeteria, with a few employees on break, one only with a pair of bunny ears on. A few of the desks were covered in paper, and busy ponies sorted through them, or scribbled on them.

As I looked around, a mare in a tight fitting black bunny suit stepped up to me. Surprisingly her front legs were natural, and decorated with cuffs near the hoof. Her back cyber legs were made smooth and were a matted grayish black, making it look like she had stockings on. The mare’s coat was a solid white, and her mane a carrot orange. The bunny mare look fit her a bit too perfectly. “Miss, are you lost? Unless you have business back here, I’ll have to ask you to leave.” She had a firm but gentle voice, which commanded my attention without feeling threatening.

“Yes, I was asked to come. Something about your boss having a job for me. Name’s Vibraphone Echo, but some ponies have been calling me dragon slayer.”

The mare scratched her chin, looking me up and down like Conga did. “Hmm… Must be for the bodyguard work.” She reached out a hoof, and I reciprocated, shaking it.” I’m the head manager of this place, Citole Serenaded.” She pointed to a door at the back. You will find my mother there, but you might want to wait a few minutes, she’s currently training a new higher.”

I looked at the time on my pipbuck, it was nearly noon now, about lunch time. “Sorry but I have things to do later today, so the sooner this is done the better.”

Citole stepped out of my way. “Just remember that I warned you.” That gave me a bad feeling.

Opening the door, my nose was assaulted with smoke and incenses. The smoke had a pungent smell to it, tobacco to be sure, but mixed with something else. The incense on the other off was a more pleasant smell of flowers, mint, and a few other herbal smells.

Inside was a colorfully decorated room, with the walls covered by tapestries, the ceiling having curtains draping from it, and pillows everywhere. In the middle was a large round bed, the inside blocked by a thick red curtain. Stepping closer, the sound of a moan made me regret not waiting a few more minutes.

Opening the curtain, my eyes were assaulted with the sight of a mare mounting a stallion. It was the mare from Ironshod, still in her red dress, and slowly moving her hips as she arched her back. Clearing my throat to get her attention, I also hoped to end the sound of two bodies of flesh rubbing up on each other.

The mare didn’t stop her mounting, instead leaned backwards, a move that got a moan from the stallion, and looked at me upside down. “Oh, hello there!” she said without an ounce of shame.

Pushing back the feeling of just walking away, and swallowing it down. “I was told you have a job for me?”

She smiled, and giggled. Leaning back forward, she lifted a leg and spun around, something that made the stallion go limp. “Miss Echo, it’s good to see you.” She reached out and picked up a long pipe that was sitting in a stand on the bead near her with her cyber hoof, the digits looking more fine-tuned than my own. Sucking in the smoke, she held onto it for a few seconds before tilting her head up, and letting out a stream of smoke. “We never were formally introduced were we. My names Vielle Serenaded. I’m the owner of this establishment, and a representative in the Capital Group of the Trade Union.”

My ears drooped. Not only was she a nympho business mare, but a Politician too. “Just so you know, involving me in political battles triples my cost.”

Vielle pointed at me with the pipe. “Smart mare. You’d be surprised how much more a Politician will pay just for the sake of paying more.” She placed the pipe back in her mouth, berthing it in. “But no, I have other more reliable ponies for that.” The smoke escaped from her mouth as she talked, sending a small part of the cloud to me. It finally hit me to what was one of the other smells in the smoke, Cannabis.

Not interested in getting high, I took a step back. “Citole said it was bodyguard work. Just so you know, I have other work later in the day, so I can’t do an all day job.”

Smiling, she pulled herself off the stallion. I looked away, trying to ignore the sound of seeming flopping over. “That’s fine, I just need you to look after one of my ponies for a short job.” She got off the bed and trotted to a cupboard, I could see some liquid stuck to one of her back legs, making me shiver a little. Pulling out an envelope, she trotted over to me, the pipe still in her mouth. “Take this.” She hoofed over the envelope.

Taking it, I looked back at the mare. “And this is for?”

“A simple package you will be delivering” She said in a sing song way. “The bodyguard part is just half of the job I want you to do. The poor, poor stallion does need some pony to look after him, you know mares right, some them need a black eye to learn not to touch unless given perdition.”

Remembering one of my last times here, a mare did jump up onto the stage and got real close to the stallion. She got dragged out of the casino by her hooves. “Right, and the envelope? Or is this a blindfold deal?”

Vielle shook her head. “Don’t worry, if I was going to send a pony over there uninformed, I would have higher the syndicate for the job. Something that would be counterproductive to my business.” She took a long breath of her pipe, blowing the smoke into the air. “The envelope has the video evidence of a client doing something real stupid, scandal level stupidity. You're delivering the envelope to that client's mother, it will be up to her to decide on what to do with it.”

I almost face hoofed. “So this is what, blackmail material for family to use on each other?”

Chuckling, Vielle took another puff on her pipe. “Quite certainly. It’s the sign of good parenting when the parent will go out of their way to correct their child’s bad behavior. Uncorrected children grow up to be damaged adults, and damaged adults are bad for business.”

“Wait, but you have to be an adult to even come here in the first place?”

She sighed. “True, but said client is still young enough to learn. And their family is wealthy, so I’m willing to give a little help in hopes to not have more trouble down the tracks. It also help keep my business's reputation from getting slandered, something that’s a full time job on it’s own.” She placed her pip down on the desk. “And that’s why I want you, and not some syndicate lackey to deliver this. They only know how to threaten and extort, not the best way to deliver a friendly message from one mother to the next. But sending the Dragon slayer, it would be like getting a movie start to do it, something a pony does not simply ignore.”

Thinking about it, it did make sense. Vielle wanted to maintain a healthy relationship with her clientele, or at least with her wetly patrons. My job was to help resolve an issue that could poetically get worse if not dealt with carefully. “Ok I understand. I protect your employee, deliver the envelope to the appropriate mare, and let them know who I am.” I placed the envelope in an inside pocket of my jacket. “Is that correct.”

Vielle smiled. “This is why I love working with professionals, always to the point. My daughter will fill you in on where you’re going, and who you will be looking after. She will also discuss your payment.” She took a step back and trotted back to the bed. “Now if you ever want a good bump and grind, come see me, I’m sure I can teach you a few new tricks.” Daughter winked at me, and I shook my head. “A shame.”

Not wanting to stick around to see her mount the stallion again, I left. Turnip was sitting in the cafeteria with Citole, whom looked a little confused. The lurker had his mask off, and was eating a donut. As I stepped closer, Citole saw me and waved me over.

“What’s the matter?” I damn well knew what the matter was.

She glanced at Turnip, and back at me. “I’ve never seen somepony with cybernetics like that before, it looks too organic.” She whispered to me.

At this point I didn’t feel like playing along, the sight of cum on her mother’s leg was still stuck in my mind. “That’s because it’s not cybernetics. Turnip here is a Lurker, blue blood and all.”

Citole cocked an eyebrow at me. Her head slowly turned to Turnip, seeing him nibble on the donut, carefully eyeing. After what seemed like a minute, she slowly turned her head to me. “How?”

“They live on the big island, Future Park. That’s about all I can really say.” I sat down at the table, pulling an unopened bottle of Metri-Cola to me. “They weren’t very interested in talking about themselves too much. Still talkative, just suspicions of us.”

She scratched her chin, still looking confused about the lurker. “Strange times. Well whatever he is, I thinking it’s best to not let my mother know about him, She a mare of many tastes.” It took me a moment to understand what she had suggested, sending a shiver up my spine.

I waved Turnip over, and he gave me a nod, trotting over. “So about this job, I’ve got around six hours before I have to pick up my guns. Cornett was adamant that I stop over for dinner.” Turnip sat at the table like it was perfectly normal for him to be here, His face looking satisfied, covered in frosting. I rolled my eyes at him, knowing that he was simply a harmless silly Lurker. “I rather not upset the ponies tuning up my guns.”

Citole paused for a moment, obviously thinking. “Cornett, as in Cornett’s guns and knives?” I nodded, and she smiled. “Interesting.” The smile grew bigger. “You know what, if you can get me in on that dinner, I might have something better then bits to pay you.”

I didn’t know to be concerned, or be interested. I picked the middle ground of cautiously interested. “Why, and what’s better than bits?”

The mare waved at one of her coworkers. “Can you bring over some soda, and soup?” A bunny mare nervously gathered, and delivered what her manager asked for. Metro-cola, and Punga soup. I was not going to complain about the soda, and the soup was far harder than what I normally would have, so not going to complain about that either. “Just a quick question, what do you think of Flugelhorn?” Citole blushed as she asked the question.

The question almost killed my appetite. It was easy to see what she wanted me to do, I’ve seen it many times, and it was the look of a mare who wanted a stallion. “He’s an ass.” Was my response.

“Ah, what?” Her face contorted in confusion.

I had to take a deep breath before explaining. “Sorry, but I don’t know much about him. He’s a hard worker, that’s for sure. A bit vindictive, but from what he has to deal with, that’s natural. Other than that, well, I don’t know, he’s not my type.”

“I see” Citole scratched her chin. “Well… if you do this job, and get me in on this dinner. I can give you something you can get real use out of. Like a new pair of back legs. The kind that has no cut corners, or cheap internals. I know we have a few spare ones we can give out, what do you say?”

I had to pause and think about it. I did like my back legs, though they were the bare bones skeletal type, strong and reliable. But it never felt like it was me, I liked rugged stallions, but I liked to be pretty, something I couldn’t really do with my current back legs. “Hmm, fine. I’ll do your job, and get you in on the dinner. But you better have the legs ready for me.”

Citole smiled. “Not a problem. I’ll be waiting for you at Cornett” She pulled out a bag, and a sixteen dice fell out. They were four different colors, blue, green, red, and yellow. “Now that that’s over with, let’s play a game until Bagpipe gets here.”

Dice games were a specialty of the Lucky Rabbit's foot. The games were simple, but addictive. I looked at the dice and knew what kind of game she wanted to play. “Twenty one dots is it.” Citole nodded.

“What’s that?” Turnip spoke up, having finished drinking his metro-cola. “I like games, can I play, Kindly?”

I almost faced hoofed. “Do you have any bits Turnip?”

He looked at me, yes, but do you?”

I paused at his question, and relished he had all my bits in his bag.

“Then I play” Turnip opened up his saddlebag, and pulled out all of our bits. And then some. There was seventy eight bits in total, turnip kept forty four bits, a lent me thirty four bits. The asshole was mocking me with my own bits. “What twenty one dots?” he asked, all too cheerful.

Citole chuckled. “It’s a simple game. We all get four six sided dice, and try to roll twenty one. At the start of the game we all put bits into the pile, and make a role. Whoever has twenty one, or the heist number without going over twenty one wins, but any pony can pay for a reroll. Every reroll cost at least a bit, and can be raised every turn, with whom raising the amount up to a different pony every turn. The game ends when no pony is willing to add more to the pot, and the winnings are divide the bits among winners.”

Turnip nodded. “Get twenty one dots and win, have to pay in bits to play. I can do it.”

The game started, and went on for a few minutes. 1, 5, 5, 6 for Turnip. 2, 3, 4, 6 for me, and 1, 4, 4, 6 for Citole. Turnip payed in for his 1 to be re rolled, getting a 6, ending his game at 22. I played in for the 2, 3, and 4 to be re rolled, getting a 1, 3, 6, only raiding my number by one, bringing it to 16. Citole payed in to re-rolled her 1, getting a 4, putting her on top with 18. I raided the pot by a bit, and re rolled my 1, and 3, getting a 4, and 4, giving me a 20. Citole pushed for a moment, and played in, playing two of her 4’s, getting a 3, and a 2. Dropping her to 15.

I smiled at her, and she frowned. “Giving up?” I mockingly asked, and she shook her head and placed a bit.

The 2, and 3 were re-rolled, getting a 2, and 4, giving her a 16. I held, and she played in, rolling the 2, getting a 5. A 19 was a good number, but I still had 20, so I held. She rolled another 4, getting a 1. I raided the pot all the way, every bit turnip gave me, she met it, rolling a 5.

I was a little annoyed, even breaking even I still lost some of my bits. We played a few more games, Citole winning mostly, but never getting more than few bits from me. I’d be a fool to think I could win against a casino boss in the long run, so I didn’t gave her the opportunity to clean me out after the first game.

Bagpipes eventually showed up, ending the game of twenty one. The pony was not what I expected, with the best word to describe was being cute. The pony had a light pink mane and tail that was a little longer than what most ponies normally had, and the coat which was a creamy light green. On the pony was a tight fitting red bunny outfit that hugged to every curve, and their face had the right mix of embarrassment and resolve. Short, the pony was not a runt, but significantly smaller then me, just a bit taller then Turnip. Cute was the capital word to describe bagpipe, so was stallion.

“This is bagpipe, one of our more desirable employees. Also one that needed extra protection from the mares.” Citole said in an annoyed tone. “I can see why other mares would like him, but I swear, the fuck is wrong with them. Just because he is cute does not give them listens to try to molest him. Seriously some self-respect.” Citole eyed me. “What about you, thinking about jumping the bone with him?”

I ferruled my brow at her, and sighed. “I like the more rugged type, thank you.” Waving my hoof dismissively, and trotted up to Bagpipes. “So you’re my ward for the day. Just let me know if there's trouble, and I’ll make it go away.”

Bagpipes nodded. “Thank you miss...” His voice even sounded like a small mare, almost made me want to give him hug, of which I resisted.

“Vibraphone Echo.” I responded.

He nodded. “I feel it will be a pleasure working with you.”

Citole cleared her throat. “Now that you know each other, time to inform you about where you’re going?” She took a deep berth. “You too will be visiting ‘Free Mare’ plantation. The owner’s son has requested special serves, of which my mother has denied. Instead she has scheduled a counseling service to help the boy through his issues.” She pointed at Bagpipe. “This is a very important job, so you will receive triple pay upon receiving a request for your return.” Her hoof then pointed at me. “Your job is to make sure he arrives at his destination, and the section goes smoothly. This is not some escort job, so if he starts getting touchy, shut it down.” We both nodded. “Good. Now that that’s over, I have work to get back to.” She gave us a glance. “Also be careful, lately I’ve been hearing about muggings in that part of the island, so keep an eye out for them.”

Turnip smiled. “I’ll keep an eye out for mugs.” The cyber dog looked up at him and rolled his eyes.

Nodding, Bagpipes and I left the casino, and trotted to the train. Turnip and Rufus stayed back, to not crowd our new companion, and draw even more attention to ourselves. It was odd escorting a very mare looking stallion in a bunny suit, but this was the job, and I hoped the reward will be worth it.

____________________________________

On our way to the train we did get a few looks, mostly at Bagpipe, which didn’t bother me, but the petite stallion didn’t seemed to like it too much. Most didn’t do more then look, and any that attempted to get too close were meant with my glare, which seemed to do the trick in keeping the ponies back.

After passing through the checkpoint, and paying them their bit, we were off to the next station. I didn’t like the idea of going to another station without a gun on me, I already had to deal with bandits once. ‘

“Th… thanks for agreeing to this.” Bagpipes spoke up. “It’s been difficult for me to get work lately.”

Looking at him, the way he was sitting was cute, though all he was doing was hiding his bulge with his front hooves, it gave him a venerable look to him. No, he was not my type, but just looking at him made me want to give him a hug. “Why’s that? I’m sure that most mares would want to spend some alone time with you.”

He shook his head, the bunny ears flopped around almost hitting me. “No, well yes, I’ve gotten some offers, but I can’t. You see, I’m married, and have two adorable foals. I don’t want to ruin things for them, not even if it meant getting every bit we need faster.”

Well that answers one question, yes, the overly adorable male that many mares want to molest, is in fact, already taken. “So I’m guessing your family has money troubles?”

“Yes. You see, my wife got sick, so it’s going to be another month before she can get back to work, mostly so she doesn’t spread the illness.” Bagpipe shuffled a bit, having a hard time getting comfortable. “The problems is that we rely on her income to get through the time when I’m not working. I would have gotten a normal job, but you know how Pineapple Island is.”

I nodded. It was a working ponies island, were if you didn’t have a job, you didn’t live on the island. Because of that, every job has heavy competition for it. “So how did you end up as a bunny pony?”

Bagpipe looked around nervously. “It kind of happened fast, a bit of a blur really. I had stopped by the job placement office, to you know, and bumped into Citole. She told me that I could get an excellent short term job if I went with her. Manageable hours, for pay plus benefits, and a good looking uniform.”

I had to hold back a laugh. “Let me guess, then you found yourself in a bunny suit, and thrown into a room with a stallion?”

He paused. “Not quite, I was put into a bunny suit, and then given an evaluation.” He tipped his head up a bit, looking a little proud of himself. “Turns out they had been looking for a pony with my skill set, so they were not going to simply use me as eye candy.”

“Skill set?” I asked.

Bagpipe lifted a hoof up to his mouth in surprise. Even his mannerisms he was feminine. “Oh sorry, I didn’t tell you. My real job is a teacher, my subject is pony psychology. After finding that out, Citole wanted me to work as an in house psychologist.”

“And the bunny outfit?”

He sighed. “They told me that it was the casinos work uniform, so I had to keep wearing it.”

I had to keep myself from laughing even more, poor Bagpipe, he was too cute looking for his own good. “So it’s a safe guess that you’re going to the Free Mare Plantation to give a pony some consoling?”

Bagpipe nodded. “If things go well, yes. From what I’m told, the plantations owner’s son has been developing a drinking problem, something that can easily get worse.”

“Ya, I was told something scandalous happened.”

He leaned in, and whispered to me. “Well as it turns out he’s gay, and it seems the presser for him to take a mare is what’s fueling his drinking habit.”

Thinking about it, it made sense. As far as most of the islands are concerned, there are no gay stallions. We all knew they exist, but the general though was that they should still take a mare and have foals. Orthrus, like with most things, had a hoof off policy when it came to how ponies wished to make a family, but the rest of the islands tended to look down on homosexuality.

“Well, if he gets too grabby with you, just let me know.” I clasped my hooves together. “You know how most stallions are, thinking with the wrong head and all that.”

Bagpiped sighed. “You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either.”

____________________________________

We arrived at Free Mares Station, obviously home to Free Mares Plantation. The atmosphere at this station was completely different, though the artistic style was still the same, from the first step inside I could feel how much more laid back everything felt.

There were no bustling crowds of ponies with places to be, or ponies at the corner, shouting for your attention. What was here were a few small stalls for placing orders for large quantities of food, and just as few ponies sitting around. I had heard about how slow passed the food production stations were, where the work was hard, but spread out over the entire day. It made everything here look so peaceful, but from knowing our history, when something goes wrong, their first ones to be burned. Something we learn time, and time again.

A mare in a sun hat and overalls trotted over to us, she had the biggest grin on her face. “Hello ladies, are you lost? Got off the wrong train?”

Bagpipes shook his head. “No, were just on our way to the Free Mares Plantation.”

The mare’s smile persisted. “I see, then would you like an escort? It’s a mighty distance from here on hoof.”

“Sorry, but we will be fine.” Bagpipe answered.

The mare got closer, and was now creeping me out. “I don’t know, things have been getting dangerous lately. You know, been hearing about robberies.”

I stepped between them, and stared down the mare. “I think you should go.”

She backed off. “I get it, you're both strong mares, need no help.” Trotting away, I could hear her grumble something, probably the word ‘cunt’

Looking back to Bagpipe, he looked a little concerned, but overall fine. “Let’s go before more creepers show up.” He nodded, and we were off.

The humidity went up the closer we got to the plantation, as well as the number of busy ponies. At first it was just ponies involved in shipping products from or to the plantation, but further we went in, more and more general labor ponies were around us. They gave us a few looks, some even whistled at Bagpipe, but none broke away from their work.

I wasn’t worried about anypony here doing anything stupid, as it would cost them their job. On this island, if you don’t have a means to support yourself, you didn’t live on this island. It’s why I didn’t live on this island, the rent was a pain in the flank, and my line of work was not stable enough in pay.

Passed the ponies, we entered the main area of the plantation, and into were much of the plants were being grown. Walls and walls of pineapples, tomatoes, and cucumbers were being grown here. The system had them all hanging on racks, which would slowly rotate, and allowed all the plants to get light and water evenly. It was all tightly compact as possible, growing the maximum amount of food in the smallest space, making the plantation was a wall of green all around.

The labor ponies would moves along the rows, picking the ripe fruit, or trimming overgrown plants back. Everything was moving, creating a constant hum of noise that surrounded me.

Pass all the plants, the main office was a lot calmer, with the radio playing in the background, and more space to relax. A mare behind a desk, looked over some paperwork, reminding me a bit of Flugalhorn. Stepping up to her, my shadow caught her attention. “Excuse me, I believe that were expected.”

The mare pulled a book over to her, and flipping through the pages. She looked up for a moment, eyeing Bagpipe. “Yes, you're here.” her voice was a bit nasally, and had a hint of hint of strain to it. “You’re here on behalf of the Lucky Rabbit's Foot, right?” We nodded. “Proceed on the door to your left, I’ll contact the mistress.”

We entered another waiting room, but this one was far better decorated. Mainly with plants growing in the corner, a fresh cucumber teased me in the distance, but also artwork hung from the wall. One painting caught my eye, it being of a pony holding a curved sword, facing off a wave of water as the pony stands on a cliff. I knew it was meant to be symbolic, but the meaning escaped me.

The music on the radio, a soft piano and saxophone duo, slowly faded out. ‘Hello, you are listening to radio channel one, music and news. I’m your host Domra Oakwood.’ The voice was that of a stallion, one of the common voices on radio one. The station rarely had anything interesting to say, but did keep the public informed about trade law, and the goings on between the Orphic Kingdom and the trade union. The music was not so bad either, mostly being Jazz and Swing, it was a good alternative to Club Three Dog's station, which focused on dance and electronic.

‘The Orphic royal court still has no common of the current state of Queen Gilded Gold. My fear that she has fallen to serious illness, but others have suggested that it is but a simple illness, and she simply refuses to have the public see her in a weakened state.’ I’d be inclined to believe the latter, but with everything I have been hearing about her lately, it was more likely the former. ‘The Orphic ponies are restless nonetheless, though princess Rare Pearl is next in line to take the thrown, many are unsure that is a transition takes place, that it will be a smooth one.’

My thoughts drifted to Golden Rule, and how he was getting ready for the worst. Didn’t know much about Rare Pearl, but it didn’t sound like she everything under control.

‘In other news, the Republic has once more partitioned for more stations to join them. One station did take their offer, but the rest remained skeptical. Though the republic’s reputation has slowly improved over the years, many ponies are still suspicious, as passed the border stations, it’s still an information blackout. The republic's president Garmon Keys still states that the blackout is for the citizen’s privacy, and protection. He also added that it was us to his citizen to lift the blackout, and that it continues because the public wishes for it.’

I was not all that interested in the politics involving the republic, but it was hard to avoid where I lived. The republic’s border stations were a nice enough place to live, with low income housing, proper law enforcement, and enough room to install an automatic shower, there was little I’d complain about. The one big complaint, I did have was how the republic's propaganda was everywhere, sometimes it made me wish Orthrus would stop it with their natural game, and start running stations directly.

‘One more bit of news, and this one’s about our rival Marewaii station 5-0.’ my ears perked up. ‘It seems that there was a disturbance at the station, not enough to take them off the air, but six body bags were seen being taken out of the club. When asked for comment, DJ Cerberus was mostly tight lipped. She did tell us that the club was being robbed, and a pony known as the Dragonslayer intervened. An Orthrus investigator at the scene supported the DJ’s statement, and added that the deaths are seen as self defense. Now we at station one do not condone violence, but we also understand that if you have the right to defend yourself, so to this Dragonslayer, good job.’

And the new nick-name continues to grow fame. Not that I didn’t like the name, far better than being named after the cloths I where, it just felt a little too much.

‘And that’s it for the news, tune in in two hours, and I’ll be interviewing minister Komabue Whisper, and her recent push for the Trade Union to work more closely to Orthrus. Her actions have divided the Union, and she will be here today to explain why.’

Music once more filled the room, this time swing. The sound of trumpets played alongside a guitar, with an energetic rhythm. I could see Bagpipe tap his hooves to the rhythm, it almost feeling contagious.

The peace was broken by the entrance of an older mare holding a small case, of which I assumed was the plantation owner, and two assistants that reminded me a bit of the maids with Golden Rule. They had a uniform on, but it was more business casual then the adorable outfits that the maids had on. The older mare looked all business in her gray suit, short cut main. She had a yellow cote any green making, reminding me a bit of a pineapple. But among the most distinct features she had, two cables came out of her neck and attached to a head terminal that she wore like glasses. The terminal simply looked like large blue tinted glasses, but I could see text scrolling in them, something almost impossible to read unless a pony was plugged into it.

She lifted the terminal and her eyes scanned the two of us. “You must be the mares sent by Vielle… you’re late.” The terminal fell back over her eyes. “Never the matter.” she pointed to Bagpipe. “I have a room ready, full privacy, just follow my assistances.”

Bagpipe got up, and bowed. “Thanks for your time mama.” The two assistants led him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Alone in the room with the plantation owner, I watched as she trotted over and sat next to me. She pushed her terminal up and over her ears, and sighed. “What a mess.” she shook her head and looked over at me. “Names Khlui Rapping” She extended a hoof, and I shook it.

“Vibraphone Echo, also known as Dragonslayer.” I pulled out the envelope, and passed it to her.

Khlui smiled, taking the envelope. “Vielle never disappoints. In and out of bed.” She opened up the envelope, sliding out a compact holotype, and looked at it for a moment before putting it back inside. a letter was underneath, of which Khlui opened up and read. “You know I was fully expecting her to sell this to a rival of mine, not use it as an excuse to ask me out on a date.” She sighed once more, placing a letter in her pocket.

“From what I’ve seen, she's going to want more than a date.” I couldn't help but make a comment on the situation. I’ve only know Vielle for a short time, and I had a feeling that she was on the nympho side.

“Naturally.” Khlui responded. “I wonder if she is as flexible as she was when we were young?”

I face hoofed. “Please don’t, just no.”

Khlui chuckled. “Hey, you could learn a thing or two.” looking away from me, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “But thanks for seeing Vielles little physiatrist here. My boy’s been nothing but a pain this year, I hope this might help get him to calm down.” She shifted her eyes over at me, not moving her head. “I’m sure you didn’t have a problem getting here?”

I shook my head. “Other than a creepy mare, no, no problem at all.”

She relaxed. “Good, good. Lately some ponies have been harassing my workers. It’s been getting a lot worse lately.” She placed the small case in front of her, and smiled. “I’ve heard you're a mare who can get things done.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, but I’m no hit pony, you're going to have to look elsewhere for that.”

“A hit pony, I’d never.” Khlui opened the box, and pulled out what was a retractable baton. “I just need somepony to deliver a message for me. Some pony I can trust to do the job right. Can’t use my own ponies, that just make them a target, and can't hire a mercenary from a broker, they may use it as an opportunity to screw me over. So you Miss Dragonslayer are my best bet at resolving this issue while I still have some control over the situation.”

It was starting to click with me, this was probably the real job. Vielle sent me here because I’m both below the radar, and above it. If I do this job, it’s unlikely any of the tugs will come after me later, as they don’t know who I am, and even if they know me as Dragonslayer, they don’t have my real name. But the reputation I do have would pin me with Orthrus at the most, and with Orthrus have a hooved off stance on most things, most ponies feel safe that they will not suddenly turn into a tyrannical state.

I had to ask one more question. “Why not call Orthrus, they do run security on this island?”

Khlui waited for a moment before answering, as though picking her words carefully. “Orthrus is… good at what they do, I do agree with this. But in this situation, there not going to be much help. You're going to have to trust me on this.”

I was now feeling a little curious about the situation. “And what is this message?” I gave into her request, and hoped I was not making a mistake.

A bolt of electricity arced from the tip of the baton as Khlui glanced at me. “Get off my lawn. Mess with the rad board, get the tusks. Play with fire and get burned.” She retracted the baton, and hoofed it over to me. “You can choose, I just need them to not come back”

I took the baton, and placing it under my jacket. “Fine, I’ll have a little talk with them, see if we can avoid a seen.”

Khlui nodded. “That would be for the best.” She hoofed over compacted hollow tape over to me. “This will allow you to get to where the ruffians hang out without having to take the long way. I’ve been locking all the non-essential doors to slow them done, but they have a skilled hacker with them, so it didn’t do much.”

“I have one more thing to ask, what did your son do?”

She sighed. “Same thing I did at his age, got involved with a stripper.” She laughed. “Now that I think about it, my mother did something similar. Actually, I don’t think there is one strait pony in my family, I know my husband like to pretend he is.”

I had to chuckle. “You should tell me about it later.” Khlui gave me a smile and nod, and I was off. I normally didn’t get too friendly with a client, but being on friendly terms with a plantation owner tended to have really good benefits. If I played my cards right, I could easily move out of my old place, onto this island, and have and easy going job. Could even bring sweet with me

____________________________________

After regrouping with Turnip and Rufus, we followed the nav point set by Minerva. The two had been trailing us the whole time, but were prevented from going further into the plantation. As it turned out, Turnip is good at making friends, and they played a game of dice until I arrived. None of them were beating any bits, but simply having a friendly game. Rufus won most of the rounds.

We ended up in an older less used part of the metro. From the looks of it, it was a Stable-Tec construction warehouse, converted into storage by the plantation. When the metro was first being made, this was where much of the supplies, and machinery entered, and later sealed up tight, and converted for other uses. The place still had the large drill machine used to dig out the tunnel, though it had long been striped for parts. Other skeletons of old machine sat around this place, doing nothing more than rust.

Five ponies sat around a lamp, playing cards, and smoking cigarettes, drinking what looked like bottles of booze, and being quite loud about it. I made the assumption that these were the ponies I was looking for, and trotted over to them.

One of the group got up and trotted over to me, keeping me at the edge of the light. The pony had a creepy grin on her face, and a sun hat on. No doubt, it was the pony who offered to give me directions. “Now you must be lost if all are down here. Ya see this is what happens when you turn down a friendly strangers offer to help. You make a right fool of yourself.” Definitely the mare from before. “Here, why don’t you come sit with us, we're almost done with our game here.”

I signaled to Rufus and Turnip to stay where they were before following the mare. I was going to follow along for now, and see if this situation could be resolved peacefully. The group were all mares, no surprise there, and had that delinquent look to them. Their manes had neon colors added to them, and their tails looked like they were assaulted with a blender filled with paint. They all had jumpsuits on, but modified with the kind of patches I would see in trendy shops, lots of skills and heart. One mare even had a spiked dog collar on, even had a ring for a leash. If I didn’t know better, I say that they were bandits, but they lacked that wild look in their eyes, the kind a pony gets from living like a savage.

Sitting among the group, I could see that they were much younger then I was, probably between seventeen and nineteen. I could also see that they were all armed with Digger Guns, the cheap 12 gauge shotgun pistols could only fire one before needing to be reloaded, but that didn’t make them any less deadly. One Ganger had her digger gun modified with a stock and extended barrel, probably making her the sniper of the group. The rest had unmodified guns, though all the guns were decorated with pink hearts. I was now worried I was at a gun slinging sleepover party, where we paint out hooves before shooting at each other.

The mare in the sunhat sat next to me, her grin still creepy as fuck. “So what happened to the tramp? Let me guess, Taphon showing her the Rapping family fucking.”

That escalated quickly. “Ah... no.” The gang of mares all looked agitated, their eyes on us two. “That’s not why she's there.”

Sun Hat tilted her head in the way when you know someone is hog shitting you, or at least you think they are. But her smile didn't fade, actually her whole face started to look forced in place. “Don’t lie to me!” I decided I needed to get a closer look, so I leaned closer to her face. “What!” her face flushed, but nothing on it moved. “Hey I’m not into that.”

It was faint, but I could see the slight signs of scars under her coat, all over her face. She was not smiling, her face was paralyzed into looking like that. I pulled back, and furrowed my brow. “What happened, who did that to you?” No pony made a noise, they all looked at us disquietly.

Sun Hat scooted back and pointed her hoof at me. “SHUT UP, WHAT DO Y’ALL KNOW?”

I hit a nerve. I had a few ideas of my own, but I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “Not much as it turns out. So why don’t you tell me about it.”

She seemed to relax a little. “And what should I tell y’all anything?”

I pulled out the baton, extending it. One of the mares jumped when it extended. I then turned on the power, bolts of electricity sparking of the baton. The made the rest jump. It was confirmed for me, they were just a bunch of kids. “First off, I want to know, were you the one harassing the plantation?”

The mares looked among each other, and one seemed to puff herself up. “Ya, why the fuck do you care.” Sun Hat tossed an empty can at the loud mare, pulling the attention back to herself.

“What she means is fuck you.” Sun Hat said, placing a hoof in a pocket.

I turned off the baton, and dropped it. “I’m not here for a fight, I just needed to know.”

Sun Hat took her hoof from her pocket, and relaxed again. “Fine, whatever.” she huffed.

I pulled out my combat knife, it still covered in the dried blood of the bandits, and dropped it. “Good, because I already killed three ponies today, and I think the blood is starting to make my skin isch.” The five mares were taken aback, one falling from the box she was sitting on, and hiding behind it.

Sun Hat nodded. “Yes mam.” Everything about her had tensed up. I could imagine what she must have been thinking; to her I was a killer, who did not fear them, and purposely dropped my weapons. I must have his a primal fear.

“You see.” Sun Hat continued. “I use to date Taphon, the plantations owners oldest, we dated for a long time.” I can already see how that ended. “I well wanted it to be more, told him I wanted to be with him, yakow, forever. But the damn fool freaked out, said he was not ready, that he needed space. I don’t know why.” Answer, he’s gay. “Well I was heartbroken, but my papa talk me that if the saddle falls of, you just have to put it back on again, so I didn’t give up. Well, news of him being single got around, and the mares came running, depart whores.”

I had a good idea what happened next in the story, when a lot of mares gather for the attention of a stallion, it can get ugly, especially for the mares closest to the stallion. “So a fight happened I guess?”

Sun Hat shook her head. “No, Taphon formally turned them all down, said the same thing he told me, but calmer. They all went away, but they didn’t give up, sending him letter, their underwear.” I shivered at the last part. “I tried to tell him that if he didn’t take me back, then they would not stop. But the damn fool turned stubborn. Well, not long after that, som… some..” tears started to fall from her face. “I ah, don’t want to talk about it.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.” I didn’t think I wanted to know how her face got paralyzed.

“FUCK YOU!” Sun Hat spat on the ground. “What do you know, nothing that’s what!” She put her hoof into her pocket, and pulled out an enforcer, placing the revolver in her mouth, and pointed it at me.

Now I was taken aback. The Digger guns I understood, but to have a enforcer, she would have had stolen it, or be part of Orthrus. I face hoofed. “Your part of Orthrus. Fuck me, this is getting stupid.”

Sun Hat growled. “uck yaa, a ar o ortis.” The idiot spoke through her gun.

The mare who fluffed up her chest before, took a step forward, looking more confident. “What sis is saying is, fuck you, you dumb ass bitch.” I wanted to smack her, I wanted to smack her good.

The pony who was behind the small box whimpered before raising her head and speaking up. “Dollu!” now I had a real name for Sun Hat. “Stop this, ma and pa will be mighty pissed if they knew you pulled a gun on a pony.” She looked over at the other two, and glared at them.

One of the two spoke up first. “We don’t want to get ma’s bet again.”

“Ya, our backsides still red from the last time.” The second finished.

And this got a whole lot dumber, this was not a gang, this was a family. This changed the dynamics a lot, like that they weren't going to abandon their sister no matter what I do. Family’s family.

I kept my hooves up, trying to not be threatening. “You need to calm down… Dollu was it. I’m not here for a fight.”

“Wll, ob bg!” She was preparing herself to shoot the gun, anything I do now could get me shot.

“Dollu, listen to me.” Her more reasonable sister spoke up. “She’s not one of them, you don’t need to do this.”

I had to act fast. “Minerva, S.A.T.S.” Time slowed to a crawl. Having time to think, I quickly figured out what I needed to do. “Selecting for me to roll forward, and pick up the stun baton, it put me right up next to Dollu. I doubted she was all that skilled with the gun, so it was likely she would not easily shoot a moving target.

Time slowly returned to normal speed, and my back legs moved on their own, propelling me forward into a role. The baton entered the grip of my cyber hoof, assisted with the Minerva's TK spell. I seemed to move in a blink of an eye, catching Dollu off guard, and allowing me to get right up on her before she even fired a shot. I held the baton under her chin, and she didn’t move an inch, her eyes looking at me in terror. Not feeling like she would even listen to me, it would be better if I took her out and talked with one of her sisters.

I pushed the baton into her coat, and turned on the power. The mare immediately tensed up, and the gun fired harmlessly into the wall on the other side of the room. The bullet still flew past my ear, sending a sharp and painful ringing into it. Dollu fell to the ground, this time her whole body paralyzed, the gun falling from her mouth when she hit the ground.

The rest of the sisters were stunned, mouths agape. Sighing, I put the stun baton away, and picked up the gun.

“Don't you dare touch ma sister gun!” The more aggressive sister jumped forward at me as she spoke. Her intent was clear, and she was definitely a strong mare, a bit bigger than me, but she lacked proper combat training, or any conditioning. I sidestepped the mare, piston wiping her face, and she stumbled, but quickly regained composure. So I bucked her, and she hit the ground.

I looked at the other sisters, and none of them looked ready to fight me, which was good, because they are all still armed with their digger guns. Dollu had also recovered from being shocked, slowly getting, and then curling up into a tight ball. The more reasonable sister jumped over to her eldest, and began comforting her.

I dropped the enforcer at Dollu hooves, looking down at the mare. “I don’t know what you went through, but I can tell you I know that I know how it feels to have a pony look after you.” I pointed my hoof at the more reasonable sister, “If I was a lesser pony, I would have killed the lot of you.” I pointed back down at Dollu. “You, and the sisters that love you, and it would have been your fault. From one regulator to the next, grow a pair, and get over yourself. You got bigger things to worry about.”

The reasonable sister petted her sister mane as she looked up at me. “You’re Orthrus too.”

I shrugged. “Was, things weren’t going will for me, turns out it was my sister's fault. You know how sisters can be, they think they know the best for you, and it just makes you angry.” she smiled and nodded. “Well she's a specter, and wanted me to be one too, but I didn’t have the same ambitions. So she had me pushed out of Orthrus so that I could be secretly put into specter training or something.” I stomped at the ground. “Now I’m stuck doing this shit.”

Dollu sat up, visibly shaking, and tears were staining her coat under her eyes. “Specter, that’s just my luck.” She sniffled as she rubbed her eyes, and a little chuckle came from her “You know, that’s my goal. That and fixing my face. When I become a specter, I’ll make them pay, each one will get it slowly. You see, they beat my face in with hot iron rods, trying to make me too ugly for Taphon to take back, violated me too. Dimdi found me-” She motioned to the more reasonable sister “dragged me to a medical pony. They saved my life, but most of the nerves in my face were dead.”

“So you joined Orthrus to earn the bits to fix your face.” I pointed out, and Dollu nodded.

She pointed at her more aggressive sister. “Dholak went hunting for the mares that did this to me, but they all had ran off. Every now and then, one would appear, and we set them start.” I had the feeling this was the harassment I was sent to stop.

I trotted over to my knife, and put it away. “Okay, I get it now, this is a revenge job. But you need to stop this. The next pony that comes out here is not going to be nice, and some pony is going to die.” Dimdi seemed to shrink at the idea, the mare seemed a bit too fragile to be doing this kind of thing. “Any who, you're going to have bigger problems soon.”

“What are ya’ll talking about?” Dollu asked as she got up.

I cracked my neck, making a popping sound. “You didn’t hear this from me, but the islands are being attacked by outsiders. Just this morning Club Three Dog was attacked by bandits who had been taken by the outsiders. Whoever they are, they have an army, and they are not friendly.”

The sisters looked among each other a bit confused. “Hog Shit!” Dollu spat out, putting her enforcer back into her pocket.

“It’s all true. Saw then myself. Even got chased by a vertibuck.” I didn’t have anything as proof, but I did have the next best thing. “Turnip, can you come here and take off your mask?” Turnip stepped into the light with Rufus behind him, his dark purple chitin made him almost seem black in the darkness, and his glowing red eyes felt far more menacing too. “I picked up this fella along the way, he's a Sparkle Lurker. Turns out there's a whole mess of them on the big Island.”

One of the sisters in the back, fell over, her hooves slipping out from under her. Turnip raised a hoof and waved. “Hello, kindly don’t shoot, I friend… Friendly.” He smiled, but the glowing red inside of his mouth only made it even creepier than Dollu.

“So cute.” the words escaped from Dimdi’s mouth, and we all looked at her. She shrunk back. “Well, I.. um... sorry.”

I started to snicker, and the other sisters started laughing, making me laugh as well. It felt contagious. We all stood there, laughing until we were all out of breath. The atmosphere in the room had changed to something much warmer, as though the laughing had banished any ill will from the room. I told them about my run in with the pirates, and they all listened intently at my story. Dimdi sat next to Turnip during the story, the lurker looking a little uncomfortable next to the mare.

“So no shitting, were going to war with outsiders.” Dollu asked me, now much friendly, and less inclined to shoot me.

I nodded. “Looks like it. Whoever these pirates are, they don’t seem like the kind to just leave us alone. Orthrus is probably going to be the first line of defense.”

Dollu looked around at her sisters, and back to me, saluting. “Then I can’t be fucking around here, I need to get ready. I’d be damned if I let same pirates kill me before I get my payback.” She pulled Dimdi into a headlock, holding her sister in place. “I’m counting on you to keep the family safe. I better have a home to come back to when this is over.”

Dimdi started to cry, and Dollu let her go. In a blink of an eye, Dimdi had Dollu in a vice grip like hug, still crying. “But I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to lose you.”

Dollu patte her younger sister on the head. “It’s fine, I’ll be back, by Celestia as my witness I’ll be back, and better than ever.” Dimdi let her sister go, and smiled.

Confident that the sister will no longer harass the plantation workers, I made my way back. Dollu went with me half of the way, hoping to get a few tips from me. I only had two tips, dedication to her duty, and making friends. If she could to that, she was going to be just fine in Orthrus. It’s not like she had an older sister to mess everything up for her.

____________________________________

Back at the Plantation I informed Khlui about the situation, and though she seemed happy about the sisters no longer bothering her workers, she was upset about what had happened to Dollu.

“Such a sweet girl, her family owns one of the smaller farms on the island. Specializing in potatoes. If there was a mare I would feel safe in entrusting my son to, it was Dollu.” I attempted to give the baton back to Khlui, but she pushed it back to me. “I’m just glad everything ended the way it did. Somehow I think my son already knew, he didn’t drink so much before, cider here and there, but rarely rum. It was not long after he broke up with her that he started drinking more.” She sighed. “The stupid boy, he does love her, I can see that. But he just doesn't know himself.” I couldn't help but feel that was a common problem here in the metro.

Bagpipe later joined us, and Khlui took us to her dining room. She wanted to treat us a little herself for helping out her son. I asked if I could shower first, and one of her assistants led me to a wash room so that I could clean up. The table was set with fresh vegetables cut into sticks, and juice made from the same vegetable. There was even an avocado dip for us to use. Tunip and Rufus were invited, the cyber dog happy to have something to eat, but did look a little disappointed that it was all vegetables. Tunip on the other hoof enjoyed the mean, sticking to all the softer food do to him not having any teeth.

We sat around for over an hour, mostly talking about gossip. Khlui was quite interested in hearing about the dinner that was going to happen at Cornett’s, and she cringed when I mention the Flugelhorn already had a special somepony. I could imagine, poor Citole was probably going to hit on a stallion who was already taken.

Turnip also talked a little about his home, most of it was what he already told me, the rest was little day to day thing he helps his princess with. Khlui talk about the time she dated Vielle, at the time Vielle was just a stripper, and Khlui wanted to piss off her parents. They were together for three years before Khlui gave into her parents nagging, and took a stallion. Vielle later married the owner of the Lucky Rabbit's foot, a stallion thirty years older than her.

Bagpipe had a few stories of his own. He had actually met his wife through her brother who was trying to court him, thinking he was a mare. It was both funny, and romantic.

When it was time for us to go, Khlui let us know that she already sent a letter to Vielle about how pleased she was. We said our goodbyes, and I escorted Bagpipes back to the train station, he still stuck in the bunny suit. Turnip still didn’t like taking the train, but had gotten better at holding in his sickness. It was probably because this train moved slower, not going from one island to the next.

Taking the stallion back to the casino, the crowds had died down a bit, being between the time for daytime shopping, and nightlife parties. At the casino, I didn’t see Citole, and didn’t go looking for Vielle. It was safe to assume that Citole was at Cornett’s. Bagpipe left to go get changed, though I got used to seeing him in a bunny suit, I wished him well, and left.

It was a little bit early for dinner, but I felt that it was better than being late. The district was even quieter now, than it was in the morning. Ironshod was still showing off their new rail gun, advertising to ponies who wanted to give it a try at a shooting range. Most of the smaller stalls were closed down, their business concluded for the day.

Outside of Cornett’s sat two ponies with hoods on. The both had their backs to each other, sitting as far from the other as possible while still being in front of the door.

One of the ponies turned to look at me, the yellow ringlets of Kantele main bounced out. “Vibraphone, Darling!” She trotted over to me. “I was almost worried that you might not show up.”

Citole trotted in front of her and gave me a hug. I had to hold back a cringe, really not interested in being touched by another mare right now. “Love and kisses and all that.” She let me go, and her bunny ears flopped out of her hoody. “So how did things go, did Bagpipe get back with little trouble?”

I took a step back, feeling the tension in the air. “Bagpipe is fine, he also seemed real happy to be out of the bunny suit.” I looked over and passed Citole, at Kantele. “Good to see your here. To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure you would show up.”

Kantele gave me her best business pony smiles. “I’m a mare of my word, and you made it quite clear I should do this.”

Citole backed off, and gave me some room. Looking at the two mares, I couldn't help but feel that this was at best, going to end weirdly. I was just glad that it was only two extra mares, things could always be worse, Rototom taught me that well.

Stepping inside the gun shop, Flugelhorn was still at his desk, like he lived there, working through paperwork. Looking up at me, and smiled a little. “You're a little early, but that's fine…” The others walked in, and he sighed. “Seriously… well there's enough food to go around... also bullets.”

Kantele leaned in. “Bullets are good… right?”

Citole also leaned in. “Ya, he works with bullets, so it has to be a good thing.”

Fuck me ten ways to next year, this dinner was going to be painful.

____________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Progression:

No Goddesses, or Princesses, Only Mares. %50

Family Matters. %25

I like to lurk. %25

Chapter 12 - Dinner and a Show

The two mares, Kantele and Citole, had both dragged in a large case behind them, almost fighting over who got their first. I defused the situation by dragging luggage in myself, and pushing the two mares inside. Kantele had forgone her business suit, now in a black dress with silver trim, a very striking look. Citole was still in a bunny outfit, but this one being a suit, and not a one piece.

“So… I’m guessing Citole is on top?” I couldn’t help but make a joke, the two did look like they were going out for a date.

“Oh please, I’m the one on top.” Kantele blabbed out. Citole face hoofed, and I had to hold back from laughing. “What? Was it something I said?”

Citole and I decided not to explain it to her, and processed to the dining room. The setup left me both impressed, and a bit baffled. A lot of it was normal dining room stuff: table, seats, plates. What was odd about this was the decorations; pink hearts were on everything, along with ribbons and bows. It was like they gave the decorating over to a little filly whose life goal was to get married and play house.

“How lovely!” Kantele gushed as she skipped over to the table.

Flugelhorn stepped out, holding a plate of bread rolls on his back, and placed it on the table. “Nice that you think so, Mother decorated.” He seemed as dreary as ever, looking over at Kantele and sighing.

“Don’t worry, I have an explanation for this.” I assured him, and he nodded before returning to the kitchen.

The sound of metal banging on metal caught me by surprise as Citole bumped her hip into mine. I gave gave her an irritated look, but she just smiled. “I got the legs as promised, you want to try them on?”

She didn’t need to bump my hip to ask me, what was she going to do next, slap my flank? Calming down a bit, I nodded, and Citole trotted over to her case.

Inside the case were two full cybernetic back legs, their color was a matted black similar to the dark blue leg covers given to members of Orthrus. On the flank, where a cutie mark would go was what looked like a cutie mark engraved in brass. The symbol was that of a cat-bell, with a bow, and ribbon behind it. It looked like the cat-bell had cat ears and a tail. Looked up at Citole, I raised an eyebrow. “Who gambled this leg away?”

Citole sighed. “Mother felt like we should give you something special after you resolved that situation so well. So we're giving you my sisters back legs.”

“Wait, what?” why would they give me something like that. “And what did she have to say about it?”

She shook her head. “My sister passed away a year ago, caught something from the surface.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Citole said with a weak smile. “She was an Orthrus vanguard, so we were expecting that something would happen. At least the illness allowed us all to say our goodbyes, far better than a letter about how she was lost.”

I lifted one of the legs up, it was a little heavy, but I could get used to it. “So she was part of the first response troopers. My best friend was aiming for that, they're some of the bravest ponies I’ve ever met.”

Citole took the leg, and moved behind me. I balanced myself as she began to detach my old leg, and install the new one. “Ya, she’d come home with stories about how she helped clear a tunnel infestation, or help stomp out a bandit incursion.” The new leg attached, and I focused my magical energy into it, getting the leg to balance so that she can attached the next one. “My brother is going to be a bit pissed over this, but mother said that the Chime’s legs were made for a warrior, so they have to go to a warrior.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes, two actually, and three sisters.” She spoke with some pride in her voice. “And before you ask, joke, or snidely suggest, no we don’t have different fathers. Though my two older sisters were from father’s previous marriage.” It was a bit surprising, how I already caught her mother cheating. “You were just thinking about my mother’s stupid hobby weren’t you?” I froze. “Well father's old age has caught up with him, and mother… you know what, let’s not talk about my parent’s sex lives.” She slapped the second leg in, nearly tipping me over.

Getting myself balanced, I activated the second leg, and began to test them out. I almost fell on my face at first, I was used to the prosthetic legs, so I was not used to actually having some power behind the legs. When I finally got the hang of them, I found the legs very pleasant to use, as they allowed me to move with a lot more care. “They’re real nice. I’ll be sure to take extra care of them.”

Citole dropped my old legs into the case. “You better, I’m expecting you to return them if you find anything better to replace them with.”

We both returned to the dinner table, my back legs moving with a bit more of a wide step, causing my hips to sway almost dramatically. Full cyber legs were defiantly different from the cyber prosthetics I was used to using, so it was going to take a little longer to get them to move normally.

Kantele had been fiddling with the decorations, attaching one of the paper hearts in her mane, and giggling to herself. Yes it was cute, but not what you expect of a CEO of a major company, she was acting more like a distracted filly. Flugelhorn seemed less than amused by her, having taken a seat himself, and putting jam on his roll.

The seat was comfortable enough, large enough for all of my leg to rest on, with a little cushion for my nonmetal parts to rest upon. “So, I never got to ask you, how long have you been in the gunsmithing business?” my question directed at Flugelhorn, in hopes of getting the atmosphere a little friendlier.

Flugelhorn took a bite of his jam roll, slowly chewing before swallowing the piece. “Family business, so all my life.” He was being as pleasant as always. “This shop use to be the original Ironshod Firearms, long before the Brass Apple family moved in and took the name.” He glared at Kantele, and she cowered a bit, using one of the paper hearts to hide behind.

Clearing my throat, I brought the attention to myself. “So, about my guns, I’m curious to see what your mother built?” Though it was fun to see the rich mare be looked down on, it was my idea that she come here, so I felt I might as well look after her until she said what she wanted to say.

Mister grumpy had stopped glaring at Kantele, and gave me his best business pony smile, which needed a lot of work. Seriously, what kind of mare would like this jackass? “Yes, mother had plenty ideas on what to build for you, but we all decided on an older build. For the most part It was already built, we just needed to forge a few new parts, and add in a new talisman to it.”

I took a roll, and added some jam to it. The jam looked like pineapple, a bit old fashioned, but still good. “I’m just happy to know I’ll get my guns back. I’ve not been having the best time without them.” Biting into the roll, it was quite good, and was still warm from the oven.

“Really?” Flugelhorn asked, looking a little concerned. “What happened?”

I sighed. “The worst of it, I got molested by a bandit, almost raped. But I managed to get out of that situation. Thank Celestia that your mother left me my knife.”

Everypony at the table had their mouth open from what was likely shock. Flugelhorn was the one to break the silence. “I’m glad you were able to get out of that situation. I would hate to hear you come to harm.”

Hooves came from behind me, and wrapped around me into a hug. “Oh it must have been horrible!” it was Cornett. “You must have been so scared.”

The sudden hug took me by surprise, causing me to be stunned for a few seconds. “It's alright, I’m…” My eyes watered, and tears escaped my eyes. “I’m fine.” Damn my emotions, now she had me crying.

“I can see that.” She squeezed me tightly, putting me at ease. “But still, something like that must have been horrible.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “It was. I had my knife, so I just played along until I could strike.” Opening my eyes, I looked at everyone, now feeling calmer. “When I saw what she was going to do, I panicked. Almost lost my life because of it. Rufus here saw that the bandit was not alone, and got her before she could shoot me.”

Cornett let me go, and trotted to the side of the room, over to Rufus. “He’s a good boy. A pony’s best friend.” She petted his head, and he barked once. “Well, now you won’t need to go unarmed.” She quickly trotted to the side, and pulled out a case, dragging it over to the table. “Because I have your guns right here.”

I looked down at the metal case, exited to see what she had made. She opened it and placed my revolver on the table, it now sporting brass ornamentation of a crescent moon. “Now when I worked on your sisters enforcer, I named it the ‘Solar Eclipse’ so I felt it was only right to name your gun something similar. This here is the ‘Lunar Eclipse’ a fine revolver, better than what it was before.” Taking the revolver into my hooves, it felt a little heavier, but overall the same revolver I had for years. Cornett smiled, “I’ve added a heavy frame to it, and rebalanced it. You should find that the recoil is more manageable now.”

Activating my TK talisman, the revolver lifted without delay, its own TK talisman matching mine, like with my old hunting rifle. This was going to make shooting the revolver much smoother, and make it less likely that it would just get knock out of my hold. Placing the revolver into my holster, switching out the stun baton, and placing it onto the table.

Cornett trotted over to my side, and picked up the baton. Now that I had a better view of her, she was wearing a frilly heart shaped apron, and a chef’s hat decorated with a big red heart on it. Now I did like my frills, and hearts, but Cornett was going overboard with it all. “Oh! this is fun.” she said with a grin, as she extended the baton, and sending sparks jolting out of the tip. “Where did you get it?”

“From the owner of Free Mare Plantation.” I answered.

She nodded, and smiled. “Well that’s nice of her, something like this can save your life. You should keep it in your hidden compartment.” she retracted the baton.

“My what?” I asked, feeling a bit confused.

“Give me your hoof, the right one” I complied and extended the leg I got from Shamisen. Cornett took it in her hoof, messing with it until a panel opened up, just above the hoof. Like she said, it was a hidden compartment, just big enough to hide a grenade or a small gun. Cornett placed the baton in the leg and closed it. “There, next time something bad happens, you can surprise them with a shock.”

I twisted the leg around, articulating the hoof, checking to see if it moved any differently. When everything checked out, I relaxed the leg. “Learn something new every day.” I bit into a roll I had, the jam was very sweet, and a bit sticky. Flugelhorn passed me a glass of juice, and I used it to down the roll. “Thanks. So, about my new rifle?”

Cornett took a seat at the table, and whistled loudly. “About that, I had to scrap most of the parts. if they weren't damaged, they were made from low quality materials. No good for a high powered weapon.” Two ponies came out, and placed a short gun case on the table. The ponies had forge worker overalls on, and were quite dirty looking. “Thanks, did you make the replacements?” On of the two nodded. “How about the crack?” the other nodded. “Oh I love you two so much!” Cornett jumped out to hug them, but they dodged.

Flugelhorn got out of his seat, and picked his mother up. “It’s not the best idea for you to go hugging them when their still dirty, Let them wash up first.” He helped his mother back to her seat, and returned to his own. “As my mother was saying, she has most of the low quality parts scrapped, and the rest used to make the new rifle.”

I took a sip of my juice “What did you make? It’s still an air gun right?”

Cornett opened up the case, revealing the parts of a rifle I’d never seen befor. “This is the Lelantos, my newest masterpiece!”

It looked interesting enough, but was hard to tell what I was looking at with it in parts. There was a large air tank, a stock, a barrel, the frame, a bayonet, and oddly a large revolver cylinder. “If that’s an air rifle, then what’s with the cylinder, wouldn’t it be better if It had a magazine?”

Smiling, Cornett took the parts out, and began putting them together. “Magazines tend to be a weak point in most guns made today. Good for automatics, Something this is not.” The rifle started to take shape, with the air tank going between the frame and the stock. “What you want is something with power and range, so I scrapped the old idea of what an air rifle should be, and went with a different idea.” after attaching the barrel, she picked up what looked like a metal stick with a sharpened tip, and placed it in the cylinder. “Ball bearings are good and all, but just lack any penetration unless fired from a railgun.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “So you made me a rifle that shoots crossbow bolts?”

“Precisely!” Cornett said with exuberance. “It’s a modern version of an old idea. You get the reliability of a revolver, with the sheer power and penetration of a crossbow. Lelantos will be the envy of all air gun user's, trust me.”

Before I could respond Flugelhorn cleared his throat, getting our attention. “What my mother is trying to say is that this is an updated version of the Hellsing rifle.”

I had to think about it for a moment before it hit me. The Hellsing was an arrow shooting air rifle, a common weapon among hunters, long before the AG5 came along. The hunting air rifle had the advantage of being cheaper, and easier to maintain, along with cheaper ammunition. I still saw the Hellsing used from time to time, mostly by older more experienced hunters.

Flugelhorn continued. “The hellsing had the advantage of being very powerful, with ammunition that could be easily retrieved and reused. Same concept here, but this rifle is even more powerful, as well as being compact, and moddable.”

“Moddable?” I had to ask.

“Yes,” he continued. “You can add a barrel extension to extend the range and accuracy, or remove it to make it a close quarters rifle. If you can find a pony who can enchant the ammunition, or barrel, well the possibilities are endless. And that’s just the barrel, the enter rifle can have interchangeable parts, so if you can find a pony who can make them, you can turn this into a different kind of rifle at your discretion.”

Cornett had attached the bayonet to the barrel of the rifle. “But as is, you could kill a Paradise Dragon with this!”

I looked at the rifle, and to me it was no railgun. “Really?”

“E’yep.” She aimed the rifle above my head and fired, the rifle making a puff sound, and the bolt making a loud clang as it collided with the metal wall. I turned to look, and saw it half way through the metal plate. Tuning back to Cornett, she had a huge grin on her face. “I added one of my vortex talismans to the cylinder, gives a strong spin to the bolts.”

“Vortex talismans?”

She nodded. “I use them in my forge, feeds air into it to keep the coals real hot when I’m making my knives” She pointed to the bayonet. It was a thick knife, around a quarter of an inch thick, curving at the tip to make a fine point. Above the grind was rough with a black finish, giving it a stone like look to it. Overall the bayonet blade look like it was made to kill monsters, of which it probably was. The handle was made from a nice piece of wood, but lacked any kind of wrap to help keep a firm grip when mouth welding it, something I’ll add later.

“So why a revolver cylinder?”

Flugelhorn answered. “It’s where the vortex talisman is held, and when the cylinder in place, it makes an airtight seal as it fires. Most air rifles have multiple moving parts, and must maintain an airtight seal to keep from losing pressure. Here the only moving part is at the cylinder, so less parts are needed to maintain pressure. When the air is shot through the cylinder, the talisman forces it to spin, and it does not lose pressure until it leaves the barrel.

I had to think about it for a moment. “So what you have is a high powered crossbow bolt shooting air rifle, with a six shooter cylinder that spins the bolt to increase the power and range. On top of that, it comes with a hoof forged bayonet, and is fully customizable, to match the situation I need it for.”

“E’yep!” Cornett answered. “I see that you like it.”

I had a big grin on my face, which was a little embarrassing, but this rifle was just too cool. At first the rifle seemed a bit impractical, but now that I had a better understanding of it, it was exactly the kind of rifle I was looking for. Ya, I was at a bit of a loss for ammunition, but I could simply stockpile the bolts, and any I used in the tunnels could easily be recovered as long as I shoot carefully. Anything this thing hit was definitely going to get hurt, even if the target has armor on.

“Here” Cornett tossed me the Lelantos, and I caught it in my hooves. The rifle was a bit weighty, it’s parts definitely not made of lighter material, or cut down. Holding it, I was sure I could do damage with this as a simple bludgeoning weapon, which may be why it comes with a bayonet. Looking down the sights, it was basic, but it did have railing for a scope to be attached. Placing the stock on my shoulder, it held firm in my hooves, reminding me of some of the old zebra rifles used in Orthrus gun training. Definitely not the best rifle for sudden, and sporadic fighting, but in a more controlled situation this could be death incarnate in the right hooves.

“It feels real nice.” I hoofed at the cylinder, and it slowly spun, clicking silently. “I’ll have to get short to mid range gun to compensate. Maybe see if I can get my hooves on an surplus AG6, or a shotgun. But overall,” I lifted the rifle up, and took a good look at it’s trigger. “I know that Lelantos will serve me well, and I’ll look after him in return.”

“Him?” Citole eyebrow cocked up a little. “Sorry, but I never understood the him and her references to guns you Orthus types keep using.”

I felt the heat hit my face at the question, how does she not know?

“I know this!” Kantele spoke up. “It refers to automatic guns, versus single action, double action, and bolt action.” I felt my face get a little redder. “I don’t know the origins, but it’s a refrence to orgasim. Automatic guns are often called she, because you pull the trigger and they keep shooting until you stop, or it’s out of ammo. And he is for the rest, as you need to pull the trigger for each shot, and only skilled ponies can effectively fire them in quick succession.” Kantele had said it all in a matter-of-fact tone, which didn’t help my embarrassment.

Citole smiled, giving me a snide look. “I see that you like your guns on the stallion side.”

I glared at Citole, and hoofed the Lelantos back to Cornett, whom began dismantling the rifle, and putting it back in the case. “They’re just more reliable, that’s all.” Not wanting to continue this dialogue, I turned my attention to Flugelhorn. “Is there a way I could get a scope, and a barrel extension? I was thinking of using the rifle as an effective sniper rifle.”

Flugelhorn scratched his chin, for a moment. “I know we still have the scope from your AG5, so we can just give you a similar one that can fit on the railing. As for the extended barrel, you wouldn't need anything special, so we could get you a cheap and light one right off the floor in a matter of minutes.” He nodded. “We can do that, I’ll just add it to your credit, but it’s not going to cost you much at all.

When the Lelantos was packed away, Flugelhorn picked up the case, and trotted it to the back. I could see why this shop came highly recommended.

“Excuse me.” Kantele spoke up. “Before dinner is served, I... I’d like say a few things.” She looked over to me nervously, and I gave her a nod. She turned her attention back to Cornett, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what my mother did, I’m so, so sorry. It was under hoofed, disrespectful, and out of line with what Ironshod Firearms is meant to be.” Her eyes shifted away. “It’s not that being cutthroat is not part of business, I mean getting the exclusive deal is a big goal and all.” She looked Cornett in the eyes. “But to hurt a business partner in such a way is entirely shortsighted, and bound to hurt the business in the long run.”

She opened up her case, and pulled out a bunch of papers, and to my surprise, the IF-155, which she struggled with a little to get on the table. The Bad Seed as a big as ever, but this one looked a little bigger, and had a lot more welding.

At this moment Flugelhorn had trotted back in, and looked entirely displeased. “What’s all this?” He was glaring Daggers at Kantele, whom began hiding behind her LMG. “What are you planning?”

“S.. Sorry. I’m not planning on doing anything bad, honest.” She reached out for the paperwork, but found it missing. Cornett was reading through them quite thoroughly, her eyes practically glued to the paper.

Flugelhorn trotted over to his mother, looking concerned. “That better no be another trick deal.” Cornett hoofed over the papers to her son, and he scanned them. “Wait… this is the patent to the railgun design that mom made.” He flipped to the next page. “And this is it’s copy, and the other copy.” He looked up at Kantele with a baffled expression. “How… no, why?”

Kantele peek out from behind her LMG. “I felt a simple apology was not enough. So I’m returning the patent to your mother.”

With an eyebrow cocked, Flugelhorn placed the patents on the table. “What’s your angle, no way you'd do this over a simple apology.”

Kantele meekly nodded, and fiddled with her LMG. “Well I was hoping to work with your mother, make a business deal, and co-design a new rifle.” She pushed the Bad Seed forward. “I tried to make a rail gun from your mother's design, but couldn't get it to work. So I made this.”

Before Flugelhorn could respond, His mother had hopped onto the table, and was looking the LMG over. She fiddled with the trigger, removed and checked the spark battery, checked the cables, and looked down the barrel. “Not bad.” Cornett said with a grin. “A bit crude, but definitely the work of an a grade engineer. Oh, a port for a plug to go into, that will definitely get around the battery problem, whose idea was that?”

Kantele raised a hoof. “Well the IF-155 works best as a stationary weapon, so if figured that having a plug port would be a advantage.”

Cornett hopped over the LMG, and scrunched Kantele’s face. “How did you get around the power distribution problem, or the magnetic pulse when firing?”

Kantele’s eyes darted about. “I… I had a charge dissipator added along the barrel, and a feedback loop to the body.”

The older mare let the younger go, and smiled. “Not bad, dangerous for anypony that touches the barrel, but I can see how that works.” Cornett paused for a moment, and then her eyes popped wide open. “That’s it.” she hugged Kantele, whom let out a surprised squeak. “If I use two batteries, and set up a feedback loop, and add a charge dissipator to the end of the barrel…”

“It should keep the batteries from exploding!” Kantele finished the statement with a big smile on her face.

Cornett, still holding Kantele, looked over to her son. “Can we keep her?”

Flugelhorn looked dumbfounded, slowly turning his attention down at the patent and sighed. “One, you can't just take ponies in because you like them. Two, she has her own place to return to. And three, after what her mother pulled, I’m against working with Ironshod.” He hoofed at the patent. “But It’s up to my mother who she works with, not me.”

Cornett let go of the younger mare, her ringlets bouncing as she fell back into her seat. “Would you like to work with me?” she asked Kantele.

Tears formed in Kantele’s eyes, and she sniffled. “Yes… I really would love to.” the mare shifted her eyes, and suddenly looked real meek. “Also, well. Ca...can…” she looked away. “nevermind.”

Looking a little annoyed, Cornett, got nose to nose with Kantele. “No nevermind, what is is?”

Her face turned red, and Kantele shrinked back a little. “Well, could I get, I mean if it’s not to rude. a.. a hug, could you do that again.”

The older mare looked a little shocked, but Cornetts face softened, and then looked a bit sad. “Oh my.” She hugged Kantele in a strong vice like hug. “Hugs are free, all you need to do is ask.” I could hear Kantele sniffle a little, but nothing more then that.

Flugelhorn looked more annoyed, than surprised by the scene. Ignoring the scene, he pulled the LMG off the table, and into it’s case, as well as taking the patent into his pocket. “Dinner will be ready in a minute, so no more guns on the table.

Cornett returned to her seat, and soon were were joined by the two other ponies from before, now clean, and in clean cloths. Flugelhorn returned with plates, and silverware, followed by two more ponies with dinner. Altogether there was ten of us at the table, with Rufus sitting on the ground, the others gave Turnip a few looks, but everypony quickly got use to him, and got down to chatting.

The dinner was a casserole and soup. The Casserole was made with mashed potatos, diced carrots, tomatoes, corn, a plethora of green veggies, and to my surprise a sprinkling of rad-boar meat. I was not a fan of eating meat, it was the food of savage ponies who can’t grow real food, but I was okay with a little meat being used to add to the flavor. As for the soup, it was a simple rice and pineapple soup, a little sweet, but complemented the casserole as a side dish.

The dinner went on with everyone talking about everything but business, some gossip, some day to day stuff. Kantele didn’t have much to talk about, other than some engineering talk that Turnip, Citole, and I didn’t understand, but it got a good laugh out of the others. Citole was the biggest gossip of us all, as well as the flirt, but Flugelhorn was pretty much immune to her advances, which seemed to only make her more driven. It was amusing to everypony but Citole and Flugelhorn. lucky Citole gave up, and simply enjoyed the dinner, sharing some gossip with the other mares.

Unsurprisingly a few politicians visit the Lucky Rabbit's Foot in disguise, but one interesting tidbit was that a Orphic princess secretly visits the casino too. Citole wouldn't say who it was, everypony understood and didn’t pry, but the princess seemed to have a major gambling addiction, and was a huge masochist. At one point she ended up in debt to the casino, and sold herself for a night before the casino found out who she was. Luckily it was all under a mask, and all evidence of it was easily destroyed. But after that event, Citole now acted as the princess's personal mistress, and keeps her from getting into that kind of trouble again.

I was getting the feeling that the Casino was where rich ponies go to royally fuck up, and half of Citole’s job was to clean up after them. It wouldn’t surprise me if Vielle main source of influence came from having blackmail on all the other politicians.

Strangely enough Flugelhorn asked me about my sister, A simple “How's she doing.” but seemed odd for mister grumps. My best guess was that they were friends, she was always good at making them. I told him that she was doing fine, also got a leg thrashed, and is on my bad side, but that was nothing new.

I got to learn a bit more about the shop, like that my new rifle was put together by everypony in the shop, not just Cornett, she was better at design, and starting a project. The others, eight employees, not including Flugelhorn had their own specialization, from forging the metal, to making and attaching all the smaller fine parts. As it turns out, the former owner of this place, Cornett’s father, still works here as the main inspector, giving all the finished guns his stamp of approval. The only item made by Cornett from start to finish was the knife, a specialty of hers. Which answered the question to why most of the guns had bayonets.

The employees at the shop left one by one as they finished their dinner, heading home. Even Cornett had to turn in, having used up her energy for the day. Seeing us out, Flugelhorn let me know that If I needed any repairs for my guns, their shop was always open. Citole seemed a little defeated, but nothing she couldn't get over. Kantele on the other hoof was upbeat, having had a good time chatting with Cornett. Turnip ended up carrying my new rifle, the case firmly attached to his back, along with a box of bolts for it.

“So, any of you got plans?” Citole asked, obviously looking for something to get her mind off of being rejected by Flugelhorn.

Kantele shook her head, but sadly I did have plans. “Sorry, I got work to do.” Looking at my rifle, I still needed to get a short to medium range gun, sadly the shops would be closed at this time. “Kantele, could I make an order for an AG6, and some ammo.”

“Right now? Well, ya. I can call the armory to send one over.” She pulled out a com and ear bloom, turning it on. “What kind of job are you doing?”

“Heading to the surface. I’m just doing a scouting job, but I was told that it was best to go at night to avoid trouble.” All mostly true. “So any mid or short range weapon will do. Also grenades if you can spare them.”

Nodding, Kantele pulled out a com and earbloom from a pocket. Not a common device, as they were just wireless pocket terminals, most ponies prefer a pipbuck. “I see, well if you return the rifle, we will just charge you for renting.” I nodded in agreement, and she put her hoof to her ear. “Hello Madal, It’s Kantele, are you at the armory? I’m just renting out a rifle to a friend, she needs some gear for a surface job.” Kantele put her com down. “I’ll just send a message for her to bring what light arms we have on hoof, you can pick out what you like.”

It sounded good to me. “I’ll be sure to return whatever I take, even the grenades if I could help it.”

Kantele’s com beeped, and she picked it up. “Madal just pick up some of the guns, plenty of ammo, and a few explosives... No the IF-155 is not to be touched, the whole stock has already been sold.” Kantele’s face scrunched up. “Like fuck I did! Check again… how many, HOW?”

“Is everything okay?” Citole asked.

“Just make sure nopony takes any more out, I’ll go investigate.” Kantele put her earbloom and com away, looking quite irritated. “No I’m not okay, somepony stole my guns and used my name to do it.”

“That’s bad, but wouldn't you call, you know, Orthrus about this?” I asked.

She sighed. “My employee is taking care of that. I’m going to identify the thief.”

“How?” I understood that corporate ponies hated being stolen from, but I doubt there was anything she could do.

She smiled. “All the IF-155’s have a tracker on them, we don’t remove it until it has been sold. So if it’s anywhere on this island, I’ll know where to find it.” She pulled out her com, and tapped at it a few time. “Got it! Looks like it’s in the red light district.” We both looked at Citole.

Citole frowned. “Hey, my family deals in entertainment, not guns.”

Kantele sighed, and looked at me. I knew what was coming. “Can you come with me, once we have the thief's identity, we can hoof this over to Orthrus to deal with.”

Looking at the wealthy mare, the ringlets in her mane had drooped considerably, losing their bounce. She was willing to go and repair the bridge her mother burnt, so it couldn't hurt to help her out here. “Fine, but only because you asked nicely.”

“Oh, okay. thanks.” she meekly responded.

Okay, that was an odd response. “What?”

She looked away. “Well I was hoping you'd say that you'd help because were friends.”

Citole laughed, and I sighed. “Sure, why not. I’ll do this because were friends.”

____________________________________

The four of us, and Rufus stood outside the doors to Club Three Dog, Kantele’s tracker leading us here. The club itself was busy, as though it was never raided by bandits, having a long line of ponies trying to get in.

“Well that’s fantastic, Looks like Three Dog is on reservation tonight.” Citole said with a sigh.

Kantele’s ears dropped. “Seriously, the thieves will be gone by the time we get in.” She checked her com. “Maybe we should just wait out here, she if we can catch them when they exit.”

I shook my head. “At best you will just get the buyer, not the thief. And that’s if they don’t find your tracker before the deals done.”

“So it’s a dead end.” Kantele kicked the floor. “Of all the days for the club to be on reservation.”

I looked up at the bill of my hat, and smirked. “Naw, we got a reservation.” The other two looked at me a bit confused. “Well it’s more of a VIP pass, it sould get us in.”

I motioned for the others to follow me, but asking Rufus to stay, and keep watch. Trotting right up to the bouncer, a large mare with some mean cybernetics. To be accurate, the cybernetics made the mare look large, with heavy looking legs, and in place of wings were two cyber limbs, one holding a baton, the other an ID scanner. Her shades were a micro terminal that was plugged into her head. overall, not the kind of pony I would ever want to fight.

“Unless you have a reservation, get in line.” The bouncers voice was synthetic, artificially low and intimidating sounding.

“VIP” I tapped at the hat. “Cabrette has a table for me.”

A beep came from the bouncer. “Right, you check out.” another beep. “Second floor, the booth with the Metro-Cola decoration.” The bouncer opened the door, letting us in.

Inside it was like we were being assaulted with pounding electronic dance music, Lights shot at the disco ball shined all around the floor, and the black pony outlines on the wall now made the club feel even more crowded in a fun kind of way. The floor was filled with ponies dancing to the music, many with far less clothes than I was comfortable with. At the bar drinkers took up every seat as bartenders worked quickly to serve them. one of the cabinets was still broken from this morning. Looking up, a younger DJ worked the booth, probably fill in for Cerberus do to her condition.

“Vibe, miss.” Turnip caught my attention. “Why is going on? Many ponies, why?”

I almost laughed. Being told about such a place is no substitute to seeing it first hoof, so I wasn’t surprised that he was a little confused. “Remember, this is a place ponies come to have fun. You know, drink, dance, get to know others.”

He looked out at the dance floor and nodded. “Kindly, could try?”

“Kindly do.” at this point I was not worried about him freaking anypony out. Somehow everypony had rationalised him being a cyberpony, and at a place like this, nopony would bat an eye. I took the saddlebags off his back, and let him have his fun.

The rest of us made our way up to the second floor’s VIP section. The area was less crowded, but no less active. A few booths had stallions at them, who were surrounded by at least three mares. It reminded me of when I was in my teens, fighting to have have the biggest catch, and getting a few black eyes from the aftermath.

We found the Metro-Cola booth easily enough, it even had some complementary cola waiting for us, and some glasses to pour it into. At the center was a note addressed to me, I hoped it was just a ‘good to see you again’ note. Sitting at the table, I placed the saddlebags and my hat under the table, getting myself comfortable. “let's Identify the thief and, share a drink. After that I have to get moving.”

Kantele looked over the edge, into the crowd. “Even when on reservation this place get’s packed.” she checked her com. “It’s hard to tell, the gun cases must be hidden.”

Citole got comfortable, properly relaxing. “If I were to guess. They’re going to make the deal up here. The guns are just being held down there.” Kantele sat back down, her ears turned to the bunny mare. “It happens now and then at the casino. The syndicate likes to use our place to do business, despite our objection. Normally the ponies trading goods for bits will meet somewhere private, their thugs will be in the public area holding onto the product. It keeps a smash and grab from happening, as involving civilians will lead to the involvement of Orthrus.”

Nodding, Kantele poured herself a drink. “Sounds stupid to me.” She moved her eyes to look at me. “What do you think?”

I pulled the note over to myself, feeling that there was something in it. Opening it, there was one word inside ‘telepathy’. Somehow I was not at all that surprised. “I mostly did business at Charon's Stop through brokers. There the best thing to do is to make it look like no deal is going on but the deal itself you want others to see.” I poured myself a drink, and took a sip. The fizzy drink tickled my nose and bubbled on my tongue. “The best thing to look for, that is in my opinion, is for something that does not belong.” I scanned the other booths, most were different variations of a stallion and mares, some were just a group of mares getting drunk, and one had two ponies sharing a glass of wine. “Like two ponies having a date at a dance club.” The other two looked over where I was looking, not understanding subtly.

Distracted, I used that opportunity to switch out my teleportation talisman with the telepathy. Clearing my throat, I got the others attention. “It’s a bad idea to stare at others, if you want to get a look at who they are, you should go order some drinks at the bar.” I pointed a hoof at the smaller bar that was up here. Though smaller, it had a wider selection of drinks to order, catering to ponies with a lot more bits to spend then the normal guests. “Citole, you should go with her as well, it’s easier to go unnoticed in a group, I’ll stay here.”

The two got up and left, heading over to the bar. I concentrated my magic into the talisman, opening myself up for a telepathy link. ‘What’s going on Cabrette?’ I waited for a moment, taking another sip from my drink.

‘Vibraphone, you have the best timing, do you know that.’ It was Cabrette, her voice felt a bit strained, but nothing out of the norm. ‘And here I thought you would be off planting that bug. I don’t know if it is a good thing or a bad thing that you're here, but I’ll take it.’

I groaned. ‘I take it that something's gone wrong?’

‘Well that’s the thing, everything is fine. No problems whatsoever, and it’s bugging me.’ I took another sip of my cola, feeling a bit irritated for a telepathy chat over nothing.

‘Here, I can go down to the bar and punch somepony in the face, will that make you feel better.’ Not that I would, but I was not planning to stay long.

‘Well I know this one stallion who's claiming to be the father of the twins, and I know he is not. but sadly he is not here tonight.’ There was a brief pause before she continued. ‘But seriously, that’s not what i’m talking about. I put my ponies out to get a reading on the Equalist movements, and set up the club tonight to filter them out, but they've disappeared.’

‘So they all scurried off, not all that out of the ordinary for them. They're probably going to pop up tomorrow at one of the plantations, protesting about the unequal treatment of the workers.’ The protests rarely did anything, other then keep the Trade Union in a state of worry. They did try to kill off the Trade Union over two generations ago, so it was understandable that there was tension about their movement. The Equalities at least understood the position of Orthrus on violent mobs, that being a eye for an eye, so they at least play nice here.

‘True’ Cabrette answered. ‘But this is different. Normally they just gather in one place, so finding them just involves following the hoof traffic. Not this time, they just upped and just vanished.’

This was odd, but I didn’t see what it had to do with me, unless they were going to be where I was going… ‘Let me guess, you think they all went topside?’

‘It’s the best guess I got. I sent a pony to look into it, but she should have been back here over six hours ago.’ I could feel a sigh through the telepathy. ‘That’s why I’m glad you're here. because you're going up there already, can you look for her?’

It was a fair request, though I doubt I could find this maire easily. ‘I’ll keep my eyes out for her. What does she look like?’

‘Green coat, red mane. Look for a green hood, and leather armor. The girl has a thing for the classic.’

I deactivated the talisman, not wanting to transmit my thoughts by accident to anypony wanting to listen in. If anything, coming back to the club gave me another heads up to what I might have to deal with topside. At least the equalists were pushovers, so getting around them was not going to be a problem. My biggest worry was them attracting a paradise dragon, or the pirates.

“Hello miss.” a deep voice spoke up.

I nearly jumped, between the telepathy call, and looking out into the club, I didn't see the stallion take a seat at the booth. “Sorry, but that seats taken.” He was a burgundy red mirage pony stallion with a dark blue mane, and blue eyes. He had green military fatigues on, common among the republic, and a green military beret. “My friends will be back soon.”

The republic stallion looked over at the bar for a moment before looking back at me. “Can’t we at least introduce ourselves, be friendly and all. The names Theremin Synthesizer.” He gave a little bow.

Not planning on sticking around, I felt I could at least humor the stallion. “Vibraphone Echo.”

“A lovely name for a lovely mare.” He complimented. If I had a few drinks in me, and was planning to stick around, I’m sure i would feel more flattered, interested even. Sadly I had things to do, and he was a bit too clean cut for me. “So, how about we talk until your friends get back, then I’ll be on my way.”

He didn’t seem to be the problematic type, and was a bit odd to be flirted with by a stallion, so playing along a little wouldn’t hurt. “Alright, but only until they get back.”

“Honored.” Theremin smiled. “So is this a normal hangout for you?, you don’t look it.”

“Now and then, ya. today I’m just passing through, If I was planning to dance I would have come in a dress.” And maybe a few glow sticks, it was that kind of club.

“I see.” The stallion said, looking deep in thought for a moment. “Sorry, it’s just that this is just not the normal haunt for ponies like me, kind of feel real out of place here.”

“You and most others. I tend to work in and around Charon’s Stop, most ponies around there don’t have the bits to rub together to make it worth come to a place like this. Sad, really.” Not that they can’t make their own clubs, though it tends to be more drugs than alcohol over there.

Theremin frowned a little. “So true. It feels shameful how ponies can throw their bits around here when it could be better used helping those in need.” He words had passion to them, making me a little worried that he might break out into a speech. The frown disappeared and a smile returned. “I can see that you're a pony who understands that. Your eyes have that look about them, a beautiful brilliance you could say.”

“Thanks.” He was flattering, but it was not making me feel comfortable.

“It’s what drew me to you.” He leaned in closer “You seemed to have look of purpose about you, not like the other mares here. They all seem lost, disconnected from the world, forcing themselves into another ponies world.”

“I.. I, think you're mistaken.” kay, this was confusing. I’ve heard of flirting but this was odd.

He leaned back. “No, I don’t think I am.” He had a lot of confidence in his voice. “I can tell, Your the kind who get’s things done. The kind of pony who's a benefit to all those around them. The kind one like myself can't help but be drawn to.”

I took another sip of my drink, putting on my best poker face. “Next your going to say I’m the hero of legend, who is going to save the world.”

He laughed. “If you want to be, well anything is possible.” He pulled out a card, placing it on the table, and sliding it to me. “I’m part of a group whose goal is the unification of the metro, and returning to the surface.” I picked up the card, one side had a big ‘=’ on it, the other side had the directions to an equalist recruitment center on this island. “We've been slowly bringing the metro to our side, but sadly there are many who resist, many who see that the way things are not as things should be..”

“I see. But if I remember correctly, the equalist revolt twenty years ago was not see as a positive event.” From what I know, it was a downright slaughter.

“True, but as the saying goes, ‘If peaceful protest is prevented, then violent outburst is inevitable.’ Our enemies are the corrupt, ponies who seek to dominate others for their own wealth. The group I belong to seek to stop them from abusing others, and to bring everypony to the ideals of equality through understanding, not through force.” Theremin smiled once more. “I know that a pony as beautiful as you would do well as a member. Maybe we could even team up, help bring equality to others, together.”

I put my cup down, having finished most of it off. I had to give him an ‘A’ for the effort, but he was barking up the wrong tree here. I was still feeling a little upset over getting molested by a bandit, so I didn’t have any interest in a one night stand right now, and his attempt to convert me to his ideology was off putting. If he would drop the Equalist angle, and ask me another day, I might give him a shot.

“Sorry, but I’ll give it some thought.” No need to burn bridges, so I slipped the card into my pocket. “Maybe we can talk another time.” He may not be my type, but he was close, less rugged, and more rough around the edges.

“Ya I’d…” He was cut off by the sound of a glass smashing on the floor.

Kantele stood at one of the booths, a broken bottle of wine at her hooves, and the look of sheer anger on her face. Sighing, I pushed myself out of the seat. “Sorry, looks like my friend’s an idiot.” I trotted away from the booth over to Kantele, near her was a confused looking Citole. “If you're going to drink, do it at the booth.” Looking at the two sitting down, they were an old stallion and a mare, both sharply dressed, and less than happy looking. “Sorry for the trouble.”

I attempted to pull Kantele away, but she shrugged me off. “Vibraphone.” She looked me in the eyes, and motioned to the mare. She had a golden mane with curls that didn’t quite fit her age, and cream coat that looked too bright to be her real color. “This is my mother, Guzheng Brass Apple.” I mentally face hoofed, “Also the one who stole my product.” The situation just went from bad to fucked up in less than ten seconds flat.

“My daughter, I do not steal.” Guzheng spoke up, her voice held a calm irritation to it, something I could understand. “Are there any more accusations you wish to spout out from that worthless mouth of yours.”

I had to mentally collect myself, taking a deep breath and exhaling, before saying anything more. “Ma'am… It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I gave a little bow,. “Miss Kantele was worried about a corporate spy stealing her new product. Now that we know it’s just you, any misunderstanding can be cleared up.”

“Yes, I’m sure the matter can be cleared up later.” Citole added, catching on that a scene here was a bad idea. “Isn’t that right Kantele?”

Kantele didn’t let her glare go, but she allowed us to pull her away, and to the booth. Theremin had left, so it was just the three of us, and two bottles of cola. I pulled out my second telepathy talasman, sliding it to Kantele. She was still glaring at her mother, so I practically had to poke her with the talisman for her to see it. Getting her attention, she looked down at the talisman and nodded.

Replacing her light talasman with the telepathy, we both activated them, opening up a telepathic link.

‘The fuck Kantele, I said identify the thief, not jump down their throat.’ I gave Citole a nod, and she proceeded to pour us the remaining soda.

It was easy enough to hide my emotions as I was talking through telepathy, It was part of Orthrus training, Kantele on the other hoof had neither the control or training, and it showed. Her face was scrunched up, and she was holding back tears. ‘Sorry, I’m sorry, sorry.’

‘Stop apologizing.’ I really hoped that dealing with overly emotional ponies was not going to be a thing, ponies with better self control were much easier to deal with. ‘Now that we’ve found the thief, we can leave. When I’m done with my current job, I’ll come back here and help you out.’

‘Promise?’ She looked at me with watery eyes.

I took a long sip of the soda. ‘What are friends for.’

Kantele smiled. ‘Thanks, I’ll gather the evidence, and wait for you.’

‘Well that warms my heart.’ DJ Cerberus chimed in, nearly making me jump. ‘It’s like that old saying goes, about magic and friendship.’

‘Oh, sorry. Didn’t know your talisman was still on.’ I looked at Kantele and whispered. “It’s DJ Cerberus, She must be scanning the telepathy waves.”

Kantele’s eyes widened. ‘Oh miss DJ, I’m Kantele Brass Apple, a pleasure to meet you… well I mean, you know.’

‘Ahh, a rich mare. Well just keep the chatter to a minimum, No other ponies may be tapping in on the wavelink right now, but that doesn't mean it’s safe.’ Cabrette must have been having trouble with ponies trying to tap into private conversations, or she was expecting a message soon, and didn't want us in on it. Probably about the Equalists… oh shit.

‘Cabrette, about the Equalists, I found one.’ Theremin sudden appearance had caught me off guard, almost making me forget about the fact that all the equalist had up and vanished.

‘WHAT! You mean here, at the club?’ Cabrette’s surprised response was all I needed to know that she didn’t know. ‘Can you give me a description?’

I took another sip. ‘Easy, the stallion was hitting on me just a moment ago. Just look for the one with republic military fatigues on. Blue mane, red coat, and a bit scruffy.’

I felt a poke on my side, Kantele had gotten my attention, pointing at the booth her mother was at. “You mean that stallion?”

There he was, Theremin was sitting at the booth, next to the stallion who was already there, across from Kantele’s mother. I face hoofed, my synthetic hoof banging onto my face in a less than gentle manner. ‘That’s him, with Guzheng Brass Apple.’

‘Well shit…’ Cabrette paused for a moment, and I took the time to quickly fill Citole in on the situation. ‘...right. Kantele, you got a good look at the stallion at the booth right?’

Kantele nodded. I rolled my eyes and poked her, and she suddenly remember that the DJ could not see her. ‘Ye… yes.’

‘Okay dear, can you describe what you saw?’ Cabrette asked. ‘Anything out of the ordinary?’

‘Right, well they were just staring at each other.’ She scratched her chin. ‘It was really odd, they didn’t even seem to know I was there until I accidentally broke the bottle of wine. I think they were plugged into something under the table. They both had a cable in them, you know in the part for connecting to a terminal.’

‘Anything else?’ Cabrette pryed. ‘What did the stallion look like?’

‘Black coat, green mane. had a black trenchcoat, and a black hat like Vibraphones.’ Her eyes lit up for a moment ‘The hat even had a badge on it, a star with a pickaxe and shovel I think.’ She scratched her head. ‘That’s all I think.’

‘A badge depicting a star with a pickaxe and shovel on it. Sounds familiar…’ I looked at Kantele, who looked nervous. ‘Right, I remember now, the workers collective.’

‘The what?’ I asked. ‘whos the workers collective?’

‘Not surprised you don’t know them, they disappeared over a hundred years ago.’ Cabrette answered. ‘In a way, it was a lot like what the Labor Union is now, but formed in a much more unstable time. From what the historical texts say, they butted heads with the republic over ideology, and were pushed out. Later they turned terrorist, claiming that the republic was a tyrannical government that oppressed the workers. Though small in numbers, they posed a huge threat. the texts says that they used early cybernetics to link themselves together, sharing experiences and allowing them to fight as a cohesive unit. They were eventually destroyed by the republic, it was do to their use of cybernetics, their linking brains up to each other festered mental instability, and left them vulnerable.’

‘Committing acts of atrocity in the name of the greater good. Sounds like the Equalities.’ I added.

‘Agree, but the workers collective came from the lower class, the equalities are a upper and middle class moment.’ The DJ continued. ‘Anywho, I doubt he is workers collective, it could refer to something, like fostering a rebellion.’

‘Or plugging brains together!’ Kantele added, her eyes going wide, slowly turning her head to the booth. “Mother…”

I reached out to grab her, and keep her from doing anything stupid, but before I could get a hold of her, she was already on the move. She bolted from the table and over to her mother, tripping along the way. I got up and looked at Citole. “Go get Turnip, we might have a huge problem on our hooves.” She nodded, and I ran after Kantele.

She had quickly gotten to her mother's booth, hooves on the table. “Mother, you must remove yourself from this pony immediately, he's dangerous!” I stopped right before the edge of the booth, not wanting to alarm the others in the booth to my presence, unlike the idiot ahead of me. “Mother listens to me!”

Guzheng slowly turned her head to Kantele with a glare on her face. “Have you lost your mind? Insulting a business partner in such a way, I know I raised you better!” Her eyes shifted around locking with my own. I cursed under my breath. “And you, you must be the one filling her head with this nonsense.”

Shit, It’s going to be far harder to defuse the situation when I’m the target of the mares anger. “No ma'am, your daughter is just stressed. She did just lead the unveiling of your company's new railgun.” I hoped that would be enough the calm the situation enough for all of us to leave before a shouting match started. I reach out with the telepathy once more. ‘Kantele! the fuck is wrong with you.’

‘I can’t let somepony use my mother like this!’ She responded, a look of determination on her face.

Guzheng lifted a wineglass, it half full of it’s dark red contents. “I doubt it, I raised my filly to be obidant. She would never raise her voice to me, not unless some outside ruffian is taking advantage of her.” Her eyes glared with a knowing cunning. I doubt she understood the situation, more that she was sure of her own conclusion. “A scoundrel like you would love to have my dear girl in her pocket. You filthy lowlife’s are all the same, every one of you!”

“NO!” Kantele got right in her mother's face. “you're wrong, can't you see that?” The two glared at each other. “Fine, I’ll show you!” She reached out for the cable connected to her mother neck, and vanished.

CRACK

My head turned to the noise. Kantele laid on the table of another booth, her back half unnaturally dangling off the table, and her face covered in blood. My head snapped back to the booth, Theremin stood on the table, his flank pointed at us, and his back hooves with blood on them.

He turned around and cringed. “Shit, I think I broke her back.” his face relaxed, and all emotion drained from it. His eye scanned around, settling on me. “Sorry about your friend, you should get her to a hospital immediately, or she will die.”

Everything felt like it slowed down, like with S.A.T.S. but without all the programs. Even with the music pounding away, I could hear that everyone in the VIP section had stopped talking, and were looking in our direction. In the corner of my eye the bartender was ducking behind the bar, probably calling security. Guzheng had not moved, maybe stunned, or something worse.

I drew the Lunar Eclipse from it’s holster from under my jacket, and aimed it at… Air? Theremin had rolled down onto the ground, and was coming in with a hoof strike from below. I managed to dodge by rearing back, and standing on my rear legs, the cyberlegs holding me up far better than my old ones. He went in for another strike, as i drew my combat knife with my right foreleg to block it, giving me the opportunity to aim Lunar Eclipse eclipse at him. His punch contacted the blade, and pressed into my chest.

CRACK

Intense pain filled my chest as I found myself skidding backwards. Falling back to all fours, dropping the combat knife, breathing was suddenly hard to do. Looking at the blade, it was bent, almost forming a crescent shape. My Lunar Eclipse was still at my side, the extra TK talisman allowed it to stay by my side, instead of just dropping.

Theremin stood in front of me, still with the emotionless look on his face. “Just take your friend and go, neither of you need to die.”

blood pooled in my mouth, and I had to spit it out. “And you didn't need to attack my friend.”

“That he did.” The older stallion from the booth got up, unplugging himself as he stepped out onto the floor. “Your friend was pushing herself into business where she did not belong. She was making herself a threat, and so she had to be dealt with swiftly and firmly.”

I glared. “That’s not firmly, that brutality!”

The older stallion tipped his hat. “And I’m sorry, something that will not happen again.”

“Too late for that.” I pointed my enforcer at him. “Who are you and what are you after?” Citole arrived with Turnip, the look on her face was of pure shock when she saw Kantele. I pushed her to the side gently. “Go get a stretcher, Kanteles back might be broken.” She just nodded, and galloped down stairs

The old stallion smiled. “How rude have I been, never introducing myself. My names Waterphone Inharmonicity. As for what we are after, that’s simple, to bring true equality to all.” I didn’t buy the hogshit for a second, if they wanted to act the innocent, then they wouldn't have hurt Kantele like that.

“Well you can take that equality and shove it.” I activated my magical armor talisman, forming thin plates of magical energy around me.

“A shame.” Waterphone, said in a disappointed tone. “Clear the way Theremin.”

Theremin charged, and I aimed my revolver at him and fired. He managed to dodge, and was now closing in too quickly so I entered S.A.T.S. I selected to side step him, and fire another round. A simple tactic that was difficult to do when in a sporadic fight like this, all made easier through arcane science. I managed to dodge his attack, his hoof crashing into the metal support of one of the booth seats, and I fired.

He rolled, dodging my shot, and was now right on me. Hitting me with the back of his hoof, I found myself crashing into another booth. The ponies in the booth jumped over the other side and ran to the stairs. Getting up, I spat out a tooth onto the floor. Even with the magical armor, this stallion hits like dragon.

He closed in for another attack, and just in time S.A.T.S. was ready for another go. This time I chose to roll into him, and try to knock him off balance with a kick. The maneuver was successful, as my body jumped into a roll, putting me right under him, and with a strong kick my back hooves made contact with his most sensitive part. A dirty kick I know, but this ponies strength and speed was beyond me. But a stallion is still a stallion.

To my shock, Theremin hadn't flinched even a little, instead he just gave me a smile. Rolling away from him, I found the balcony at my back. “The fuck, don’t tell me you castrated yourself.”

Theremin rolled his eyes. “Decided not to bring them today, I just had a feeling that they be trouble.” I didn’t know if it was the cracked ribs in my chest, or that what he just said just now made my stomach churn. probably both. But I was not feeling well. It was likely the hit to my head earlier, probably a concussion. I needed to end this fast, whatever cybernetics Theremin had in him, it put me at a distinct disadvantage.

S.A.T.S. had not charged all the way yet and he was already going in for another attack. Popping open the compartment in my right leg, I pulled out and extended the baton with my mouth. Hitting the power button, the electrical charge crackled as his body collided with me, sending me over the railings. I managed to grab hold of the railing with my right hoof, the digits just barely holding on. Below me, a loud thump hit the floor, Theremin having been stunned mid jump, just twitched on the floor.

Turning off the baton, I proceeded to pull myself up, only to find Waterphone standing in front of me. “Not bad, but a futile effort.” He stepped closer. “I do see potential. We can make you the pony you deserve to be. Stronger, faster, smarter. All you need to do is join us, and help bring true equality.” I spat in his face. “Truly a shame.” Waterphone pulled out a small pistol, pointing it at my head, but before he could finish me off I let go of the railing, letting myself fall to the ground.

Pain enveloped my body, from where the connectors met flesh, to my entire skull, it all hurt. Looking around, my vision blurred, but I could see Theremin look down at me. “Sorry for the trouble Vibraphone, nothing personal you know.” I could only managed a groan. “Better to not move.” He placed a healing potion in my mouth, and I gulped it down. “That a girl. You know were a lot alike, nothing like the other mares. Were different, we see the world like it really is, unfair, flawed, in need of change.” He threw the empty healing potion to the side. “The world deemed me to be born in the wrong body, but I managed to right that wrong. Whatever wrong the world has done to you we can fix it, you only need to join us. Trust me, we seek to make the world better, give everypony what they deserve.” Theremin trotted off out of view, the healing potion did the trick to make some of the pain stop, or at least stop the blood from filling my mouth.

I saw Citole running over to me, her bunny ears missing from her head, and two medical boxes on her side like saddle bags. “Shit, just hold on, drink this and you’ll be just fine.” The pain was much less than before, but I felt weaker now. I tried to drink the healing potion, but I struggled at every gulp.

Everything went black.

____________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Progression:

No Goddesses, or Princesses, Only Mares. 75%

Family Matters. 50%

I like to lurk. 50%

Chapter 13 - Storm of Troubles (pt 1)

“You alright?” The voice sounded familiar, but muffled. “Hey Viby, you alright?”

I waved my hoof at whoever was talking. “Just help me up.” I felt a pull on my leg, helping me up onto all fours. “Thanks, just give me a moment, my vision’s still blurry.”

“That’s probably a good thing.” I finally pinned down the voice, it was Rototom. “You’re not going to like what you see.”

“Why, what happened.” Rubbing my eyes, I could feel something wet and sticky smear onto my face. My vision now recovering, my sister came into view. She was back in full specter gear, with new goggles, and advanced all-environmental combat armor. “Is everypony alright?”

Rototom shook her head. “Sorry, but it’s quite grim.”

My eyes drifted down, the floor was a mess of red, like someone had been throwing paint around. Snapping my head around, I saw Orthrus regulars moving body bags, so many body bags. The blood was everywhere, not just on the wall. “How many?”

My sister sighed, “We’re still counting, but it’s a lot.” She pulled out a pair of blood stained bunny ears. “A pony wearing this was laying over you, did you know her.” I just nodded in shock. “I see… Sorry.” An Orthrus medical pony came up to my sister, whispering something in her ear. “Right, I’m on it.” She looked in my direction and sighed. “Sorry, but… Just hold it together, I’ll be back soon.”

Rototom quickly trotted off, her hoof steps making a sickly wet sound with each step. I was left in the bloodied club room, the regulars at work removing the bodies. I know there had to be other survivors, at least Cabrette had to be all right. Bolting for the back room, I through the door, and found myself still on the dance floor, but everything was clean. A lone mare sat at the bar, stepping closer she had a white lab coat on, which made her black mane pop out. Other than her lab coat, she was all black.

She felt too familiar, way too familiar. Slamming my hoof on the bar I yelled. “WHO ARE YOU?”

She looked at me, her golden eyes seem to look right through me. “In time.” Slipped from her mouth.

____________________________________

I bolted up, finding myself gasping for air.

“Told you that would wake her up, nothing beats minor suffocation to wake a pony up.” The voice sounded familiar, but a bit off.

“I don’t know, I still think we should have gotten smelling salts.” That was… Citole!

Shaking off the drowsiness, I got up on all fours to look around. Citole, and Cabrette stood next to me. In the distance were a few Orthrus medical ponies, nothing like actual doctor’s, but they had enough training to keep a pony alive long enough to get them to a hospital.

“Where’s Kantele? Is she alright?” The panic in my voice was apparent, even to me.

“She’s going to be alright… we hope.” Citole looked away. “She got hurt real bad, but Turnip was able to stabilize her with a healing potion, and Orthrus just took her to a hospital. But it still looked bad.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, if she was going to get proper medical attention then she was going to be alright. I felt a hoof lightly smack me on the top of my head. “Ow!”

“What were you thinking?” Cabrette’s hoof was back in the air, looking ready to come back down on me. “Firing your gun in my club like that. If that reaver didn’t smack some sense into you, i sure as Tartarus will.”

“Reaver?” That word escaped me, but sounded familiar.

“Oh dear…” Cabrette looked at the others, and motioned for them to give us some space. “Come here.” I followed Cabrette over to the bar, where we sat down. “First off, I’m glad you’re fine. Somepony must have slipped you a super healing potion, must have been what put you out. But sorry about the rude wake up.”

I checked my chest, pushing down but not feeling any pain other than from the pressure of my hoof. My head felt well too, no ringing or blurriness. “Feels like I’m all better.”

“Still, don’t go getting any major injuries anytime soon.” Cabrette poked me on the nose. “Healing potions only do so much, so whatever damage was done to you, those parts are still healing. I don’t need to tell you this, but they can be easily damaged again, so until you get some proper rest, just be careful.”

“Ya, I don’t plan on getting in another hoof fight with him… so what’s a Reaver?”

Cabrette scratched her chin. “Truthfully, I don’t really know. I only have rumours to work off of, but they seem to be the republic's version of a Specter. How the rumors go, they are cybernetically enhanced to surpass a pony in all ways. Faster, stronger, smarter. their meant to protect the republic from its enemies.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And why do you think he’s a Reaver?”

She smiled, and lifted up her pipbuck. Pressing a few buttons on it, a holographic image appeared in my vision. It was that of a comic book cover, a bit old and tattered, but still clear to see. On it was the image of an burgundy red mirage pony stallion with a dark blue mane, and blue eyes. He had green military fatigues on, and was dodging gunfire from ponies in the distance. At the top of the image were the words The Reaver.

“Seriously?” I only felt more confused.

“Dead serious.” Cabrette responded. “I took a snapshot of the stallion, and this is what my contacts sent back to me. They were laughing about it at first, then I showed them the fight. Let’s just say that whoever this pony is, they are at least emulating a comic book hero.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m more of a Drum Tablature fan myself. But that strength and speed, it was unreal. I just could not get a bead on him at all. The one hit I did get on him was just a lucky strike.”

“Ya, whoever he and his partner was, they had us marked from the start.” Cabrette said and she rested her head on the bar table. “I could so use a stiff drink right now.”

“What do you mean, how were they expecting us?”

Sighing, Cabrette picked herself up. “Well not so much expecting, your movements have been too erratic to predict. They must have had a contingency plan, you know, probably had a photo of you, and orders to check you out or something.” She waved her hoof slowly in the air dismissively. “Just check your pockets.”

I patted myself down, finding nothing on me… “Fuck, the bug’s gone!”

“Yep, the fuckers swiped it after you hit the ground. They looked pleasantly surprised when they pulled it off of you.”

This was going to put a dampener on my job. “Anyway can I go on without it?”

Cabrette shrugged. “That bug is not just a piece of sophisticated technology, but has some old magic enchanting it. Probably not a megaspell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if is within the same family of magic.”

“Wait, so that thing is a magical device, and a powerful one too?”

She nodded. “My family only used it a few times over the generations, each time it scared the shit out of them. Basically, it is a super bug, pulls in all signals when it's active. All gibberish without a terminal made for decoding, but if you can tap into it, you can see every message and conversation that passes through.” Cabrette took a deep breath and sighed. “For a normal pony, it could mean learning about something more powerful ponies would kill to keep hidden, for an information broker it puts the world at her hoof tips.”

“And in the situation of an upcoming war, it puts the listener at an advantage.” I added.

Cabrette gave me a look of concern. “You’re talking about the vertabucks right?” I nodded. “Well that explains why she’s willing to pay for it. And that makes another problem to deal with.”

I groaned. “I got to get the bug back from the Reaver.” Cabrette nodded. “So how long was I out?”

“Half an hour, so the trail is far from cold.” Cabrette whistled loudly, and a short mirage pony mare came trotting up to us, dragging a large box behind her. She had a light brown coat, dark brown mane, and hazel eyes that were framed with thick red rimmed glasses. “Luckily Madal here arrived with a box full of guns and ammo a few minutes ago.” Looking closer at the Madal, her eyes were a little red, and the fur under them was damp.

Getting out of the seat, I trotted up to the mare, and gave her a hug. “I’m sure Kantele will be fine.”

Madal sniffled. “Thanks.”

Cabrette had slowly gotten up, trotting over to us. “If you want to back out and let Orthrus take care of this mess, nopony would blame you.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Not true, I got a client who’s going to be pissed about this, and a sister who’s egging me on. And sadly, if your bug is as powerful as you say it is, I can’t let that jackass run off with it.”

Smiling, Cabrette trotted over and opened the large case Madal was dragging. Madal moved to stop her, but Cabrette simply raised her hoof, halting her. “Like I told you, your boss was lending out these guns to Vibraphone. The culprits who harmed her now have an important item, Vibraphone here is going to get it back, and if things go right, get some justice.”

Madal nodded, and opened the case herself. “I just grabbed some light arms, and ammo, a few grenades too.”

She was not kidding, inside was a nice selection of guns. An AG-6 was there, the air powered assault rifle would cover most basic combat roles. There was an IF-152, The Firebug would be my best intimidation gun, as no pony liked the idea of being set on fire. There was a digger gun, not a useful gun for me, but if all else fails I could throw it at an enemy. She even had a .357 revolver in the case, I already had one, so I could at least use the ammo. I also found a battle saddle, though not my style, it would still be useful.

I patted myself down, not finding my revolver. “Shit, anyone seen my gun?”

“I think one of your friends picked it up, the odd looking stallion I think.” Cabrette answered.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around for him. He was standing next to Citole, who was holding a towel. “Turnip, can you come over here for a moment?”

The lurker trotted over… and he was covered in glow sticks and glowing paint. He looked like a ravers spirit animal, all glowing and shit. “Not hurt badly?” I shook my head. “Rad! Was worried you not wake up, worried more for other pony.”

“I know, but she’s seeing ponies who can help her.” On him was his saddle bag, along with the case holding my rifle, so no worries about that being missing. “So turnip, did you pick up my revolver?”

He nodded. “Bad pony had taken it, I took it back. Tried to stop me, didn’t even crack shell. Bad pony ran, called I monster, but no matter, bad pony didn’t take gun.” Turnip rummaged through his bag and pulled out the Lunar Eclipse and hoofed it over to me. The gun was unharmed, and seemed to shimmer a little in the dim light. Placing it in its holster, I gave Turnip a pat on the shoulders.

Well at least one of those assholes was shown up, though I doubt Turnip would have stood a chance against Theremin. That pony’s strength and speed was unreal. “Thanks, that means a lot to me.” He smiled, which was a little creepy do to how stiff his face was.

Cabrette trotted closer to me, looking worried. “What’s wrong with your friend?”

Well best to make this quick. “Nothing’s wrong with him, well I hope not. He’s a Sparkle-Lurker, ran into a bunch of them on the big island… Didn’t you talk about them in one of your story’s?”

The DJ took a nervous step back. “Oh, hehehe… I see it now.” She gave me a worried look. “How?”

I didn’t have time to go over this in detail. “Long story short, his queen is a bitch, and he travels with me now.”

“Queen won’t be pleased with me not dead yet.” Turnip added. “But no care, having fun with dance and food.”

“He’s also harmless, unless being a mechanic is dangerous to you?” I added.

Cabrette nodded, but maintained her distance. “Well if he pulls out a rainbow glowing bottle, I’m shooting him.” That was good enough for me.

I sighed, and turned my attention back to the gun case, first pulling out the ammunition for my Lunar Eclipse. .357 Ironshod special was what it said on the box. Lifting up the ammo, I looked over at Madal. “What’s this?”

Madal’s eyes lit up. “Oh those are Armor piercing shredder rounds, made to punch through armor, and shred the soft tissue under it. It was meant to be sold to Orthrus, but sadly they never sold beyond a few private buyers.”

“Nice.” I pulled out Lunar Eclipse, and loaded the ammo inside, and replaced the bullets on my two cartridge holders. “I’m taking it all.”

“All of it?” Madal look worried.

“E’yep, I’m going to need a lot of firepower with me on this. So, can you help me put on the battle saddle?” She just looked at me before nodding.

The battle saddle went on easily over my jacket, and the AG-6 was attached to it. My wing lightly pressed on the trigger, the safety was on so there was no worry of misfire, not that the rifle could fire without air pressure. This would help me deal with any general threats quickly and quietly.

The gun case for my Lelantos was attached to the other side, a bit heavy, but nothing I couldn’t deal with. The Firebug was placed in a holster at my flank, just behind the AG-6, and the digger gun was given to Turnip to hold onto. With the case clear I could now see the grenades, three apple shaped frags, and three thin flash bombs. I gave two of each to Turnip, placing a frag in a pocket in my jacket, and the flash I put in the hidden compartment of my right foreleg.

My new stun baton was missing. “Let me guess, the stun baton was taken.” Cabrette nodded. “No matter.” I opened up my gun case, and pulled out the knife Cornett had made, it had its own holster with it, nothing as fancy as the one for my gun, but it easily replaced my old knife holster.

After checking the ammunition, most going to Turnip to hold, and I kept two tubes of the ball bearings, I was ready.

“Before you go, take these.” Cabrette hoofed over four healing potions and four Radaways. I put two of each in the gun case, and the rest in Turnips bag. “So how are you going to track them? I know it’s not a big island, but still, they do have a lead on you.”

The answer to that was simple. “I’ll let Rufus lead the way. I left him outside to keep a nose out for trouble, so he may already have the trail.”

Cabrette smiled, and lifted her tinted glasses. “Seriously, if that asshole was not a cybernetically overpowered monster, I’d say he was a dead pony walking.” Her eyes were like rubies, literally like rubies! I’d heard of it, but had never seen it before, where some ponies had some of the characteristics of other equines that normally didn’t surface. Normally this was in the form of floppy ears, or an elongated tail, but very rarely did crystal pony show up. “What?”

I shook myself out from staring. “Sorry, Just your eyes, there, well you know, beautiful.”

She chuckled. “Ya, it shows up in my family from time to time. I might have some crystal pony heritage, but I like to think it’s due to my family’s affinity with rocks.”

“Rocks?” I said cocking an eyebrow. Cabrette just shrugged, and put her glasses back on. “Anywho, the sooner I get on their trail, the better.”

It was time for me to go, and I said my goodbye’s to everyone. Before I left, Citole informed me that Kantele’s mother had simply left without a word. Worried about Kantele, she was going to keep an eye on her at the hospital. If worse came to worse, Cornett would likely take her in. It was good to know that when Kantele recovers, she would at least have someone waiting for her.

____________________________________

Outside Rufus was waiting for me, the cyberdog being given some friendly attention by an Orthrus Regular with neon colors in her mane. “Well it's good to see that you’re doing some honest work Dollu.”

She had a face mask on, hiding her paralyzed face, and her sun hat had been traded for a ballistic helmet. “Good to see you’re still a bitch.” She gave Rufus another scratch before letting him go. “So what happened, did you stab more ponies?”

“Sadly, I wish that’s what happened.” I gave Rufus a scratch behind the ears. “I ran into some sort of equalist special agent, I was completely outclassed.”

“Sucks for you?” Dollu spat out. Her eyes moved from my face, to what I guess was the guns on me. “So you’re going out hunting then?”

“You could say that. The asshole took something from me, and I’m going to get it back.” Pulling out the card that Theremin gave me, I presented it to Rufus. “So I don’t have time to chat, got to get on the trail before it goes cold.”

Rufus sniffed the card, and began walking around the area, sniffing the ground. Dollu chuckled. “Seriously, well good hunting.” Rufus stopped in place and barked. “Looks like your hounds got the scent, better not die out there.”

“Don’t plan to.” I trotted after Rufus, with Turnip following right behind me.

The station started to feel like a maze as we went in deeper as the old wartime tunnels gave way to the old post war tunnels, which gave way to newer tunnels. The wartime tunnels had the advantage of a surplus of supplies in their construction, so even now they were still solid over two hundred years later. The newer tunnels didn’t have this advantage, so even with advanced digging practices, the stability of the tunnel could vary wildly. I was not worried about a collapse, but the likelihood of running into a Rad-Roach was much higher here.

I could feel eyes peering at me from the small homes built into the tunnels themselves, weary of my presence here. I could only guess that this was where all the unskilled labor lived, ponies who could be easily replaced and shipped off the island. So an outsider probably meant more bad things then good. An optimal place for the equalists to find allies.

Rufus kept going into a darker part of the tunnel, leading us to a sad looking door. The frame was badly put together, leaving it uneven, and the door itself was likely over two hundred years old, and had been cracked for half that time. I knocked, switching off the safety to the battle saddle.

“One moment!” call a voice on the other side, followed by the sound of cans being knocked over. “Just a moment!” The door creaked open, revealing a dirty silver mare with a bright red mane. To my dismay she was naked, the only thing she had on that could be considered cloths was a rag holding her mane up. “If you’re looking for Chill, Dash, or actual respiratory medication, my stock is all out.”

Great, she’s a drug dealer. “Sorry I’m not here for that. Have you seen a red stallion in military fatigues?”

“Oh Theremin. Sorry but you just missed him.” She paused for a moment, looking like she just remembered something important. “You’re not a cop right, you have to tell me if you are, that’s the law.”

I face hoofed. “I’ll bring down the law if you don’t tell me where he went.” She attempted to slam the door on me, but I already had a hoof in. Though I doubted that I needed to, the door didn’t look like it could close. “Just tell me where he went.”

She backed away from the door, and nodded. “I was sure some ex-girlfriend would show up, they always show up.” She trotted to the back of her hobble slowly. “Sell some drugs Bawu, then you’d have the bits to attract a stallion. That’s what they told me.” The nude mare, Bawu I guess, started digging through a trunk. “Next thing I know I’m licking cunt to get the next shipment.” I heard the familiar sounds of metal clanking on metal. “Oh there were stallions, but they just wanted the chill. Free fuck for chill.”

Sighing I got ready to strike her, and predictably she turned around with a digger gun in her mouth. She didn’t know what hit her, getting a hoof to the face before she could even lock eyes with me. She had dropped her gun, and looked around confused, so I hit her a second time, knocking her out. “Fucking addict.”

I waved the others in, and let Rufus do his work, and It didn’t take the cyber dog long to find a smuggler tunnel. Throwing a blanket over Buwa, the mare needed to learn some decency, I was off through the tunnel.

The narrow tunnel went on for a fair distance, the rocks and dirt sometimes giving way to brick and plaster. We passed by a few hidden doors, but Rufus pressed onward, so the doors were ignored. I could only guess that this tunnel was relatively new, and Orthrus had yet to seal it up.

The tunnel came to an end after steeply rising up, leaving me in an empty room. Putting on my gasmask, I slowly opening the door, and could see a pony on the other side, standing guard. Black jacket, rags, spikes, and spiky Mohawk. It was a bandit. Not wanting to waste time playing nice, I aimed the AG-6 for a headshot, and began charging the air tank. I felt a little stupid for not doing this sooner, but right now all I could do is hope she did not look my way. The bandit remained still, up till the AG-6 was fully pressurised, and I fired, dropping the bandit, sending her down with a soft thud.

Opening the door the rest of the way, the cost was clear, so I waved the others through. We were in a long hallway, much of the building was decayed, and roots from invading plants were everywhere. In the distance was the sound of wind blowing, probably another storm outside.

“Vibby?” Turnip quietly called to me. Looking at the lurker, he was checking the bandit’s body. “Do metal balls cut pony’s throats?”

The forehead of the bandit was blown out, reminding me how powerful an air gun could be. Her neck had been gashed open, and dried blood stained the bandit’s shirt. I had just shot a pony who was already dead. My only guess was that Theremin was the one who did this.

“Well at least this means that the equalists are not working with Bandits.” I checked the body for anything useful, but she had nothing on her. “Right, we need to remain quiet, who knows who or what is out here.” Turnip nodded slowly, and Rufus gave a soft growl.

Following Rufus, it looked like we were in an office building, though anything that could tell me for what had long vanished. The bandits had cleaned the place up as best as one could, with much of the junk swept to the corners. A box full of empty inhaler cartridges further proved what this place was being used for. But everything else I’d expect from a bandit smuggling den was missing, the guns, the labs, even the bandits. Not to say we didn’t see some, but all the bandits on this floor were dead, a few with their faces caved in, others shot or stabbed to death.

The next floor was more of the same, but with more bandit bodies, and this time it looked like they were able to fight back. Also unlike the floor below, the equalists had left guns and ammo behind, though most of it was not useful to me, but I was able to find two more healing potions.

The sound of tapping, and scraping came from ahead. Rufus sniffing the air and the fur on his back stood straight up. Whatever was ahead, the cyber dog didn’t like it, and knowing what could be up here, neither did I.

“Check mate! Are you even trying'?” The tapping suddenly became rapping and loud for a moment. “Maybe you need another buck to t' head, might knock your IQ up..”

“Fuck you, you self-loathing' cunt.” There was the sudden sound of glass shattering, and small metal objects rattling on the ground. “Next time you tell me t' fight a cybernetic scurvy dog freak, moi’s goin' t' save time and just stab you.”

The two voices were sounding all too familiar. Between the distinct accent, and the aggression, I was getting a bad feeling that they were pirates. Staying low, I took point. It was easy to keep hidden, with how dark everything was, making me regret not looking for some night vision goggles before coming up here.

Further down a hall, around a corner, and over another dead bandit, I could see who it was that we're talking. To my dismay, not only were they pirates, the two were the pirates that I fought at the hotel. The two were covered in blood, and surrounded by cans of food rations, many cans of food rations. Another pirate stood nearby, along with six bandits, all looking like they just jumped through a meat grinder.

At the hooves of Shamrock and Couteau was an old chess board, its game pieces spread all around the room, and a broken bottle of Metro-Cola simmered in the light of a hanging lantern. “That scurvey dog shot a fuckin' magical bolt from her fuckin' hoof for fuck sakes. Disintegrated Choppy Waters with a hoof shake.” Couteau barked out.

Shamrock laughed. “That was awesome. If not for bein' an ignorant heathen, I’d have bought her a drink for that one.” She leant back in her chair and put her hooves up, I couldn’t read her face do to the gas mask, but her body posture felt smug to me. “I know, I know. Choppy was a good comrade, but fuck was he stupid. That pony freak defiantly had some sort o' trickery at hoof, and he went right up t' her and let t' scurvy dog make t' first move.”

Rufus pointed at the dangerous group, meaning the trail went right through them, something that I was not going to do. I knew that places like this always had alternate paths, either by design or by nature, I just needed to find one.

The wind and rain sounded like it was getting worse, something I was going to hate once I was outside, but right now it helped keep any noise we made muffled. The windows for the ground floor had been blocked off entirely, so getting out that way would cause a lot of noise, and take too long to get out before the pirates found us. Some parts had collapsed in on itself, which looked like a dead end, but meant that the second floor was open up here, I just had to find another door. After nearly knocking over a bunch of bottles all bunched together, I found the other side, and to my good fortune, a way up to the next floor.

There was a shambled of a pathway going up, made of old doors and filing cabinets, the walkway was as unstable as it looked. Luckily the sound of the storm was much louder here, so the rattling sounds we made on every step was not out of place with how the wind was knocking many objects around. At the top we found what looked like a lookout post. Empty bottles and cans littered a small nest of moldy pillows, the lookout long ago abandoned their post. Among the things that were worth anything left behind, was a large long barreled air gun that was held in place on a swivel mount. The high powered sniper rifle was made mostly of junk, and could probably kill or scare off most of the beasts around here.

On one of the pillows was an old pair of equestrian military binoculars. Aside from a few scratches on the sides, they were in relatively good condition. Quickly looking around i found the case, though a bit rusted, it still had all the extra parts for the binoculars. Though it didn’t have night vision, or any other sensory equipment, it would still be a useful tool to have. So I packed it away, and put it in Turnips saddle bag.

The second floor for the office building was in bad shape. What was left of the floors were rotten and covered in mold, fungus, and grass. Everything was wet, though the bandits had managed to patch up the holes in the ceiling with tarps, the rain still got through. Every now and then Minerva give me a radiation warning in my vision, nothing severe, a click every five seconds, but the outside was going to be far worse.

Below me were the pirates and bandits, still sitting around, and looking very irritated. Spark batteries powered a few lanterns, bathing the room in a white glow. We stuck to the shadows, the storm providing everything we need to keep from being detected.

“What you think happened to those assholes?” The bandits catted among themselves, keeping an eye on the pirates.

“Who? Wait, you mean Drumsticks and her mind fucked friends.” The bandit spat on the ground. “I hope their dead, it does us all a favor.”

Another bandit chugged a beer, and finished off with a burp. “What’s your problem, they were cool.”

That bandit got hit in the head with an empty can. “Didn’t we tell you before dumbfuck. About the rumours.” The bandit sighed. “Her crew is chock full of rapists, cannibals, and drug fiends. You know, the real messed up kind.”

“Gees, you don’t have to go hitting me now.” The bandit rubbed the spot the can had hit. “But seriously, The Big Island bandits are something else.”

“I heard that it’s because the Big Island's cursed. Anypony that lives there for too long eventually goes insane.”

One of the bandits nervously eyed Shamrock. “You know what’s insane, how they are still alive. I know I saw her get her face caved in, and the other one got her legs snapped.”

Another bandit threw a can at the one eyeing the pirates. “Shut your trap! I don’t like it any more than you do, but who or whatever they are, they’re our ticket to the big leagues. So don’t go blowing it by pissing them off.”

It was troubling to see Shamisens fears be realized. The bandits knew most of the hidden ways into the islands metro, giving them a way to strike at the heart of our civilization. I could only hope Orthrus was already working on a plan to deal with them. I just needed to get that bug back, set it up, and then we can tap into the pirate’s communications. Something easier said than done, but if I could catch the equalists unaware, I might be able to steal back the bug without a fight.

We all managed to get passed the bandits without being seen, the storm providing us with everything we needed to keep from being detected. Though my biggest worry was the pirates, as they were still an unknown factor.

Looking down pass the room the bandits were in, it was not much different from the rest of the place. There were a few more bodies, and bloody hoof prints all the way to the exit. We stuck to the second floor, quietly trotting to the exit, weary of any enemy that might be lurking in the shadows below. The storm was getting inside from this side, dampening the floor as the raindrops pattered on the cracked concrete floor.

Nearby were some stairs, covered in garbage, but clear enough for us to walk down without much trouble. Letting Rufus take the lead, he ran for the door outside, and we followed. Nopony spotted us on our way out, and now in the rain It would be exceedingly difficult to spot us.

The rain was heavy, and my pipbuck clicked once a second now. The radiation in the rain was not strong, but prolonged exposure would eventually kill me. Rufus was starting to have trouble holding onto the scent, the rain may help keep us hidden, it was washing away the only lead we had. When he would catch the scent again, we would gallop onward, as time was not on our side.

We eventually passed by a flagpole, the old flag was torn to shreds, and next to the pole was a sign with a map on it. The path split here, so I looked at the sign to get a look at where we were. It had all the landmarks on it, and listed where the nearby metro entrances were. Looking at Rufus, he was pointing down one of the paths, and comparing it to the map, I knew were Theremin was going. The path lead straight to the old radio tower, which meant I might be able to kill two rad-roaches with one bullet.

____________________________________

The warm rain had soaked me to the bone, making me shiver, and forcing me to suck down a radaway to stave of radiation sickness. The inside of my gasmask now had the sickly sweet smell of pineapple that the radaway off, and its taste lingered in my mouth. It was not the worst thing I’ve had to drink, but the flavor was so strong that I could never get used to it.

We had stopped in an old camping post. Made for the surface scouts, the structure was strong, raised off the ground, and kept the rain out. It was also a dark spot with a clear line of sight of the Radio Tower.

My new binoculars proved useful here, though not as strong as the gun scope I had for my Lelantos, they gave me a wider view of what I was looking at. My assumption proved correct when I saw two ponies on guard, both with Magical Energy Muskets over their raincoats. The favorite weapon of the Republic, they had to be equalists, or at least working with them.

Studying them for a good ten minutes, they had a movement pattern that was easy to track, and both regularly separated. The only issue I would have with them was that they had their light talismans on, which foolishly reduced how far they could see, but lit up the area around them well enough that I could not simply sneak around them. The plan was simple, sneak in and take out the two guards, take their raincoats and possibly their uniforms. Once I can blend in, I sneak inside, steal the bug, plant it in the broadcasting booth, and if luck is on my side I’ll simply walk my way back underground.

Getting in close was easy enough, between the wind and rain, the two equalists were deaf and blind pass were their lights reached. Turnip was surprisingly good at staying quiet, matching me step for step. It was either something natural for lurkers, or they had to learn it quickly or be prey for monsters. Rufus did well enough himself, though in a situation like this a large cyber-cat would be more well suited.

Moving only when the wind picked up, we made our way to an old rusty stairway, it was held up more by the vines that wrapped around it, then its own supports. Keeping low, one of the guards passed by right on cue. The wind picked up, and I rushed the pony, tackling her into a submission hold. It was a simple move taught by Orthrus, and drilled into me until I could do it sleep walking, so the pony didn’t see it coming. One hoof wrapped around her neck, and the other around a leg, I used the force of my momentum, and her own body weight to slam her to the ground. She was knocked out quickly, the leg around her neck cutting off the blood flow to her brain, and the force of the tackle keeping her from struggling.

Pulling the pony under shelter, I quickly disrobed her. She had a Republic military jumpsuit, and a raincoat that I threw on. Taking off the battle saddle and gun case, the jumpsuit easily fitting over my barding, but forcing me to abandon my jacket. Turnip helped me put the battle saddle back on, it was close in appearance to what the pony was using, and I didn’t feel like taking hers. Replacing the AG-6 with the energy musket, I threw on the raincoat, and now I should bend in. I placed the AG-6 into turnips bag, it only sticking out a little.

Dragging the half-naked pony over to a dumpster, we placed her inside. She wasn’t a bad looking mare, and looked like she actually took care of herself, so I left her my jacket, as a fair trade. It wasn’t enough to hide her blue striped panties, but at least it was something.

The next guard was going to be tricky, the two guards were to meet up again soon, so I would have to fill the role. This made a good opportunity to test if my disguise worked, and hopefully catch the pony off guard. Switching out the telepathy talisman, with the light talisman I took, I lit up the area around me. This was definitely a dumb way to keep guard, as my range of vision fell to where only the light touched, telling me how inexperienced these ponies must be at guard work.

Turnip ran ahead, taking a hiding spot that would be just out of sight of the other guard, and Rufus stayed behind me. I took my position, and walked along the same route as the guard I took out. Turning a corner, the other guard came into sight, though all I could see was his glowing ball of light. My knife was ready in case this failed, but I was betting on Turnip to knock the pony out with his heavy hoof.

We closed in until we were standing in each other’s light. It was hard to see the pony with the hood of the raincoat pulled over my face, but I could see well enough that the other guard was doing the same. Neither of us said a word, just nodded. The guard hadn’t seen Turnip, the lurker doing pretty well blending into the background, and hiding his glowing bits. Swiftly and quietly turnip snuck up behind the guard, raising a hoof up, and swinging it hard.

He missed, no, the guard dodged. With a swift and agile movement, the guard bucked him in the chest, catching Turnip off guard. I rushed in, pulling my knife, but the guard grabbed turnip by the hoof, and threw him over his shoulder, and into me. The force of Turnips body knocked the wind out of me, and sent us sliding on the slick ground.

“Now unless the equalists employ monsters to attack their own, I don’t think you're who you appear to be. Who are you and what faction do you belong to.” The ponies voice was that of a stallion, and had some age to it. “And don’t think I won’t vaporize you, because I will.”

My knife was still in my right hoof, but it was useless in this situation, so I put it away. Turnip was stunned, so I had to roll him off of me, something easier said than done do to how heavy he was. Getting up, i cleared my thought. I was going to say something witty at him, but the light from the energy musket didn’t fill me with confidence that he would not shoot me. “Vibraphone Echo, I’m self-employed, and giving out the names of my clients would be extremely unprofessional, so don’t ask.”

Seconds passed in silence, and I felt my heart tighten as the tension grew thicker. With just a flick of his wing, I would be ash, and I doubt I could dodge at the right time to avoid the first shot. I did have the magical armor, but the time it would take to activate it, and for him to sense me gathering the magic was not enough to ensure my safety. I did have the advantage of two companions, so if he became distracted by one of them, then I had a opportunity to activate the armor.

A red light passed over my eye, making me flinch. It was a red dot, which now rested on my nose. “fuck me.” He had a sniper for support, throwing out any plan I had at fighting this pony. I dropped my defensive posture and raised my hooves into the air. “Luna fuck me with moon beams, I surrender.”

I sat there with my hooves up for a few more seconds. The stallion sat down, aiming his musket away from me, and lit up a cigarette. “So you’re the younger Echo, now I’m real glad I didn’t take you out as you came up here. Call me Old Song, I’m a Specter.”

I relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” Looking at the stallion, he was actually smoking his cigarette through the drinking port of his gasmask, the smoke puffing out of the port periodically. “This should make my job easier.”

“And what job is that?” Old Songs voice sounded skeptical.

I didn’t want to give too much away, and now that I think about it, He never gave any proof to actually being a specter. “I’ll tell you, but only if you have proof that you are a specter.” He nodded, and zipped open the jumpsuit, underneath was a modified enforcer and dog-tags with the emblem of Orthrus on it. It was not much proof, but I was just going to have to go on faith for this. “Right, I’m to install a bug on the radio tower, a simple job, but with one big problem.”

“The equalists.” Old Song answered.

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking.” I replied. “The bug was stolen before I headed out. The pony who has it is called a Reaver, not something I want to fight up close.”

Old Song tilted his head. “Reaver, what, as in the comic book?”

I sighed. “Strangely yes. The pony is some sort of cybernetic powerhouse, and has modeled his… herself after the comic hero. I don’t know how good his range of skills is, but his hoof to hoof strikes are deadly.”

“A stallion…” Old song groaned. “I got bad news, there’s a mare as well. Shooting energy bolts from her hoof, and overkilling everything in her way.”

I nodded. “I heard the pirates talking about a mare that could do that.”

He cocked his head again. “We have pirates now too!?”

“Yaaaaa… That’s why I’m here. As of late, we have outsiders invading the islands. They’ve already made contact with the bandits, so unless we can at least intercept their communications, things are going to go bad fast.” I pulled the jumpsuits leg up, and showed him Minerva, the screen lit up, turning to the Tactical S.A.T.S. page. “It’s mostly my sister’s idea. She plans to meet up with me after convincing the council of the danger the pirate pose.”

Old Song nodded. “I see. I was only here to observe the situation. But I can offer my assistance.” He pulled out a bomb from under his raincoat. “You go in, and I’ll cause a distraction, you can take my disguise for your… friend.”

“Thanks, if all goes well, we’ll have a leg up on the pirates when they make their move.” Old Song removed the jumpsuit and raincoat, revealing his sleek black tactical barding. He had the same goggles my sister was using, so when he vanished into the darkness, I knew he could see everything.

Getting Turnip dressed up was easy enough, and between the raincoat and gasmask on, it would be impossible to tell that he was not a pony without taking them off. We headed to the door inside, luckily it was not guarded itself so we slipped inside without a problem. When the cost was clear, we had Rufus follow us in.

Rufus sniffed the floor, and softly growled, He was back on the scent. Unfortunately, two equalists were coming our way, so Rufus went and hid, as I stepped up to deal with the two equalists.

They were in the same jumpsuits as us, their gas masks on, and raincoats hanging over their back. “Hey, isn’t it a bit early for you to be leaving your post?”

I cleared my throat, forcing it to strain a bit. “Sorry, but the storms gotten a lot worse. I think we’re going to need to shorten the shifts or risk radiation poisoning.”

The two guards looked at each other, and back to me, their heads drifting down to the large puddle forming under me. “Shit, your soaked! Ya, I think we should do that.” The guards looked back up at me. “You also don’t sound too good… Fuck, I’m going to hate it out there.”

I chuckled. “Ya, and also think I saw a rad-hog out there, so good luck.”

The two guards passed us, mumbling to themselves, not giving us a second look. It felt a bit too easy, but with how the guards were using light talismans, I don’t think they were all that well trained. Thinking about it, I replaced the light talisman for my muffle talisman. Rufus would point the way, but I was going to take the lead. I decided not to install the amplify sound talisman, with how the storm was still raging outside, all it would do was make the storm louder to me.

When the two guards had vanished into the darkness of the outside, I called Rufus out. His nose trained on the floor, his ears up and twitched about. I may not be able to filter out the sound of the storm, but cyber-dogs could, still not as good as cyber-cats, but far better than what I could do. He kept low, and would stop at doorways, letting me pass first so that I could signal to him if it was safe to pass.

The equalists were in force here, whatever they were up to, I could only hope it didn’t involve violence. Most of them mulled around in the hollowed out rooms, either chatting with each other or resting in shifts. My only guess is that they were moving out soon, so they had to be ready when given the order. I counted over twenty of them, and if I had to guess, there was probably a good hundred here. Luckily none of them gave me much trouble, probably do to the gas masks making it hard to see, or spot anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t want to push my luck, so I kept most, if any socializing to head nods and shakes. It was better for them to think I was dumb or mute, than to open my mouth and reveal that I was not one of them.

We reached the second level of the radio building with no problems, and we had a clear shot at the broadcasting booth. Rufus pointed us in the direction of the lounge, which was guarded. The guards, unlike the ones from the outside had body armor on, and were armed with a magical energy musket and an older model air rifle each. The republic always had a problem of quantity over quality, but with their numbers it didn’t matter, they could overwhelm a station with just sharpened sticks if they were crazy enough to try.

Taking note of where we need to go, we first headed to the broadcasting booth. The room was as clean as you could expect out here, no junk on the floor, and the windows boarded up. To my dismay, there was already a pony here, working under the broadcaster.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing?” I had to give off a sense of authority, but keep to a level of ignorance. “If that thing turns on it may signal our position.”

“Oh sorry.” The pony responded. “The ch.. chief wanted me to check for a… um, a sound flux transistor.” whatever the fuck that is. “What are you doing in here.” She pushed herself out from under the broadcaster, and slid along the floor. “OH A DOGGY!”

I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. “Ahh, yes. He is here to help… with security. You never know when the damn trade union is sneaking about!”

“Right, trade union… don’t want them doing bad things.” She stepped closer to Rufus, and he backed away growling.

I stepped between her and Rufus. “Sorry, but he’s working, so no touching.” I needed to get her out of the room so I could get the booth ready to be turned on.

“Aww, not even a little?” I shook my head. “Damnit, I never get to play with the dogs.” She got up close to me, and I could see her green eyes through the mask. “What do you say I help you out. And when your shift is over, I can play with the doggy!”

“I don’t think that’s a good Idea.” I backed away from the mare. “And don’t you have to get that… whatever it is.”

“Oh that, naww, well ya… but it’s not there, it's gone.” She rotated her hoof as she spoke, making me suspicious, but with the gasmask on, I could not properly read her. “I just need to head to the lounge to check one more thing. But the guards are being a pain in the ass, but your with security, so help a mare out?”

If I went with her, it would get her out of here, but if I brought Rufus along I doubt I could just play it off. “I’ll go with you, but my partner will stay here with the dog.”

The mare's head dipped. “Oh, that’s a shame, a real shame.” She trotted past me, and motioned for me to follow. “Oh well, let’s just get this over with.”

I sighed, and whispered to Turnip. “Do what you can to get the broadcaster working, just don’t turn it on until I come back with the bug.” He nodded, and we separated.

The two guards simply pointed their guns at us, and told us to go away. So this was going to be tricky at best. “Oy, fuckers, get the wax out of your ears, I got an order to pick up in that room. I even went and got a security escort too.” Or the mare could just act like a bitch.

I cleared my throat. “What our comrade means is that she has an order to pick up, and I’m to make sure that’s all she does.”

The two guards looked at each other, and shook their heads. “Still no entry. Reaver Blaster Beam is currently in a foul mood. So you will just have to wait until we get the all clear.”

“She’s already vaporized one comrade who barged in.” The other guard added. “Though I might be willing to let your undisciplined friend in, just to see what happens.”

I was starting to feel like I was back at the lurkers nest, which was a really bad feeling. “I see; do you know how long it will be?” If I could get a timeframe, I might be able to come up with a plan around the reavers. The more distance between me and them, the better.

The guard just shook his head, and we backed off. Looking at the mare, everything was off about her. But I was not willing to point it out, as it would risk me being found out. When we were far enough away, I felt like it was safe enough to pry “Say, what’s your name… Comrade.”

“Graceful Gust.” She said hitting her chest with her hoof. Said hoof lacking any metal parts. “And what’s your name miss not who she says she is.”

I was right about not opening my mouth, it only marked me as not one of the equalists. “Vibraphone Echo. Freelancer. I’m guessing you’re with the Orphic Kingdom?”

Graceful paused for a moment before nodding. “Ya, doing reconnaissance. Seeing what these assholes are up to.” With the turmoil at their home, it was not surprising that they would be looking into the threats around them. “So any idea how to get pass the guards?”

“Not really, but I did meet a friendly on my way here, he said he would provide a distraction for me.” Almost as though on cue, a siren went off, echoing in the building.

We kept out of the way, as a pony ran up the stairs, and right to the lounge. Before the guards could even stop the pony, the doors flung open, revealing a green mare with a bright red mane. Unlike the others, she didn’t have on a jumpsuit, but cut down fatigues, with a ballistic vest over it. The most striking thing about her was that her tail and wings were cybernetic. The tail long and slender, with what looked like a coil at the end. Her wings had what looked like a magical energy pistols attached to them. Over all, she looked incredibly dangerous.

The Equalist looked like he was going to piss himself, his back legs collapsing under him. “Miss Blaster Beam Sir!” the pony saluted. “Were under attack by an unknown enemy, we have injuries, but no fatalities.”

Blaster Beam growled, and furiously started scratching her head. “It must be those demand bandits; I knew we should have hunted them down to the last.” Her voice had a synthetic tone to it, and the guns on her back twitched around as though looking for something to shoot. “Were going out there, and we're going to kill them.”

“Blaster wait!” Theremin stepped out, and I had keep myself from grinding my teeth. “Let them take their pot shots, we got a schedule to keep to.”

The mare slapped her tail on the floor, still growling. “NO! They mess with one of us, they mess with us all. That’s what we stand for.” Blaster trotted off, with the equalist soldier following right behind her.

The older stallion, Waterphone had also stepped out. “I’ll keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t burn down the forest to get at one bandit.” Two heavily armed drones followed him, one hovering in the air, the other walking on six bladed legs.

Theremin kicked the wall, putting a hole in it. “FINE! But were moving out as soon as this is over, no more stalling.” He trotted off after the other two, mumbling to himself. The two guards followed him, one giving us a nod as they passed by.

I didn’t need to see Graceful’s face through the gasmask to know she was giving me a happy look, or even say anything, we just nodded and trotted into the lounge.

The lounge was as run down as the rest of the building, but having two large sofas, which didn’t look all that comfortable. There was a small kitchen area in the corner, which had an old Sparkle-Cola machine. There was a bathroom too, and what use to be large windows, now covered up with scrap and tarps.

“Let’s be quick about this, who knows how long the reavers will be out.” There were a few metal cases on a coffee table, so I began looking into them.

“Ya, I don’t want to end up like Choppy.” Graceful commented. “So what are you looking for?”

It was inevitable she was going to pry, luckily I had an easy half-truth to use. “I’m recovering a client’s family heirloom that got stolen.” She was from the orphic kingdom, so it was unlikely she would question too much into it. They loved their heritage, so the recovery of an heirloom would be something they hire a mercenary to do. “What about you, if it’s not too much to ask.”

“Me, I’m just doing reconnaissance, and some subterfuge.” She snickered to herself. “So what does this heirloom look like?”

“It’s a MoM bug!” Theremin spoke up, standing in the doorway. In his hoof was the bug, like he was teasing me with it. “I thought this was important, figured you would come looking for it. and bring you right to me.” He put the bug in a pocket, and trotted into the room. “It’s good to see you again Vibraphone, now we can continue our talk.”

Graceful lunged at him with a knife, I didn’t make any move to stop her, it being a futile effort at this point. Theremin simply deflected the attack, hit her in the stomach, and threw her at the window. Knocking off her gasmask, Graceful ungracefully puked as she flew through the air bleeding, bouncing off the window, and knocking it open. The storm roared into the room, blowing paper about, and spraying raindrops inside.

“How?” It wasn’t a farfetched idea that he would be expecting me, but this too quick, like he knew I was coming here.

Theremin chuckled. “The right leg is good for more than just hiding a stun baton.” He tapped his temple. “I’ve been tracking your movements, and I have to say, I was not disappointed.”

I cursed under my breath. “So what’s going to happen now.” I still had the flash bang, it would give me the opportunity to run, but I’d have to abandon my leg. Or I could use it to give me an opening to attack, but I still didn’t know what he was capable of, so that would probably be a bad idea. If I was going to take him out, I would have to do it at range, keep him from closing the distance. Meaning I’d have to run.

He slowly trotted up to me. “You’re going to come with us. Having the Dragonslayer of Charon’s Stop on our side would be a boon to the republics morale.”

I huffed. “And why would I join you?”

He was now close enough for us to properly see eye to eye through our gas masks. “Why wouldn’t you join us. We seek to unify the islands, and break free of the prison we call the metro.” He pointed at the window. “There is a whole world out there, just waiting for us to rediscover it. But we stay in our tunnels and bicker over scraps. Pony kind was not meant to live like this, we were born to run in open fields of grass, bathe in the sun, and be in harmony with each other.” He lowered his leg, and picked up some gravel from the floor. “Not this, not this slow death.”

“And what about the ponies who don’t see it your way, or don’t agree with your methods?”

Theremin sighed. “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Trust me, history will prove us right.”

I was not convinced, but I now knew he believed it himself, which made him real dangerous. One wrong move, or one wrong word, and I’d become his enemy. My death would soon follow. “Fuck, I surrender.” I still had a trick, but I needed him to lower his guard.

“Smart move. You may be angry now, but in time, I know you will see this as the best decision in your life. A turning point where everything gets better. Trust me.” I doubted it, but I just needed an opening, and out the window I’d go. After that, I’ll ditch the leg, and go meet up with Turnip and Rufus. “Now for your friend. I may have cracked her rib cage so I doubt she will be getting up any time soon.” He trotted up to her, picking up her gasmask.

Graceful was still on the ground, not moving, blood and bile seeping from her mouth. Getting a good look at her, she actually had five golden earrings on, and a tattoo of a skull on her left cheek… and was bleeding from her eyes. I was starting to feel like an oblivious idiot.

“Strange.” Theremin commented. “Never seen head trauma do that before. Normally they need an orbital fracture for the eyes to bleed. And no horn, you must be from the Orphic Kin…”

Graceful had opened her eyes, and they were now locked with Theremin’s. I knew exactly what was going on, as she slowly got up on all fours, and began removing her jumpsuit, never breaking eye contact. “You know fate is a funny thing right. For use to meet like this, it makes me want to laugh.” Graceful was a light gray Pegasus, with a two toned mane of light blue and dark blue. “Black Spot been talking about you nonstop. Destiny this, fate that.” On her flank was a not a cutie mark, but what looked like a large branding in the shape of a cloud and a lightning bolt. Rainbow Dash's cutie mark had been burned over her own, in what looked like a extremely painful manner. “To bad I can’t stay and chat.” She jumped back, breaking eye contact with Theremin. “But I’ve got to blow this joint.”

Theremin wobbled for a second, but quickly recovered his composure, and attempted to rush Graceful. She easily dodged by jumping out the window and hovering in place. “Who and what are you!” Theremin demanded.

She just laughed loudly, the storm winds not seeming to move her one bit. She pulled out what looked like a trigger… no it was a trigger! “Wouldn’t you like to know Asshole.” She triggered the device, and the building shook with a loud boom. Graceful laughed again and flew off.

Another explosion shook the building, this one closer than before. Remembering where I met Graceful, I almost panicked. Turnip and Rufus were likely sitting next to a bomb. “Theremin get your ponies out of here! We can continue this later.” I didn’t wait for him to respond, I just bolted out the lounge and to the broadcasting room.

To my surprise, Turnip was holding a box with a bunch of cables sticking out of it. He looked at me as he turned it around to show a timer. “I don’t think it counts to party time.” We only had thirty seconds before it went off.

The building shook again, so with little time to act, I grabbed the bomb and threw it into the hallway. “We need to get somewhere safe!”

“Small room has thick walls!” he pointed at what was likely a soundproof recording booth. I didn’t have time to argue, so we rushed into the room and shut the door. Getting low on the ground, we waited for the inevitable.

____________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Progression:

No Goddesses, or Princesses, Only Mares. 90%

I like to lurk. 75%

Chapter 14 - Storm of Troubles (pt 2)

My vision blurred, and my ears rang, which meant I was alive, in a lot of pain, but alive. Turnip was right about the walls being thick, so we were able to avoid the worst of the blast. Sadly, the building collapsed soon after, it sounding like the roar of a beast, and spewing dust everywhere.

A liquid touched my lips, tasting of sickly sweet grapes, and making me feel better. “Kindly we give up now? Rather sleep, eat, dance. Not hide, shoot, hurt.”

Getting up on all fours, i looked at turnip. His disguise was torn to shreds, and his purple chitin was covered in scratches. He was covered in dust, which mixed with the rain turning into a muddy gray on him. “You know what, that’s probably a good idea. This is way above my pay grade.” Rufus limped over to me, one of his metal legs was messed up, and would need to see a professional to properly fix it. “Oh hey boy, good to see you in one peace. Me and Turnip were just talking, and what do you think about just going home and letting some other pony finish this.” Rufus whimpered, and nuzzled my leg. “I knew you’d agree.”

Without the building to shelter us, the storms full force was on us, the warm water soaking me to the bone. There was a little piece of the building still standing, offering a small amount of shelter from the rain. Trotting over, it was nice to not be pelted with the toxic rain drops, my pipbuck’s ticking dropping to more manageable level of radiation exposure. Rufus shook the water off his cot, a futile effort, but I knew how he felt right now. Turnip was unfazed by the rain, I doubted he was alright, but it didn’t look like he sustained any serious damage from the collapse.

Taking the opportunity, I checked our equipment. The two magical energy muskets were busted, though I could probably use one to fix the other. One raincoat survived mostly intact, so I threw it on to help keep the rain off of me. The rest of our gear was still good, so after sucking down a Rad-Away, I got geared up. The AG-6 went back on the battle saddle, and I put together Lelantos. I placed on my back, a thick strap holding it in place, ready for me to pull it out. With two reavers about, I was going to need the extra firepower.

Turnip had taken the digger gun, placing it on his saddlebag in a way so he can quickly grab it. At this point, the rain had washed away all the mud, and he took his torn up raincoat and wore it like a cape.

“Your friend looks dashing, for a monster I mean.” Theremin came into view, a badly hurt pony on his back. I pointed the AG-6 at him, but he didn’t flinch. He stepped into the small shelter we had, laying the equalist mare on the ground gently. Two pieces of rebar had pierced her chest and waist. “Now would you be so kind as to not aim that gun at me, we are civil ponies aren’t we?”

I complied, less to do with me really wanting to, and more knowing that he was just too close for me to hit him. Whatever cybernetics he had put him at an advantage, I also didn’t know what kind of talismans he had on him, which made him even more dangerous. I suspected magical armor, and possibly a spell to increase his strength and speed. Once more, I still had that tracer in my leg, so running and hiding was not going to happen unless I abandoned the leg, which would slow me down.

The mare Theremin rescued whimpered, gasping for air every few seconds. “You have some healing potions?” Theremin asked me, and I nodded, taking a potion from Turnip’s pack. “Thanks.” He positioned the mare so that she was on her stomach, and placed a piece of wood in her mouth. “This is going to hurt, probably the worst pain in your life, but I need you to be strong.” He spoke calmly to the mare. She nodded, tears in her eyes, and her breath fast and shallow. Taking one of the pieces of rebar in his mouth, Theremin pull it out like she was butter, and the mare gave a deep painful moan. He quickly moved onto the second bar, but this time the mare passed out.

I quickly administered the healing potion, tilting the mare's head up as I poured the potion down her throat. It was likely not enough to fix most of the damage done to her, but it did stop her bleeding, and closed up the wounds.

Theremin gave the mare a look over, checking for any other injuries, finding plenty of flesh wounds that the healing potion had already taken care of. The mare was going to come out of this scarred, but alive. Satisfied, he turned his attention to me. “Thanks. I’ve already lost too many of my own, I’m glad that I’m not going to lose one more.”

It was hard not to like him, all the strength and compassion, he was like a comic book hero. But the image of Kanteles broken face made it easy for me to hate him. Whoever this pony truly was, he was dangerous, and one wrong move, and the three of us were dead. “Turnip, take Rufus back to Club Three Dog, I’ll be right behind you.”

Turnip looked at me, at Rufus, and then back to me. “No!” He stepped between me and Theremin. “You not fight alone. You lose. So I help.”

I shook my head. “You're not fighter Turnip. Just head to safety.”

He looked away from me, and at Theremin. “Ready.” Theremin didn’t waste time, and met Turnip with a jumping hoof strike. Turnip countered with his own, their hooves colliding with a slap. Turnip slid back a few inches, but was able to hold his ground, and when Theremin struck with his other hoof, he countered it as well.

The two were locked hoof to hoof, and Theremin laughed. “I’ve not met another pony who could meet me in strength, so what the fuck are you?”

Turnip held firm. “I Lurker, known as Turnip by ponies, I serve my princess!” He began pushing Theremin back. Turnip never took me for a strong Lurker, but he was still a lurker, and even a weak lurker could overpower a strong pony. But I doubt Turnip could do more than this, the reaver was most likely meeting strength with strength like it was a game.

“A princess?” Theremin rolled his eyes. “I expect no less from monster taking pony form. Latching onto the worst aspect of pony society.” He sneered as he dug into the ground and pushed Turnip back an inch. “What makes this princess better then you, better than any of your kind.”

I took the opportunity to flank Theremin, jumping into the rain and aiming my AG-6 at his side.

Turnip snarled. “Know nothing! She is our heart, our light. Without the queen, without the princesses, we are no more than beasts. You say the worst of ponies, but I read history. If ponies had listened to their princess, this world would never be!”

Firing, the rain made it hard to properly aim, and I just grazed Theremin’s side. He glared at me and took a step back, as Turnip lurched forward, Theremin twisted his body and crouched. Turnip fell onto the reaver, who then used his strength to throw the lurker at me. My hooves slipped on the slick ground, preventing me from dodging.

Turnips body hit me hard enough to knock the wind out of me. If I didn’t have my gasmask on, I’d be drinking radioactive mud. We both got up, Theremin standing above us on the rubble.

“Are you done now?” His voice was a mix of annoyance, and concern. “My word can go a long way, so if you both surrender now, I’ll see to it that your cells are properly furnished.” Theremin paused for a moment and scratched his chin. “I’ll even make sure you can have legs during your stay.”

He was asking nicely, but all the niceties were gone now. I could surrender, but Turnip seemed adamant that we fight, which was making things worse. Not that he was wrong, I didn’t know what Theremin wanted to do with me, but I knew I was not going to like it. If I could at least drive him off, we might be able to escape.

I did have one trick up my sleeve. “Sorry, but not today.” I activated S.A.T.S. Selecting to retrieve the flashbang from my leg, and tossed it right at him. Time moved slowly as the grenade flew from my leg, and at the reaver. Theremin moved slowly, but much faster than the grenade. He lifted up one of his legs, and swatted the flashbang away from him, and up into the air. To my horror, my eyes stayed locked on the flashbang, S.A.T.S. not allowing me to look away, or even close my eyes. Like what my drill sergeant told me so many years ago, she lost her eyes because she mixed grenade’s and S.A.T.S. Something I never truly understood until right at this moment.

The flash blinded me, but luckily the storm muffled the bang. I could only hope Theremin had been blinded as well, so I blind fired my AG-6. The forceful puffs of my rifle were followed by the sound of steel hitting rocks and wood. A sign that I missed my target.

My vision recovered, and to my horror, Theremin stood face to face with me. “My eyes are cybernetic; flashbangs don’t work on me.” He struck the AG-6 with his hoof, ripping it off its straps. The battle saddles safety’s allowing the rifle to come off without dragging me with it. “As is most of me, now if you please simply surrender, then I won’t be forced to make you.” Turnip quickly turned around, but before he could do anything Theremin bucked him, sending the lurker sliding through the mud. “This is not a fight you can win. So stop trying.”

I just needed an opening, a clear shot, and this fight would turn to my advantage. Theremin hit me in chest, sending pain through my body, and sending me sliding back a few hoof steps. “Can’t you see, you lost!” he spat out at me. Luckily the hit didn’t feel like it did as much damage as he had before, probably do to me moving with the hit instead of resisting it. “So stop, stop before this gets any worse.”

Above Theremin on the rubble, Rufus positioned himself to attack. The cyber dog was about to give me the opportunity I needed, I just needed to keep Theremin’s focus on me. “And why can’t you just let us go?”

“Because we need ponies like you!” His voice seemed to plead to me.

“Why me, killing a Paradise Dragon can’t be that important?” I was legitimately curious about this. I understood the political connections with saving Harp, but the equalists were unlikely to care about that.

He laughed. Not a happy laugh, or a nervous laugh, but the kind of laugh you have when know something the other person does not know, like an inside joke. “Killing the dragon just put you on the top of the list.” His voice crackled, almost as though another voice was taking over.

Theremin stepped closer to me, and I stepped back. “What List?”

Before Theremin could answer, Rufus attacked, jumping onto his back and surprising the reaver. Hopping back, I entered S.A.T.S. again and used it to pull out the IF-152, and only that. I needed more control then the tactical spell gave me, so not to hit Rufus.

Predictably, Theremin threw Rufus off his back, and in that moment I fired. The stream of napalm set Theremin on fire, and I didn’t let go of the trigger until it’s fuel tank was spent. The heat from the fire threatened to burn my face, as I watched the Cyberpony burn. Oddly he didn’t make a move to defend himself, he only stood there, as I burned him alive.

The flames didn’t last long, as the rain doused them, leaving behind a charred black pony. Turnip and Rufus got up and joined me, the Lurker nudging me to leave. But I couldn’t take my eyes off of Theremin. And as though answering a worrisome thought, his eyes opened up.

“You know; I saw this coming” His mouth didn’t move, simply stayed open. His voice was that of a mare, though artificial and a bit high pitched. “Though I was hoping you’d use the revolver first, then I’d grab it from its levitation, and pistol whip you with it.” Theremin chuckled, though it sounded more like a mare’s gleeful giggle. “Or that strange rifle, so I could bend it right in your face.”

He stepped forward, some of his skin flaking off revealing the cybernetics underneath. He was more machine than pony, like in the horror movies about cybernetics gone wrong. Theremin took a step forward, and I took three back.

“What’s the matter little missy. scared, I know, perfection is a frightening thing, but it does not have to be.” He tilted his head, his voice still like a mare’s. “Just give up, and accept your fate.” Before I could react, Theremin launched himself at me, and sent me rolling with one hit. All I could do was cover my head with my legs, protecting my head and gasmask.

The pain was far worse this time, and I contemplated just laying on my back and giving up. The pained cries of Rufus brought me back from my daze, and I rushed onto my hooves. Turnip was right next to me, sporting a crack on his chitin. Rufus was unfortunately under the hoof of Theremin, who had an ear to ear grin on his face. If this continued, Rufus was going to die. “STOP IT! I SURRENDER, JUST LET HIM GO.”

Theremin slowly tilted his head to me, not blinking once. “You, my dear, must learn what happens when you disobey.” He reared up, and I knew what was going to happen next. Entering S.A.T.S. I selected my revolver, and prepared to fire. whis this I had more luck, and the maneuver went off smoothly, Lunar Eclipse hitting it mark on Theremins chest. But the Cyberpony didn’t flinch, or falter, his hooves coming down.

Everything seemed still, the rain pelted me, but it didn’t matter. The wind roared, but I didn’t care. All I could see was Rufus, his head limp, unnaturally dangling from his head. Kanteles fractured face. Sweet screaming in pain.

“YOU FUCKING PIECE OF HOG SHIT!” I fired my revolver at him, no control, all I needed was one bullet to connect with something vital. Everything became a blur as once more I found myself sliding in the mud.

Theremin was just too fast, too strong, and a far more skilled fighter than I was. Getting up, I saw Turnip staring at Theremin, placing himself between him and I. If I didn’t think fast, Turnip was going to die as well. I entered S.A.T.S. slowing down time for me, and allowing me to think of a proper plan.

Lunar Eclipse still floated next to me, but i needed to reload. Theremin would be expecting me to reload and fire, and Turnip would make a good shield from it. My rifle was still an unknown to him, but like before, he would be expecting me to it. I had a frag grenade on me, but he’d be fast enough to counter it.

Conventional tactics were not going to work, and with this bug somewhere in my leg, trying to slip away from him and get a surprise attack at range was not going to work. The other problem was keeping Turnip alive, which meant that I was going to have to close in just to support the Lurker. If only I had the element of surprise, this would have been easy. Surprise… Something unexpected… something not me…

From what Theremin was saying, it sounded like he, or who he works for has been keeping an eye on me. Professional was how I liked to portray myself, someone who my clients could rely on, which in essence meant predictable… Could that be what Theremins owners saw in me… what he saw in me… What everypony has seen in me…

What Rototom didn’t want me to be…

It was not like i didn’t like to be predictable, it meant I lived an easy life, a good life, and right now a short life. I wanted to live, and not as some pawn. Throwing safety out the window, I used S.A.T.S. to get the one frag grenade I had on me and placed it into my front right leg, pulling the pin and closing the hidden compartment with the safety lever still in place. It was reckless, but the leg was a liability to me, so why not turn it into a shrapnel bomb.

Time returned to normal, and I charged. My new back legs dug into the ground far better than any legs I had ever had before, launching me forward. Theremin kicked Turnip away, sending him rolling in the mud, which was good for me, as I didn’t want him to get hurt by what I was going to do. Close in now, I leaped at Theremin, and he dodged, which was fine by me, I had another target. His tail was still mostly intact, and with my fingers extended, I grabbed it.

“What do you think this will accomplish?” Theremin barked out in a creepy mare like voice.

I simply smiled as I hit the mud. “Just being reckless” I activated tactical S.A.T.S. once more, entering in for it to open the compartment on my leg, and detaching the leg itself. As time slowly returned, I then used my back legs to jump out of the blast range, but only managing to sip on the ground… this was going to hurt.

Turning to look at me, he still had the creepy smile “Well you fa..” Theremin was cut off with by an explosion. His back end was pelted with red hot shrapnel, shielding me from the deadlier part of the blast. But I was still hit by the shockwave, making my ears feeling like a spike had been driven through them.

Everything hurt all over, but not at bad as my ears, but it still hurt. It took me a few seconds to regain my balance, and look at my surrounding. Theremins back half had been blown open, revealing more cybernetics… no, it was only cybernetics. At this point I felt safe to assume that he was just a brain in a mechanical body. Such a thing was not unheard of, but ponies who lose even a part of themselves tend to suffer major psychological problems. Theremin was far too lively for the level of modification he had.

I trotted over to Rufus, the poor cyberdog just lying there. I didn’t know what to expect, maybe I could save him somehow, but with his neck broken his body was useless. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” My hoof reached out, and cradled the hound. He was hard to hold with one leg, so I just pressed him against my chest. “You were a good dog, a very good dog. If only I was faster… stronger… smarter.”

“You can be.” The voice was of a mare, garbled a bit in static. It came from Theremin who lay on the ground, motionless, with his mouth open. “We can make you all those things, and more. We can even save the dog.” His voice crackled and popped as he talked. “The brain could still be recovered, changing a cyber dogs brain or body is nothing new.”

I glared at the cyberpony. “At what cost.” I asked. his mangled body just laid there unmoving. But it felt that he could just get up at any moment, dashing any hope of victory.

“True equality…” he said. “Become one of us, and take part in the purest form of equality.” I didn’t know what he was hinting at, but it made my skin crawl. “You have seen what the Orphic kingdom did done here, such unnecessary violence, destroying a landmark, and for what? Fear that we may help their peasants throw off the shackles of their oppression, that in the end history will prove us right, and them the savages.”

Theremin was as mistaken as I had been about Graceful Gust. The actions of the pirates being seen as an attack by the orphic kingdom. If Old Song was seen here, they’d blamed this on Orthrus as well, I at least had an excuse of recovering the bug… “Where’s the bug!” I had almost forgotten about it.

He just laughed, it was an artificial sounding laugh, made all the creepier with him not moving. “Gave it to Waterphone, the pony is better with tech then I am. I’m sure he will make good use of it.”

The old stallion didn’t look like he would be as much of a challenge when I saw him, but he was likely to have a team of equalists guarding him, and then there were the two oversized drones. With me missing a leg, it was defiantly time to give up, and pass the job onto somepony who is better equipped. There was just one thing I could do, even if Theremin didn’t listen, I could say that I tried. “The pony that blew up the building, she was not from the Orphic Kingdom. She was an outsider, part of some fleet on the water. If the republic goes to war with the Orphic Kingdom, these outsiders, they will sweep in like vultures and destroy your equality. It’s why I was out here, why I need that bug.”

Theremin didn’t respond, I couldn’t tell if he was dead or simply thinking, but if he was alive, I hoped the little information I gave him was enough to keep a lid on any saber rattling. Not feeling like waiting around for a response, i placed Rufus on the ground. If he could really be saved, I didn’t see how, the cover to the cyberdogs brain case had been knocked off, and the liquid inside had become cloudy. I was no cyber doc, but even I knew that was bad. He deserved better, but we needed to move quickly, so we had to leave him behind.

Turnip came up right next to me, offering support as we walked away. My eyes stayed on Theremin as long as possible, until he was too far behind me for my head to turn. Even with him unable to come after us, my mind could not stop imagining him still doing that, dragging me away into the darkness.

____________________________________

We took a back road to avoid running into any Equalists that may have gotten away. I was going by the fact that I didn’t see the other Reaver, so I was sure they were out there. My map program guiding us thru the route, which was for the most part, gone. Unless any of them had a pipbuck, were not going to be found easily.

The tropical rain, partnered with the radiation, made it sickly warm. Whenever the tree line thinned out, the wind made the hateful drops of water pelt me sideways, and threatened to steal the tattered raincoat off of me. the only part of me that was saved from this maddening weather was my face, but the inside of the gasmask was starting to fog up, meaning that my filter was reaching its limit. This also meant that my warm breath had turned the inside of the mask into a little sauna. Overall I was miserably wet and warm, yet I felt cold. It was like my heart was cold, and that coldness spread through my bloodstream, reaching every part of me. Was it the guilt of not saving Rufus, I was sure it was. It could also be that I would have to tell Cabrette that her family heirloom was unlikely to return, I did dread telling her that. But I knew where this feeling of coldness truly came from, the knowledge that I had truly failed.

I had thrown everything I had at Theremin, and came out of it battered and beaten. I didn’t know how many more ribs were cracked, or if my ears would ever stop hurting. I had to sacrifice my own leg just to stop him, and before that Rufus. Luckily I still had Lunar Eclipse and Lelantos, the only consolation to this mess.

Turnip looked worse, as his chitin was cracked in a few places, and his blue blood stained his jumpsuit. It was strange to see, as the worst fracture’s glowed red from underneath, making him look like he was going to explode like a volcano.

“Do we still have any healing potions?” I asked. The pain was nearly unbearable, and with my adrenaline coming down, it was only getting worse.

The Lurker rummaged thru his bag, and then my case, pulling out one vial of healing potion, and a bunch of broken shards. “Just this, you drink.”

I tried to protest as he shoved it in my mouth, but missing a leg made it hard. Taking a gulp, I managed to keep myself from drinking all of the potion, leaving the other half for Turnip. When he pulled the vial away from my mouth, he looked at it, and then at me. “You drink the rest. We both need our strength.” He nodded, and finished off the potion. I felt a little better, and a few of the cracks on Turnip closed up. We were far from being healed, but it did bring some of the worst pain down to more manageable levels. I did wish we had some med-x with us, that and more healing potions. “Okay, let's…” Tunip shoved the last Rad-Away in my mouth, and I glared at him.

I slowly sucked on the Rad-Away as we continued down the back road. At this point It was simply me making waypoint markers, and hoping we didn’t fall into an exposed ancient sewer.

Faintly, as we moved, I could see a light in the distance, and the sound of somepony talking. We slowed to a crawl, not wanting to give away our position, and checked to see who it was. Turnip pulled out the digger gun, and I pulled out my revolver.

” I will not stayeth putteth 'r be quiet thou untrusw'rthy pony!” It came from a mare in a drenched dress. Her outfit looked like it was made from other dresses all stitched together, and covered her from head to hoof. A gas mask and hood hid her head, and some old boots sunk into the mud. Overall she was a strange sight to see. “I careth not f'r thy petty squabbles.”

There were other ponies in the small clearing. One layed on the ground hiding under a rain coat, another wore a camouflage raincoat, and held an AG-5 with an extended barrel. A fourth pony was also covered in a rain coat, but the same kind the equalists were using.

The pony in the equalist raincoat spoke up. “Lessen up nag, if you go out there now, you’re going to die. And when you do, you’ll bring that Cybernetic freak right to us.” The voice was that of an older stallion, the same voice of the one I met outside the radio tower.

Sighing, I stepped out into the open, both Old Song and the sniper aiming their guns at us. “Don’t shoot, I’m friendly.” Leaning on Turnip, I raised Minerva up for them to see.

Old Song checked his pipleg, and a few seconds later, waved at the sniper to lower their rifle. I could hear a groan come from him as he trotted up. “Tell me what the fuck just happened?!”

“Long or short?” I responded.

“Both, I need details, no fluff.” His head scanned the two us, his ears moving about. “But the shorter the better.”

“Right, well I entered the radio tower no problem, the equalists didn’t seem to be up to anything, just waiting around for a move order. I ran into another infiltrator there, made a mistake thinking the pony was orphic.”

“Bandit, or anti-equalist?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Pirate, a Pegasus Pirate to be exact.” I answered, and Old Song nodded. I quickly explained the rest of what happened, including our fight with Theremin, and he just listened. After the explanation was done, we were taken over to the rest in the group, who were all doing their best to keep the rain off of them, except for the mare in the dress.

“At least that’s one of the freaks down, but we still have the other two hunting us.” Old Song explained. “It seemed that half the equalists left the building to go after me and my partner.” The sniper nodded. “The one leading the hunt was the mare, Blaster Beam. The other just slowly followed her with his drones, had this creepy as fuck look on his face. Well seeing what was after us, we fell back. That’s when we came across these two.”

The mare on the ground just groaned, and the one in the dress ignored us, scooting closer to Turnip. Turnip looked a bit worried by the attention. Old Song continued. “We were able to avoid detection by hiding under a rusted bus, but that trick won’t work a second time. And that’s when you came stumbling in.”

I nodded. “So it’s safe to assume that the equalists are now all over the place, and probably doubling back.” I looked at the map on Minerva. “There is a substation not too far away from here, if we can get to it, we’ll be able to get back to the metro.”

Old Song sighed. “I’m sure you already know it’s not that easy.” I nodded again. “Likely they sent a few ponies to check it out, so we're probably going to have to fight our way back underground.” He pointed at my rifle. “Can you use that with one hoof?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Ya, but I doubt I’d be all that good without my other leg” The levitation talisman I had could hold it up, but without the targeting program calibrated for it, my accuracy was not going to be the best.

Old Song looked at his pipleg one more, tapping a button. “Prometheus, show me the last known locations of all hostiles, movement speed, and trajectory.” He tapped the pipleg a few more times before putting it down. “Right, we have a window opening up in a few minutes. The path won’t be free of equalists, but they should be thinned out enough to cut through them without alerting the rest of them.”

We had a plan, and now we just had to wait for Old Song to signal for us to move. This gave me time to get to know the others in the group, partially to just get to know them, but mostly to make sure I was not going to get surprised by another pirate infiltrator.

I skipped the mare bothering Turnip, she gave me a bad feeling, but in more of a creeper way. The sniper was not interested in talking, just motioning that I move along with a hoof. Last was a mare cowering under her raincoat. She had a bright green coat, and a dull red mane poking out of a green hood. I thought for a moment, and remembered, she’s probably the one Cabrette wanted me to keep an eye out for. “Excuse me miss, would you happen to be one of Cabrette’s contacts?”

She looked up at me for a moment before nodding her head. “Did Cerberus send you?”

“She wanted me to keep an eye out for you. She was, well, worried.”

The mare got up, and I could see why she hadn’t returned. There were two large holes in her leather barding, both clean and burnt. Under the holes was exposed skin, milady bunt, but healed over. She had been hit twice with a magical energy musket, probably lucky to be alive. “Ya, I need to apologize about that.” She held her fetlock in her mouth as she began suppressing a few coughs. When it was over, I could see a little blood on her leg as she put it down. “I kind of fucked up, and got too close.” She extended her other hoof to me. “Names Shawm, and you are.”

“Vibraphone.” We shook hooves. “Are you going to be okay?”

Shawm shook her head. “Radiation poisoning, I ran out of Rad-Away three hours ago, and the two Orthrus ponies only had enough to keep me out of the red.” She had to suppress another coughing fit before continuing. “Even if we get to safety, and I get the radiation out of me, I’m going to be bedridden for weeks.”

Her bloodshot eyes were all I need to see to get that she was telling the truth. Radiation poisoning was not a pretty sight to see. “Well at least I’ll have some good news to come back with. So just hold on, we’ll get back to the metro soon.” She nodded, and I trotted off back to Turnip. The strange mare was now shoulder to shoulder with him, and he didn’t look comfortable with it. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing. “What’s up with her?”

Turnip looked away. “Can’t say.”

I was about to pry, but Old Song whistled for our attention, and we gathered close. “Let’s move, just follow my partners lead. If you have a gun, keep it ready, but don’t shoot unless i say so, do you all understand?” We all nodded. “Good, let’s get moving.”

The stallion put Shawm onto his back, and I had Turnip help me along. Lelantos rested between Turnip and I, ready for me to use it if the need arises. The digger gun turnip had been using was now with the strange mare. I asked him about it, and Tunip told me he gave her it. When we were safe, I was going to have a few questions.

____________________________________

We ended up abandoning the trail, not that there was much trail to abandon. The equalists had been doubling back, and at one point nearly running into us by a hair's breath. The forest may be easy to get lost in, but it was also easy to keep hidden.

The storm was not letting up either, and was now joined by thunder and lighting. Everypony jumped at the sound when it first started, the thunder luckily muffling Shawm’s surprised scream. The rest of us managed to keep our cool, but by how everypony's head was on a swivel, the tension was thick.

The Sniper, who I got a better look at, was in all likelihood an Orthrus trooper. It was hard to tell under her thick camouflage raincoat, but I was able to get a glimpse of her combat barding. Actually, I was getting a few glances of her plot whenever she had to get through some brush, or over a log. She wore camouflage panties, and I was getting the feeling that she was silently flirting with me. If she was, it was going to be an awkward goodbye. But if worst comes to worse, and we have to bunker down in a dry spot until daylight, I’m not going to complain if she starts spooning me. It probably be no different from when Rototom and Sweet would do it to me. The cunts knew I didn’t like it, and did it anyways.

Our momentum was halted when a rad-boar crossed our path in a sprint. The beast was small, probably an adolescent, but would have still done any of us great harm if it had collided with any of us. From behind us, another rad-boar ran passed our group. I made eye contact with Old Song, and he immediately picked up the pace.

Pushing us from behind Old Song shouted. “GO GO GO!” Panic was in his voice, and I pushed forward, not needing him to tell me why. He threw Shawm from his back, and onto the stage mares. “I’ll try to keep them off of us, you get to the Metro!” Pulling out a shotgun, he fired it at an oncoming rad-boar, sending it sliding, and stopping right before colliding with us.

The sniper joined Old Song, firing their guns at more oncoming red-boars as we threw caution to the storm and ran for our lives. I’d seen herds of rad-boars before, but never this big. Were they would normally number in the tens, this was more like the hundreds. The only thing keeping us from being trampled by this stamped was the forest, which forced the massive herd to break up enough for us to find pockets where we could avoid being crushed beneath them.

it was an odd sound, the wind, rain, and thunder now mixed with the sound of hooves stomping, and loud squeals as the board ran passed. But there was one more sound, it was getting closer, and sounded familiar, like thunder but unending. After a few seconds it became abundantly clear what was making that noise when the sound of a minigun went off in the sky. The fucking pirates were back, and were chasing the stamped with a vertabuck.

Searchlights lit up large sections of the forest, as the minigun wildly shot through the forest. Keeping out of sight was easy enough, but now we had to worry about being hit by stray gunfire. As the Vertabuck flew overhead, a lightning bolt struck it, revealing three pegasi, and two griffins escorting it.

With the trees blocking most of the view to the sky, the vertabuck went in and out of our sight, but we could tell it was circling the area, the searchlight threatening to reveal us each time it came near. We pushed on, as we were no safer standing around then we were on the move, and if we could get to the metro we would be home free.

The trees both became what protected us, and blocked us from our goal. As closer we got to our goal, the more we had to detour around a grouping of trees, or branch that acted like a fence. If It would have helped us, I’d set the whole place on fire.

A loud squeal marked bad news, as a huge rat-boar meandered through a bush and into our path. The beast was covered in scars, and one of its tusks was chipped and rotten. With help from Minerva, I awkwardly held Lelantos in my left hoof, using Turnip to hold myself steady. The rad-boar squealed loudly again, and charged. I fired, and despite my less than stable aiming, I managed to hit the boar in the head. But, either do to the Lelantos not being fully pressurized, or the fact that the beasts have thick skulls, I only managed to cut the boar's face.

The rad-boar simply ignored me, going after the ponies closer to it, Shawm and the mare carrying her. I focused to charge more magic into myself, and into the rifle. Trusting that they could dodge the rad-boar long enough for me to get another, better shot on it.

They managed to get out of the way, but the rad-boar did rip the strange mares dress, revealing one of her legs. A purple leg with red glowing joints. Before I could say anything, Turnip ran over to the mares, leaving me to fall into the mud. The rad-boar turned around, stomping the ground and squealing loudly again. It charged, but this time Turnip intercepted it, hitting it low, and sending both of them tumbling.

Lelantos was now fully charged, and being prone on the ground kept my aim stable. As the rad-boar got up, I fired. The bolt went through the beast's neck, getting logged into a tree on the other side. Its squeal was more like a scream as blood shot out of its neck like a sack full of tomato juice, eventually dropping down to a trickle as the beast stumbled back and fell over.

Getting back up, I placed Lelantos back onto my back, and trotted to the others. I helped Shawm up, who had fallen off the female lurkers back, much of her was hard to recognized now, the mud now covering her all over. Looking at my own mechanical hoof, I probably didn’t look much better.

Turnip was tending to the female lurker, who was relatively unharmed, other than an exposed leg. “Running away from home, Mayall?”

The lurker mare looked at me, and removed her gasmask revealing her face. Shawm gasped apon seeing the Lurkers face, but was too weak to do any more. There was nothing I could pick out that would make her distinguishable from the other sparkle-lurkers I’ve seen, but her chitin did seem to have more of a shine to it then Turnips.

“Don't needeth to explaineth myself to thou!” Mayall spoke, her metaphorical nose up in the air. "I hast only cometh to claimeth what is mineth."

The pirate vertabuck flew overhead, it’s searchlight shining on the ground only a few yards away from us. “Fine, I don’t care, we just need to move.” Shawm helped me stand, and we weakly began to move.

"I don't taketh ord'rs from ponies!" She spoke, sounding insulted. Turnip began pushing her to follow us.

We made good time, the trees now being spread out enough that we didn’t have to take any detours. The rad-boars had also cleared out, making our path clear.

To our side, the sound of a shotgun went off, and we all stopped. Then a red beam shot above our heads, it making a loud twang sound as it bathed the area in red light.

Old Song jumped over a bush, and into our group. His raincoat was nothing more than a chard rag now, and his armor had three scorch marks on it. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, NOW!”

The two lurkers were already gone, and me and Shawm did our best to move faster, but neither of us were in any condition to run.

“Oh why don’t you stay” Blaster Beam’s synthetic voice hit my ears, daring me to look back. I failed to resist, and looked. She had come out from behind a bush, both her forelegs and the guns that replaced her wings had a deep red glow coming off of them. “The night is still long, and you murderers have not yet been punished.”

Shawm pushed forward, her teeth chattering, forcing me to return my attention on running. A red beam of magical energy hit the tree ahead of us, causing Shawm to freeze.

“Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooooooo. You don’t get to run. Unless I want you to. But I don’t” Blaster Beam laughed, her artificial voice making her sound like somepony had corrupted the sound file for laugher, and never bothered to fix it. The wing that had fired slowly regain its glow, going from pink to red. “First I’ll turn the stallion to ash, then you two, and THE BITCH THAT’S HIDING OUT THERE.” She screamed at the sky. “AND THEN I’LL SHOOT THOSE FUCKERS OUT OF THE SKY!” As she looked back at us, her left eye twitched. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

Old Song stepped between us, keeping his eyes on Blaster Beam. “You two get going, I’ll hold her off.”

I nodded and dug my back hooves into the ground. “Shawm, hold on to me.” She looked at me confused, as I positioned myself under her, and stood up on my two back legs. Gasping, Shawm slipped a little, but managed to hold onto my back. I galloped… ran off, not much faster than before, but still faster. A red beam shot passed us, only missing me by a hoof. I didn’t stop, stopping would be our death, if I could get to the metro, we will be safe.

My efforts paid off, as we entered a clearing, and across from that was the metro station. “You still with me, were almost out of here.”

Shawm grunted. “Thank goodness.” She said weakly. “I got a date tomorrow, don’t want to miss it.”

“Mare or stallion?” I asked.

“A bath.” She answered. “A long, warm bath.”

I chuckled. “Same here. I have a shower waiting for me.”

I pressed forward, the twang sound of a magical energy musket going off was not far behind us, and salvation before us. I trusted the specter to hold his own, and the sniper was still out there, so he had support.

We made it halfway to the station when everything lit up like it was daylight. “HEY THERE FRIEND!” I looked up to see Graceful Gust hovering above us. “Wow, you freaks do act like zebras sometimes. Probably should just shoot you now, save you the embarrassment.”

I let Shawm off of me. “Go on ahead, I’ll deal with them.”

“How?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I just will, so get going.”

Shawm slowly trotted to the metro station, as my eyes stayed locked onto Graceful. She landed on the ground in front of me, taking a glance at Shawm before looking back at me.

“ehh, we’ll let her go.” She smiled. “You’re a better prize. Like a week's’ worth of rations prize!” She began tapping her hooves together. “If I sell three days’ worth of rations, I can by some psycho and med-x. Then I can sell another day’s rations to get the chemists to make me some stampede.” The pegasus shivered with excitement. “And you just need to come with us.”

A griffin landed next to us, holding a dead piglet in one it’s talons. “I marked another big kill. We got a shit ton o' pork now. Not more fuckin' seaweed.”

“I know right, if we knew this place had pork, We'd have been over years ago.” She said excitedly.

The griffin flew up to the vertabuck, and I could hear a cheer come from the cockpit. Somehow, I was not surprised that these pirates enjoyed eating meat. They had the look of savages about them, and if it weren’t for the enclave, I’d think the outside world had gone insane.

“Why me, and how did you know?” I at least need that answer before making a run for it.

Graceful giggled. “Ultraviolet paint. Tagged you when you weren’t looking.” She pulled out a small spray bottle. “It’s a great way for marking targets for a night raid, or ponies who might be of interest to us.”

Talk about being marked, for once I’d like to be the one who has some other pony marked. “You do know I’m not going quietly, right?”

She laughed again. “I was hoping you wouldn’t, more fun this way. “

With a flap of her wings, she jumped into the air, circling around, and dive bombing at me. Without the fourth leg I didn’t have the agility, but Graceful made it easy to read her attack, and I rolled to the side, dodging her kick. She slid along the ground, all four hooves holding firm until she stopped. With a stomp of a hoof, she charged, and this time I attacked.

Entering S.A.T.S. I pulled out Lunar Eclipse and fired a shot at her leg. Blood and tissue flew off her leg as she tumbled to the ground. Her tumble became a roll, and the roll became a hoof strike to my face. I hit the mud, and got a close look at the leg I just shot. It had already stopped bleeding, and she stood on the leg like it was never shot in the first place.

I aimed my revolver again, but she kicked it out of Minerva's hold, sending it flying into the grass. “Not bad. Need more hoof to hoof training. But I bet you’d make an excellent member of the corpse brigade.” She scratched her chin. “ I bet it’s because you're good looking under that mask, and that Blakey Spotty can’t keep his dick in check. You know how annoying it is when there’s not enough stallions to go around. I wouldn’t be so bad if Spotty didn’t always have his dick in an earth pony, stupid unicorn.”

Great, I lost a fight, and now had to hear about stupid whore problems. I’d rather be shot.

She looked down on me, and smirked. “I bet you’re the kind that keeps saying no, but deep down in the far reaches of your mind, you're saying yes.”

I wanted to brain bleach that statement out of my mind. Shaking off that thought, I got back up on all three legs. “How about you shut the fuck up and get this over with.” I’d have to find a way out of this, but right now I was beat.

She removed her rebreather just to stick her tongue out at me, before putting it back on. “You’re not being any fun, you know.

“Well I’m not in a fun mood. Maybe if you let me go, and come back later, I’ll be in a better mood.”

Graceful trotted over to me, but suddenly stopped to look down at something. “Well fuck.”

With an ear splitting pop, everything went white, making me blind and deaf. Something hit me on the side, and lifted me off the ground, holding me up.

My vision slowly returned, along with my hearing, that was now filled with just a mild ringing. I found myself on the back of Mayall, with Turnip right next to her.

"Be grateful, I only doeth this because he ask'd me to. " Mayall said with a annoyed tone to her voice.

I waved at Turnip. “Thanks, I Owe you another one.”

“No counting, but you could take me back to dance club, with Mayall.” I nodded at Turnip in agreement.

The minigun from the vertabuck went off above us, sending a spray of bullets ahead of us, splattering mud everywhere. Mayall and Turnip slid to a stop right as Graceful landed in our way. “You fucking freaks, I will boil you and suck your meat out from your legs!”

*BAM*

Mayall fired the digger gun at Graceful’s face, sending the pegasus reeling back, screaming in pain. The Vertabuck moved in to intercept us, but Turnip threw another flashbang, letting it cook for a few seconds before throwing it in the air. The airship banked to its side when it went off, buying us precious time as we ran.

Graceful one again attacked, hitting Mayall with a kick, but it was not enough to knock her off her hooves. Sliding along the ground, Graceful rubbed the leg she kicked Mayall with. “What the fuck are you made out of!” Her face was covered in small holes, and one of her eyes was all red, the other bloodshot and bleeding.

The Lurker princess just huffed, and a screeching sound came from her. The pirate held her head and screamed, not stopping Mayall as she trotted over her.

The Vertabuck once more cut us off, but this time when Turnip threw a grenade, it backed off, avoiding the concussive blast. “Go, I distract it!” he ran off holding another grenade in his mouth, and the Vertabuck followed. He managed to dodge the fire from its minigun, the low flying airship not able to properly maneuver enough to hit him.

Mayall and I managed to get inside the Metro Station, Shawm just to the side of us struggling to catch her breath. The lurker turned her attention back to the outside, and so did I. Turnip had managed to dodge the vertabucks attack, and despite having a red glow coming off of him, was actually hard to see in the dark. With another toss of a grenade, he managed to hit it, forcing the thing to make a hard landing. The airship sliding along the ground, one of its propellers almost hitting the ground.

The sight of Turnip filled me with relief and he galloped over to us, the Lurker doing an amazing job. It would be the kind of story I could tell the others about, not that they believe me, a sparkle-lurker taking out a vertabuck with a grenade. but It would be a better story then taking one out with a megaspell gun or something. Everypony seemed to have a story like that, but somehow seemed to lose the gun.

Turnip got closer to us, and tripped, the next thing I knew he was lit up with a flare, and Graceful flew into the sky. He got up and looked at us, and at the flare stuck to him… and back at the vertabuck… He bolted away from us, and Mayall went after him. I looked at the vertabuck, which was still grounded, but managed to turn.

With a loud twang sound, the Vertabuck shot a beam of magical energy, bathing everything in a red light. Turnip was gone, just gone. A line of burning grass went from the vertabuck, to were Turnip was, quickly being doused by the rain.

I stumbled back onto my flank, feeling numb. The door slammed shut, Shawm placing a metal beam in the slots so to keep the door closed.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, THERE STILL OUT THERE!”

She started coughing, deep painful coughs. “The others can find a way around, but we need to move.”

My anger was quickly overtaken by the numbness, and I just nodded. “Ya, they’re going to be just fine, we’ll meet up later.”

Shawm nodded, and slowly trotted to the underground. The way down was by escalator, though they had long stopped working, most of them falling in on themselves do to rust. Luckily this tunnel down still had some normal stone stairs. Shawm and I took the stone stairs down, she was already far ahead of me. my three legs making it hard to go down at any speed other than slow.

There were still a few wartime posters in here, faded, but intact. Pinkie Pie is watching you, and recruitment posters were the only ones left, pinkie's eyes still seemed like they were actually looking at me. There were a few others, one being an old Stable-Tec poster from after the war, The Overstallion with his two first generation mirage pony foals, and his pet Orthrus. They never knew how everypony was going to latch onto that image and rename us to that.

*Splat!*

Red droplets hit the glass of my gasmask. Looking down at my hoof, Shawm's body lay broken on the steps. Slowly I looked up, seeing Waterphone, two drones, and the two guards from the radio tower.

Waterphone pulled out a handkerchief and wiped a bit of blood off his suit. “Such dirty business, but now that the roach is dead, I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”

My numbness left me, and I felt hot, angry, scared, impotent, useless. I stumbled to climb up the steps, but was cut off by the flying drone.

“I can’t have you leaving now, not after you killed our ponies. Good show with the explosives I have to say, but they were overall expendable.” Waterphone slowly trotted up to us. “Missing a leg, then you must me the one who fought Theremin right. Found pieces of your leg lodged in his flank, and the dog too.” The two guards trained their guns at me, and the older equalist leaned on the safety rail. “Sorry to say that the cyberdog is unsaveable, no cure for a broken brain.”

I was done, and let myself go limp. “His name was Rufus.” I choked, trying to hold back my tears. “Rufus.”

Waterphone sighed. “I know how you feel, had one as a foal, loved her more than the world itself, but like with all things, she got old, and eventually died.” He put a hoof on my shoulder. “But trust me, this will be for the best. Just come with us, we only want to ask you a few questions. You can start with telling me your name?”

I shook my head. I’d given up, but I didn’t want to give them anything.

“Is that so, a shame.” Waterphone said with a disappointed tone. “Well you won’t be the first spy I’ve captured, and far from the first I cracked.” The flying drone came closer, and two prongs poked out from its front. An electrical bolt shot from one prong, then the second. “I’ll just need you knock you out for a bit, and…”

And explosion rocked the stairway, and dust flooded the tunnel from the surface.

I felt a hoof hit me on the side of the head, knocking me over. “The bitch must have had more explosives!”

*BLAM* *PING*

Everything became still and quiet for a moment, Waterphone looking up the tunnel with an intense stare.

“KILL EM ALL BUT THE THREE LEGGED MARE!” Graceful Gust yelled, and the tunnel was filled with the sound of high caliber gunfire.

“RETURN FIRE, SHOW NO MERCY!” Waterphone retorted as the two drones and guards fired up the tunnel. The ballistic fire was now joined with bolts of magical energy, drowning out any and all noise with that of gunfire.

I didn’t know what to do, or where to go. I was trapped, and whoever won this fight would claim me as a prize. And I didn’t want to imagine what would happen to me. All I could do was futility attempt to cover my ears with one hoof, leaving the other to be doomed to go deaf.

Suddenly I felt something grab the back of my neck, piercing the raincoat, and finding a hold within my barding. “EAT LED YOU CHROME FREAKS” The pirate poured automatic fire down the tunnel, hitting one of the drones, forcing it to back off. With a powerful tug, I was dragged up the stairs, the pirate still firing his gun along the way.

The next thing I knew I was feeling the rain and wind on me again. “Good job mate, now let’s get out of here!” Graceful Gust spoke happily, and as soon as she flew up, she was nearly hit with a red beam.

Synthetic maniacal laughter could be heard, as more red beams fired off. Looking over, Blaster Beam was charging at us, with at least four equalists right behind her.

“Oh Luna, you must be testing us.” Graceful sighed. “Long Flight, take her and get to the ship, we’ll provide covering fire.”

The pirates opened fire, one was still holding the stairs, and Graceful and two more were firing at Blaster Beam. One of the pirates was hit, and turned to ash before my eyes.

With a great leap the griffin took me to the sky, the wind only getting stronger the higher we went. I got a good look at the battlefield from above. The vertabuck was slowly leaving, just hovering above the tree line. The Metro Stations front had been blown open, the front of the building was now just rubble. I could see no sight of Turnip or Mayall, but I held out hope to see a glint of glowing red.

The griffin left the battlefield, flying the tree line. I attempted to struggle, but found that I lacked the energy to try anything. I reached for my rifle, to only find it missing. The only thing I did have was my knife, which meant I had a plan. A plan that involved stabbing, but it worked before, so why not now.

“Don’t be stupid pony. If I drop you here, you will die.” The griffin spoke, looking me in the eyes as he flew. It surprised me so much that I froze. “Good, I rather not go ripping off your legs. Personally I find them cute.” Great I was being hit on by my….

Everything went white with a tremendous crackling roar.

____________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Completed

- No Goddesses, or Princesses, Only Mares.

- I like to lurk.

Quest perk gained.

- Sometimes we all need to be shown a little kindness - As it turns out, not all the sparkle-lurkers are all that bad, aside the ones who mutilated your best friend, you could actually call them good. +1 to charisma, and a new companion is now open to you.

Chapter 15 - Sleeping Giants

“This is radio 5-0 straight from Club Three Dog. Now I know from recent events it sounds like we will soon be off the air, but fear not, we’ve just been having extra troublemakers as of late. But order has been restored, and there is no sign that the music will ever die.”

“Now on the topic of troublemakers, the equalists seem to have all packed up and left. No seriously, we have not seen hide nor hare of them for half a day. No recruiters about, no protesters being pests, and no fights breaking out between them and members of the trade union. I say take the good with the bad, but what’s the bad side to this, we may just have to wait and see. Personally I hope they are just pulling another stunt, and everything will be back to normal soon.”

“Now for the weather. A tropical storm has made landfall, and it is unknown how long it will take to pass. This storm comes with a hefty dose of radiation, so it’s ill-advised for anypony to venture out at this time. Not that anypony has plans to go anywhere, but damn it makes you wish we still had some control over the weather. Maybe then we could get some clean clouds to help wash away the toxins and radiation.”

“Well that’s it for now. I wish all a good day, and to anypony up there in the storm, stay safe out there, there's ponies down here waiting for you.”

The music turned on, playing a soft, but energetic dance track. It was interesting to listen to, but the boredom of waiting was really starting to grind on me. The gray walls, doors, and ceiling were all starting to blur together into some sort of boring gray haze. If I knew we would be here for so long, I’d have asked for them to let us wait outside their base. At least out there had a lot more going on, even if most of the mirage ponies looked at us with suspicion.

“Hey Hoof-Shiner!” Wild Winds called out. “Hoof-Shiner, get up! Looks like our wait is over.”

Sitting up straight, one of my legs had fallen asleep, so it was all pins and needles. Who knew sitting in a waiting room for hours on end could hurt like this. It was not like I’ve never had to do this before, but clouds were far more comfortable than a steel bench.

“Good, I had almost come up with a plan for us to just break in, steal a vertibird, and fly us home.” I stretched my wings out, and cracked my back. Almost thirty years old, and starting to feel like an old stallion, what I wouldn’t do to be back in my prime again. But then again, I was a sloppy lover at that age, so it’s not all bad.

“You, you, you can’t be serious!” Light Turbulence puffed up.

I waved a hoof at her dismissive words. “Naw, but I bet I could. Grounders tend to have a poor ability to aim up. We’d just need to keep the high ground until we make our escape.”

The door to the waiting room opened, and a mirage pony mare in a very clean security uniform trotted in giving me a smile. Her blue coat and even bluer mane blended into her uniform, making the yellow of the uniform really pop out. Next to her was Mandolin, Orthrus PR pony. And on the other side of the security pony was an older stallion in a white Orthrus uniform marked with a red cross.

He was the first stallion I’d seen we got to charon's stop, other than the old scrapper that helped us with the big feathery monster. It was something I was still getting use to, not that getting all the attention from the mares was displeasing, but the sheer frequency that I got hit on was a bit much. It actually made me feel a bit sad thinking about it, as Warm Gale would have loved it here, aside from being underground.

“This is true; my security has little training with flying opponent’s.” The security mare spoke with confidence in her voice. “But we have other ways to fight that would counter your natural abilities.”

Getting off the bench, I trotted over to the mare and shook her hoof. She too had cyber legs like almost all the mirage ponies I’d seen. “I don’t know; you’ve never fought an enclave strike team before. Names Merit Cross”

She laughed. “Too true. But that fact goes both ways. Captain Djembe Tapper, head of security.” She motioned her hoof to her left, presenting the stallion. “This is Doctor Dizi, he is here on behalf of our medical team. And you already know Mandolin.”

Light and Wild both got up and greeted the mirage pones. I could tell that their spirits were high, though mostly because we were actually doing something and not just sitting around. From what the pipbuck showed me, we had been here for six hours, the mirage ponies having had taken our photos, blood, and a feather each. Before we were mulling around outside the station, were a few shops had been set up for ponies waiting to get in. Mandolin had provided us with some bits to use, but we only had enough to by some MRE’s and soda. Though I had to admit, Metro-cola was some good stuff. It probably had to do with it actually being fresh, and not over two hundred years old.

“Now take these, it will be important that you keep them on you at all times.” Djembe gave us each an envelope Inside was an ID card with a clip attached to it, a second ID card, and a more advanced looking ear bloom. “The ID will allow you in all low security areas, and access the rooms you will be staying at for the time being. The ear bloom has a telepathic talisman built into it, allowing you silently communicate. It has a charge that will last for an hour, so only use it in emergencies.”

Light stepped up, putting the ID and ear bloom on. “Ma'am, why did you take some of our blood and a feather earlier. Not to be rude, but nopony has told us anything.”

Dizi this time spoke up. “Checking for diseases, and other pathogens. We have a few nasty bugs on this island, and we wanted to make sure you didn’t bring some with you.” He pulled out a clipboard, flipping through a few pages on it. “Miss Light, your clean. Mister Merit, you might want to have a physical exam during your stay here.” I didn’t like the sound of that. “As for you miss Wild, why are you even exploring in your condition?”

Both Light and I gave Wild a worried look. She herself look worried, but also confused. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her wings dropping.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Where do I begin. First your blood chemistry is all off, clear signs of a long standing addiction. Second you have a nasty virus in your bloodstream, It doesn't seem to be able to affect you, but who knows what could happen if it was transmitted to our population. And third, you're pregnant.”

“Wait what!” Wild yelp in surprise. “No, no, no, nooo. I can’t be pregnant, it’s not possible.”

We both Looked at her in shock. Dizi simply cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him. “If you don’t get yourself treated soon, you won’t be for long. I’ve not seen this strain before, but it looks similar to one that exists in Zebra Lands. It should be easy enough to suppress with medication, maybe even flush out of your system, but left untreated it could harm the unborn foal. If we conduct the treatment before the zygote can be effected, it should be able to resist the virus.”

Wild trotted up to the doctor, her body visibly shaking. “What’s this treatment!”

Dizi looked over at Djembe and she nodded. “It’s the mirage pony treatment.” Dizi explained. “It’s a genome modification to help the unborn to resist radiation and toxins. It should give the foal enough strength to resist the virus, but it will not be born a pegasus. But with your low exposure to the islands toxins, the foal should be healthier than most.”

There was a long pause before Wiled said anything. “My husband and I have been wanting a foal for a long time now. We tried so hard for so long that I’d given up… hope.” Wiled hugged the doctor and cried. We all stood there, silent, waiting for her to let it all out.

When it was all over, Wild left with the doctor, and Light and I stayed with Djembe and Mandolin. It all felt strange at first, but Wild was a smart mare who had learned many of her life lessons the hard way. From firefights to bar brawls, she learned that she wanted a quiet life, something that took me too long to figure out. So I trusted that she was making the right decision, and I hoped that Orthrus didn’t betray ours.

“Did you know Wild was sick?” Light asked quietly.

I sighed. “Ya, we think she picked up something during Operation Cauterize. Our best guess is when we were fighting in the hospital. South also got infected with something. Nearly died from it.”

Light shivered. “Sounds like the old propaganda had some truth to it.”

“You know how it goes.” I responded. “The best lies have some truth to it.”

The four of us walked down a long and wide corridor, passing by mirage ponies riding small vehicles that were hauling crates. The HQ has a busy flow to it, with nopony simply standing around, unless that was their job. From cleaning to hauling, somepony was doing some sort of work.

At the end of the corridor we stopped at yet another checkpoint. “Hello Captain.” The guard greeted Djembe, passing her a clipboard. “Other than a specter rushing through, it’s all quiet here.”

Djembe groaned as she looked over the paper on the clipboard before giving it back. “I swear; those specters never follow protocol.” She passed over her ID card and the guard placed it in a machine for a second before hoofing it back. “We should just discontinue the specter corps, and replace them with recon troopers.”

“Oh they’re not all that bad, at the very least they are good for moral, and the civilians love them.” Mandolin spoke up, adding her opinion. Her ID was taken, scanned, and given back “To them, having a specter come and help is as though the Counsel are personally helping them. Make them think we're personally invested in their station”

Light was next to have her ID scanned. “Aren't you invested in the other stations. From what we were told, Orthrus is the main peacekeeping force here.”

Mandolin chuckled. “True, true. But were more invested in the stability of the metro, not in any station specifically. By keeping control over the tunnels, we keep any conflict in one station, from spreading to the others. But as for the individual stations, if they can’t survive on their own four hooves, we have no obligation to prop them up. We find that a bitter medicine is better than a slow death.”

I hoofed over my ID to the guard. “Back in the enclave, Ideas like that could get you into political office, and a bullet to the head.” The ID was given back to me, and I joined the others at the blast door.

“Isn’t it how it always is with strong political beliefs” Djembe said with pride in her voice. “Mandolin told me a little of what you told her. A fake democracy, to hide a military dictatorship. A brilliant, but overall brittle form of rule. It’s not too dissimilar from what we have, but I like to think we managed a more enlightened form of that.”

“What!” Light blurted out, looking nervous. I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as well, to step into another Grand Pegasus Enclave after ten years of dissolution.

Djembe laughed. “Don’t worry, Orthrus is not some blotted hound drunk off its own power, we would not have lasted as long as we have if we were.” The blast doors slowly began to open, and Djembe continued. “It’s a mix of a Technocracy and a Stratocracy, all held together by bureaucrats. Simply put, to gain a political office in Orthrus, you need the rank and the education befitting the position.”

It was a bit hard to wrap my head around what she was talking about, but if it involved bureaucrats, I don’t think I wanted to know. The blast doors opened and we all stepped inside. To my surprise, we had entered a large hangar, which was bigger than it had any right to be. In the center, as though it was a trophy, was an airship.

The airship was as big as a Thunderhead cloud ship, defiantly longer, and more solid. The ship had six cannons on one side, and armor plating alongside it. Painted in bold Dark Pink letters was ‘Scootaloo’s Resolve’

“How?!” Light blurted out, as she pointed at the airship.

Giving us a smirk, Djembe trotted in front of us, and lifted up a hoof, as though to present the airship. “This here is the pride and joy of Typhon Station, the Scootaloo’s Resolve. This baby has been here since the war, stored here for safekeeping.” She took a deep breath, and switched hooves. “She’s a heavy cargo airship, made by and for Stable-Tec for the construction of stables that cannot be access through normal transportation. Over the last hundred years we have been remodeling the ship with the latest of our technology. When in flight it uses a combination of ten cloud talismans in the gas sack, and six levitation thrusters on the hull to swiftly move through the air, and hover in place. Its armor is made up of layers of fiberglass and polymer for strength and lightness. And for offense, the ship is armed with twelve auto rail cannons, to fend off threats above and below.”

I was shocked. The Enclave would have killed to get their hooves on something like this. They’ve killed for less. It didn’t have the same elegance as a Thunderhead, looking a bit like an oversized balloon, but it also looked like it could easily hold it’s own in a fight. “Amazing, to think you have an airship here. Do you ever take it out and fly it?”

Mandolin stepped in before Djembe could answer. “First off, we have two, and second, yes. Once a year we do a trial run for the ships, and test out their weapons.”

Light trotted up to them. “You have two! Two massive airships, and you're still underground?”

Mandolin calmly waved her off. “The topic of sending an expedition is nothing new. But sadly we lack the resources to spare for such an endeavor. There is also a lack of support for venturing out into the unknown, as we have many duties here at home to tend to. Also, cutting our forces thin will only destabilize the metro, possibly sparking a war over our bases. ”

Light scratched her chin, turning her head away from the airship and to Mandolin. “I think I understand. It took over a year to get the approval for our own scouting mission.”

“And we at least knew something would be here, even if all we found were ruins.” I added.

“Well enough gawking, we have places to go.” Djembe said cheerfully as she pushed us along. “you have an appointment with the council, so let's not keep them waiting.”

The hanger was just as busy as the corridor, though far more spread out. With the space the hanger provided, Orthrus used the ground floor for running drills, and the floor above that was a mess hall. It all made me feel like I was back in the Enclave, all it needed was some clouds, and I’d be back home.

The airship itself has a few ponies on it, mostly adding a new coat of paint. As we trotted along, I could see a bridge connecting from the hanger to the airship, and another larger bridge, obviously used for moving cargo.

“HEY CAPTAIN!” the voice came out from above, and a Pegasus swooped down, landing in front of us. It was a relatively short Pegasus mare, light-brown coat, and rust red mane, she also had white dots on her face that looked similar to a mirage pony’s stripes, making her a very unusual looking pegasus. Her blue jumpsuit had a few tools hanging on it, and was covered in grease. She saluted Djembe with a big smile on her face. “Sonnet Trill, Engineering corps. Are these the outsiders everypony’s been talking about?”

“At ease miss Trill.” Djembe didn’t seem upset about being stopped like this, but she didn’t look happy about it either. “Yes they are, but we're busy right now. So unless you have been assigned to assist us, I’d advise that you get back to work.”

“Aww.” The pegasus groaned. “Well when you’re done, send them over to the mess hall, we all want to hear about the outside world.” Sonnet lifted into the air, and gave me a wink before flying off.

“So you have pegasi working for you.” Light asked.

“A few, some earth ponies and unicorns too.” Mandolin answered. “Used to have lots more, but most of them just stick to the orphic kingdom now a days. The deep dwellers give special treatment to non-modified ponies, so there’s less incentive for them to work for us.”

Light looked over the railing, watching Sonnet fly onto the airship. “What about her?”

“She has a mirage pony father, or grandfather. It’s a bit of a coin toss of which parent they take after, but the mirage pony genes still come out.” Mandolin motioned for us to continue moving. “It’s a sad state of affairs really, with tribalism on the rise, ponies like her have no place to go but Orthrus.” She sighed. “But that’s our problem, and you have your own to worry about.”

We arrived at what was called the Mission Hall, not much from the outside, just some steel benches on either side of a wide hallway that had two doors at the end.

Djembe went on ahead, and Mandolin had us stay put. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to wait for a few minutes. Djembe needs to do a security sweep before anything can start, standard operations and all that.”

“What will happen in there?” Light nervously asked.

Mandolin brushed herself off, getting rid of some dust on her uniform. “You’ll be talking directly to the council. Luckily we managed to get them to appear, not physically mind you, but you will have their ears.”

Light nodded. “I see, should we expect anything?”

“Lots of silent judging.” Mandolin responded. “The council members got to where they are for being smart and capable, they’re not going to start stating their opinion until they have all the facts available to them. Your role in this will simply be to clarify any questions they have, so just stay calm, and be a clear as possible.”

We both nodded, and sat down on the bench. Mandolin left us to go inside, leaving us alone. Members of Orthrus would stare as they passed, but none came near, making me feel like I was a curiosity, which I probably was.

Light looked extra fidgety now, her eyes glancing at the Scootaloo’s Resolve every now and then. I couldn’t blame her, a ship like that could help re-stabilize New Cloudsdale, and Orthrus had two of them. It’s sad to think about it, but ten years ago, if the Grand Pegasus Enclave had known about these ships, we would have abandoned Operation Cauterize and taken them by force. But now, I can see our government groveling for help, willing to throw their dignity away for another few years of survival.

“So that’s when she started to do pushups with her forelegs alone.” A Stallion rounded a corner, and turned in our direction. He was an older mirage pony, younger than Dizi, with a lime green coat, and dark green mane. His dress uniform was more decorated than any other Orthrus Member I’d seen before, making him a high ranking officer if I was guessing right. “She literally had me by the balls for a week, If I hadn’t gotten reassigned to a different Island, she probably would have found a way to get me to marry her. And that’s why I don’t gamble with lonely mares, it never ends well.”

Next to him was Rototom, in her combat armor, and a new pair of the strange goggles she uses on her head. “Tell me about it. Did I ever tell you about the partner I had that went under cyber surgery to give herself a synthetic dick? We she tried to court me after, thinking that because we worked together, we had a more romantic connection. It was cute at first, but eventually she had to be sent away for a physiological evaluation. We stayed in contact, and she’s got herself a cute marefriend, but damn it was an awkward few weeks before she left.”

Laughing, they trotted over to us, the stallion giving me a wink when they stopped. “You must be the Enclave pegasi I’ve heard all about. Though I thought there was three of you?”

“She went with one of your doctors to medical.” Light answered.

“Oh, I hope it’s nothing serious. But we do have the best medical staff here in the islands, so I’m sure she will be okay.” The stallion was very expressive, his hoof moving about with nearly every word. He reached out to give us a hoof shake. “My names Biwa Tablature, council representative of culture and education.”

We both shook his hoof, he shaking my hoof for a bit longer than he did for light. “Sorry, but does that mean you’re on the council, or just represent it?” I asked.

“On the council.” Biwa answered. “I’m most excited to hear about New Cloudsdale. It’s not every day that one can be part of such a historic event. To think, after so long we finally get to find out what happened to the outside world.”

“So mister Biwa.” Light had regained some composure. “What should we expect from the council, we were told only a little?”

The stallion sighed. “Sorry about that. Despite our role of peacekeepers, we of Orthrus can be a bit paranoid. Talking about the organization is often discouraged, so if somepony asks, we didn't talk.” Biwa cleared his throat. “As for the council, including me there are six of us. Miss Kaval is the council representative of Research and Development, she’s a busy body, and only feigns interest to anything that does not benefit her work. Miss Naqara is the council representative of Security and Law, not the friendliest of mares, but is very patient, and unlikely to simply dismiss you as long as the facts are on your side. Miss Dutar who’s the council representative of Treasury and Infrastructure, her main concern is the upkeep of the metro, so it’s a bit toss if she will be supportive. Miss Kakko is the council representative of Health and Safety, she comes across as a bitter old nag much of the time, but she’s saved more lives with her hooves alone than anypony in the metro. Last is mister Phorminx, who is the council representative of Information and Investigation, a real charmer, but also very intimidating.”

Light was listening intently. “So they’re going to help us, right?”

Biwa frowned, and Rototom stepped in. “It’s hard to tell which way the council will go. It’s one thing to allocate resources to assist a tunnel, but helping you three will likely involve sending lives and resources into the unknown. At worst, the situation with the Orphic Kingdom will take priority. But even then, they should be willing to send an expedition team. Becoming the home to a cloud city is not something they're likely to pass up.”

Mandolin came out of the meeting hall, looking at us. “Were ready for… Oh council member Biwa, good to know you’ve arrived in person. Well if you all come in, we can start.

The four of us walked down the wide hall, and entered the room. It was dimly lit, and a table was set up for us. Rototom took what was likely Wilds seat and Biwa sat on a seat on a stage. Four other seats were lit up with a holographic projection, showing four mares, and the last seat was empty,

At the base of councils seats were their names and titles, though it looked like it was only a recent addition, most likely for our convenience. Kakko had a short cut mane, glasses, and seemed disinterested with what was going on as she was reading a book. Kaval had a long braided mane, and was tapping away at some sort of small terminal she held with one hoof, she took a glance at us briefly before returning to what she was doing. Dutar had her mane tied up in the back, her coat was covered in dark smudges, and was currently polishing some metal object. Naqara was the only one of the four paying attention to our arrival, she had a long dark straight mane, and somehow reminded me of my drill Sergeant from when I joined the Enclave.

The atmosphere of the room felt cold, not an unfriendly or threatening cold, not even an emotionless cold. It was more like a controlled cold, the kind used to keep food fresh in storage, but on a sociological level. We were on display, and being sized up for our worth.

Naqara was first to break the silence, after checking a screen on her cyberleg “If Phorminx is not here, he’s not showing up.” She spoke with authority, and the rest of them dropped what they were doing and looked at us. “Now that this meeting has begun, we shall go over the current situation.”

She pulled up some papers and flipped through them. “As the report goes, Specter Echo and company, has made contact with outsiders. The outsiders are a Light Turbulence, Wild Wind, and Merit Cross… Of only two have shown up.” I went to raise my hoof to explain, but Rototom stopped me, shaking her head. “These three are described as friendly, members of a New Cloudsdale Enclave. Specter Echo had also come in contact with other outsiders, currently called the pirates, they have been reported as a military level threat.” Naqara eyed us once more before looking back down at the paperwork. “As reported, these pirates have three ships off the cost of the island, at least four vertibird type aircraft, and infantry that consists of earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, gryphons, zebras, donkey’s, and possibly other races.” She put the paperwork down. “Are there any errors in this miss echo?”

Rototom shook her head. “No ma’am , the information is accurate. As you can see in the report, I have included photographic, and audio evidence. Based on what I’ve seen, this threat is armed with great war era weaponry, possibly modified, and improved over the last two hundred years.”

“One more thing.” Biwa spoke up. “The symbol that the pirates decorate themselves with, the green circle of thorns with a red drop, do you know the significance of it.”

Rototom paused for a few seconds, and then shook her head. “Sorry Sir. I do not.”

“Do you know professor Tablature?” Naqara asked, not even looking his way.

He nodded. “This symbol is likely the cutie mark of one Thorn Roseland, a naval war hero during the great war, and was the admiral of Equestria's largest fleet. She’s also the one who likely fired the first shot to bring about the end, and abandoned Marewaii to take the full force of the zebra’s retribution.”

“That’s not right, the zebras stuck first” Light blurted out. “They wiped Cloudsdale off the map.”

Biwa smiled. “If you could, we would like to hear your account of events. We have a good grasp of history, mostly from a few pre war books that slipped pass the ministry of image, but anything from during the great war is marred with propaganda and censorship.” Biwa caught a few glances from the other council members. “But it’s best if you start from more recent events, can you do that for us.”

We both nodded, and started from a week ago. From the problems New Cloudsdale was having, to the order to find the city a new home. It felt like a needle in my heart to go over the loss of two comrades after our crash. Our discovery of the princess, and the how we got separated in a tunnel collapse. I felt a little at ease talking about how Vibraphone aided us in getting reunited, but I skipped over the more personal parts. The council seemed a little confused about our run in with the Sparkle-Lurkers, and that one had left with us, Rototom looked the most worried. When we were done, there was a long pause.

Kakko was the first to speak up. “Your account and the report do line up, mostly. The DNA check we did does not match anypony on this island, so I’m inclined to believe that they are in fact outsiders. They also show no signs of genetic degradation, nor signs of inbreeding.” That last part made me more glad that my grandmother was the sane one among her sisters, then wondering if incest was a problem here.

“At least it’s not another hoax.” Dutar spoke up. “The last one hit our budget with the crowd control alone.”

“We’ve had an extensive examination of their weapons.” Kaval chimed in “Going by their serial number, and a few other tests, the rifles are literally over two hundred years old, but are still in relatively good condition. The same thing can be said about their armor. Sadly, this also means that nothing new can be learned from their technology, but it does add credibility to their story.”

Naqara eyed everypony, and took a deep breath. “So then, about the matter of offering them aid, and establishing contact with this New Cloudsdale?”

“If we do make contact, then we're going to need to re-allocate resources,” Dutar commented. “for both the integration of a new population, and the security for keeping our own population from wreaking havoc from the excitement it will bring.”

“Not only that, but there's the potential for the spreading of new diseases, for both populations.” Kakko added. “Not just that, but if what they were saying is true, their population should be roughly fifty/fifty male and female. I already caught my staff planning on finding a reason to remove the stallion from this group. I had to pull Dizi away from his work to relay the medical information.”

Kaval physically shivered. “It be like being back at a Wild Bunch concert.”

Dutar gasped. “You were a wild bunch fan too!”

Kaval groaned. “Don’t remind me. Who ever thought having an all stallion band was a good idea should be shot. I broke three ribs from the stamped of mares, and somehow lost a leg.”

“Ya, their concerts were the best.” Kaval said as she hugged the metal object she was polishing.

Biwa sighed, shaking his head.

“Are you two done.” Naqara had said sternly, getting every ponies attention. “It’s safe to say that such an event would be taxing to the organization, and would cause unrest within the islands. But the long term benefit is also undeniable, as well as being a huge boost to moral.” She sighed, putting her papers down. “With that all said, I still have to bring up a few more issues before coming to a vote.”

The rest of the council looked uncomfortable as Naqara continued. “We still have the very possible destabilization of the Orphic Kingdom to keep an eye on. There’s the long standing concerns with the republic, and their recent mass pullout. Also we have these pirates now trampling around on the surface, hostile and dangerous.” She looked the both of us in the eye, and I knew I was not going to like what she was about to say. “Do to the current security concerns in the metro, I will have to vote no on establishing negotiations with New Cloudsdale. When more information is available about our current situation, we can reconvene to put this at another vote.”

“Sadly I will have to agree.” Dutar added. “The current environment is not favorable for such a paradigm shift.”

Kakko shook her head. “I understand that your kin are in need of help, but if we can’t properly manage the integration, disease could easily spread through your population, and devastate it. Sorry but I will have to vote no.”

“I vote no.” Kaval said, not giving an explanation.

“Let it be known, I support the negotiations with New Cloudsdale.” Biwa spoke up. “I’ll be constructing an argument in favor of it for our next meeting. I hope the situation improves by then.

The four mares nodded, and one by one their holograms turned off, until only Naqara sat there. She looked at us, her eyes studying our less than pleased reactions. “It’s an interesting time to be in the role of leadership.” She spoke up. “In my youth I’d be first in line to rush out into the unknown, to discover what had happened to equestria. Now that I’m in a position to have that happen, I find myself more concerned with how it could affect my grandchildren. The oldest has just enlisted in Orthrus and is currently in basic training, just as brash and headstrong as I was.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I hate to admit it, but our current situation scares me, with one wrong move I may end up burying my grandchild. I do support establishing negotiations, but until the metro stabilizes, the vote will remain no. Until such time, you three will be confined to the base, and be assigned a guard to ensure your safety and compliance.”

Naqara’s hologram shut off, leaving us in the dim room, feeling shocked, and helpless.

Biwa stepped down from his seat, and up to us. “Sorry. I’ll do my best to get them to support you, but if Naqara says no, the rest are likely to follow her.”

I shook my head. “No need to apologize, it’s just bad timing, that’s all. How long do you think it could take for the situation to improve?”

He sighed. “At best, a month, at worst, years.”

A thud came from my side; Light had let her head hit the table. “We can’t wait even a month; we should have been heading back by now. If we wait any longer, New Cloudsdale could move, and we will never get home.” Her voice started to crack. “I miss my mom.” She was crying, and all I could do was pat her on the back.

Rototom got up. “Here, let’s go to the mess hall and get something to eat. You will feel better with some carrot sticks in your stomach.” She said, helping Light up. “And it’s not like you’re out of options. If I can get in contact with councilor Phorminx, there may still be a way to help you.”

A loud cough draws our attention, and drawing our gaze to Djembe. “I advise you stay out of this specter, Naqara has made her decision, so don’t go getting them in trouble.”

Rototom sighed. “I don’t plan to, so just do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

Following Rototom, we left for the mess hall. Up close, it was no different from a mess hall in the enclave, just without the clouds. We were given extra food, well I was given extra food, and I shared. The fresh fruit and vegetables did make me feel better, if at least physically.

Light didn’t eat much, she held onto her composure, but it was easy to see that she was depressed. I think it was less of a blow to me, Unlike with Light and Wild, I didn’t have anyone to return to, nor did I have much of a life there. But the look on Lights face did remind me how I had felt ten years ago, when I knew that I was never going to go home again.

“ROTOTOM!” a shout came from behind us. We all looked, and a mare in a torn camouflage rain coat, cut through a small crowd, and slammed her hooves on the table. Her face was painted green and brown like her rain coat, except for a long cut on it, that had just missed her eye.

“Tamboril!” Rototom sat up straight in her seat. “What happened to you, you look like a wreck?”

The mare shook her head. “No time for that,Phorminx, your sister. Sorry things got real messed up”

Rototom jumped over the table and to Tamboril’s side. “What happened!”

Tamboril pushed off the table. “No time, just follow me.”

The camouflage covered pony ran off, and we followed, rushing through Orthrus HQ. We arrived at one of the blast doors, where five medical ponies fussed over an old stallion. He was covered in mud, and one of his ears was missing, showing signs that it had been hit with a magical beam rifle. Seeing us, he waved off the medical staff, and motion for Rototom to come closer.

The Specters movements suddenly became that of a nervous pony, all her confidence seemingly drained away. “Council representative Phorminx, what happened, and Tamboril mention my sister?”

Phorminx shook his head. “I’m sorry. We ran into your sister on the surface, and were making our way back to the metro. But we were attacked, got separated. Our rendezvous point was crawling with angry equalists.” He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “But I was able to gather some information before I left, and from what I gathered, she was captured by the pirates.” He looked down, and away from Rototom. “Sorry, there was nothing I could do.”

Rototom stood there for what seemed like a minute, and then, collapsed. I was able to catch her in time, keeping her from hurting her head. I cursed under my breath, Having two thoughts. first, if things continue like this, we may never get back to New Cloudsdale. And second, getting some revenge was sounding real nice right now.

______________________________________

Finding a fine red wine in this era was harder than pulling a sailor out of the sea before a shark pulled them under. It why I savored each drop, letting the vapor tickle my nose, the flavor rolled over my tongue, and i savored the aftertaste. It was a full body experience, of which took discipline to truly enjoy.

I poured the bottle over Black Spots head.

“You sent one o' our gull's hog huntin', in t' middle o' a storm.” In the grasp of my magic, I brought the bottle down on his head, shattering it on his horn. The stupid unicorns face was covered in shards of green glass, red wine, and I hoped, his own blood. “And you're surprised that it got damaged! We even lost four sailors in a skirmish with t' locals.” He kept his head low, which was good, I’d have the miserable worm’s eyes plucked out if he even dared look back at me.

“I’m sorry admiral, it will never happen again.” I didn’t care much for his groveling, I knew it was all an act, an attempt to lessen his punishment.

“Will it?” I pushed his head down with my hoof, forcing him to kiss the floor. “T' only way t' be sure that it won’t be t' have you walk t' plank, and replace you with somepony better.”

“I’m sure that be true me admiral, but think o' t' time it takes t' find a replacement, and t' damage t' moral that it could cause.” Now he was pleading for his life, that I liked.

“Both minor inconveniences” I pushed down on his head a little harder. “Pawns only become more important when they have met their goal, not before. So don’t go thinking you're any more than that.” I stepped off of Back Spot, and kicked him in the side, sending the pathetic fool rolling away. “Now get back t' your post, and if you give me any more trouble, I’ll just cut me losses.”

Black Spot got u on his hooves, keeping his head low. “Aye me admiral, nothin' but perfection from me, me admiral” He rushed out of the cabin, tail between his legs.

That stallion was a right cock up, easy to manipulate if I was willing to lower myself, but a bit off. He was like the rest of the Corpse Brigade gang, competent enough to keep around, but never quite right in the head. I’ve dealt with my share of invalids, addicts, and the downright insane, but the corpse brigade just felt wrong to me. But that’s a problem for another time, right now I have more pressing matters to attend to.

Trotting over to the back door, I opened them to the balcony, where I had a good view of Marewaii. Carving Doll sat in her seat, looking at the island. A plain mare by all standards, cream coat, brown mane. The only thing she had on was her green hat, decorated with red feathers, and a white frilled collar. Her jacket and shirt were hanging on the hat rack behind her, fluttering in the wind.

The Pegasus mare looked at me, dark rings under her sickly green eyes. “I did tell you before, you know, fuck you.” She leaned forwarded to poke at me, exposing her back. Her wings had been removed, and in their place were cybernetic ports. “Also you’re a bitch, cunt, and overall bitch.”

I swatted away her hoof. “You used bitch twice, you drunk.” Taking a seat, I levitated a bottle of rum that was on the floor, two bottles were already empty, and the one I had was halfway there. “Now about your new wings.”

“ABOUT MY OLD WINGS CUNT!” She yelled as she pointed a hoof at me.

“If you wanted t' keep them, then you shouldn’t have killed me bird. It took a year t' train t' thin' t' insult others on me behalf.” She retracted her hoof, but continued to glare at me. “As for your new wings, they should be delivered shortly, don’t expect t' be doin' any flyin' tricks with them, but I know you will like them”

I took a swig of the rum, and passed it to the captain. She grabbed it, and took a long pull before passing it back to me. “Was t' lack o' pain killers necessary?”

“No” I responded. Taking a pull from the rum bottle myself. “Didn’t feel like wastin' them on you. It also made a good warnin' t' your crew, get them t' understand why I’m above them.”

Carving Doll slumped back in her chair. “Did they even clean their fuckin' hooves; I feel sick as fuck”

I put the bottle of rum back on the ground. “Didn’t care t' check, and you’ll recover, not like we’re goin' t' let you die just yet. So stop whinin' about it.”

“I’m not whinin', I’m com…”.

“I don’t care!” I cut her off. “Now to t' matter at hoof. I have a job for you and your jack tars. I expect t' utmost discretion durin' this operation, and t’ be sure that this happens, I’ll have one o' me most trusted subordinates be a supervisor.”

Carving grumbled for a moment before opening her mouth. “Fine, but I better get those new win's soon, and time t' sleep this fuckin' infection off.”

I lifted a two-way radio from my coat pocket. “That can be arranged, now rest up, for we have plenty o' work t' do.” Turning on the radio, the white noise crackled, and silenced when I pressed the talk button. “Red Steel, meet me in the captain’s cabin.” Letting go of the button, the white noise returned, along with a confirming beep. Turning the two-way off and placing it back in my coat I got up and out of my seat. Carving Doll was already dozing off, understandably, as cybernetic surgery can take a lot out of a pony.

Back inside the cabin, Red Steel teleported inside. A deep red unicorn mare with a silver mane and eyes. She looked like she was ready to go to a ballroom dance, with a frilled red dress accented with silver ribbons weaved into the hem. Her hat was just as ornate, the leather cap dyed red, embroidered with silver thread, and a large poofy green feather adorned the top.

She looked about the less then clean cabin, and shivered. “How dreadful, if Captain Storm was still alive, thar be plenty o' hangin's over lettin' his ship become like this.” Her eyes darted around, locking onto me. Trotting over she gave me a hug. “Mother why must you be among these low class jack tars, t' Queen o' Knives be a much better ship, and Captain Razor Coral be far better company then t' captain o' this ship.”

With one hoof, I pushed her off of me. “Are you tryin' t' hook me up with t' old stallion.”

Red Steel shifted her eye away and sighed. “Father’s been gone for nearly ten years now, and you still haven’t found a new somepony. I’m not tellin' you t' forget him, just t' move on.”

“Fine, I’ll spend some time with t' captain, I’m aye he will at least be charmin'. But let’s not talk about t' past right now, okay?” Red Steel gave me a smile and nod. “Good, as I have a job for you.”

My daughter's face beamed. “Please tell me that you’re finally purgin' t' corpse brigade, that Blackwater scum been gettin' the way for too long.”

I sighed. “There will be no purgin', not as o' yet. As long as they have the support o' t' Followers o' Thorn, it be our head at t' gallows if we ever make a move on them. We must bide our time, and wait for them t' loos favor.” Fishing out a broch from a pocket, I pined it to Read Steels dress. It was an ornate symbol of Saint Roseland, the green of the broch was striking on the red dress. “What I want you t' do is supervise an important operation.”

“Me! supervising an important operation!” Red Steel looked around the room, and frowned. “Wait, on this ship, no, no way, never”

I grabbed her face and pulled it to mine, forcing her to look me in the eye. “This is an order, not a request.” She nodded, and I let her go, patting her on the cheek. “Now, Carvin' Doll and her crew will be infiltratin' t' islands metro. From t' intel weave gathard thar be three factions capable o' fightin' us off, so simply forcin' our way in be ill advised.”

“So subterfuge, mother?”

I chuckled a little. “Yes and no my dear.” I trotted past her, and to the front door. “I have something better in mind.”

“Like what, tactical megaspell. Dose t' fleet have any left?” Red Steel followed me out of the cabin.

The deck was busy with ponies at work, and unlike the cabin, everything had been scrubbed down clean. By my orders. The ship had also managed to replace some of the lost sailors with the Mirage ponies our raids had been picking up. They made poor sailors, but were far better than raiders, if only by a stone’s throw. At least they had gotten rid of the ghastly black jackets and spiky manes for a more proper look.

“A megaspell would be nice, but t' monarchy be unlikely t' let go o' their precious hoard” Stepping out onto the deck, the crew quickly got out of our way. “But truth be told, I doubt they have one, and if they did, if you think it be worth two shits, you’re pissin' in t' wind.”

“Shame.” Red Steel daintily stepped next to me. “Then what’s t' plan, because if it just becomes a firefight, this crew needs no supervision for that.”

We made our way to the front of the ship, were the landing pad was. On it was my personal Gull, the vertabuck being looked over by the ship's mechanic, and its floats getting a fresh coat of paint. Next to the landing pad was a white unicorn stallion with a silvery gray mane. He was well dressed and groomed, making him easy to spot among the rough around the edges crew.

I turned my direction to the stallion, giving him a grin. “Sir Silver Relief, good t' see you in good health.”

Silver bowed his head, tipping his top hat. “It’s good to feel better. And is this gorgeous lady the daughter you’ve spoken of?”

Red Steel gave me a concerned look. “Mother, what’s this?”

“Sir Silver, this be Red Steel. She will be t' advisor for t' operation.” I gave my daughter a stern look. “Red Steel, this be Silver Relief, he will be your guide, and a keystone for t' operation.”

My daughter took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled before putting on a smile and speaking. “A pleasure t' meet you Sir Silver, I’m sure we will work wonderfully together.” She reached out to shake hooves.

“No, no. The pleasure is all mine.” Silver took the hoof and gave it a kiss. “To think that not only civilization had survived outside the metro, but it has maidens such high quality leading it. My Mistress will most pleased to meet you.”

I left the two, trotting my way to my Gull. The mechanic stepping away, signaling to the pilot that my aircraft was all green. “Mother Wait!” Red called out to me. “If were only usin' this one ship for t' operation, what about t' rest o' t' fleet?”

I stepped into the gull, looking back to give my daughter a smile. “I’m taking them cloud hunting.” Closing the door, I took my seat. The sound of the engines roared to life, and in seconds I was lifted into the air. Looking out the window, I could see Red and Silver making their way back to the cabin.

There were two things I knew my daughter could do hooves down, that was politics, and killing those she didn’t like. If all things go down well, we will have a hoof hold in the islands, and she will have found a way to have all the corpse brigadiers killed off discreetly.

Opening up a cooler across from me, I pulled out a bottle of red wine, and a wine glass. The wine was from a fifteen-year-old stock, from a dried out vineyard in Prance. It’s dry metallic taste paired well with a pungent cheese, and dried fruit. One bottle was around two Doubloons in cost, but worth it for the satisfaction of being the one who drinks it.

______________________________________

Footnote

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Chapter 16 - Out of the fire, into the frying pan

Light shimmered from above me, rippling and dancing. Most would find it fascinating, beautiful even, but not me. I hated it, I feared it, I wanted to get up and run from it. Yet I couldn’t move, my legs were unresponsive, or not there, I didn’t know. Without them I couldn’t get the leverage to pull myself up, I couldn’t even flail in panic. All I could do was hold my breath, and look up. Hoping dad would pull me out.

A shadow loomed over me, blocking the light, and just sitting there. It didn’t move, like it was fascinated by my horror. Like it was waiting for me to die.

‘I could make your fear go away, but all good things come at a price.’

I opened my mouth to respond, but water flowed into it.

‘I could make you free of it, make you a stronger you.'

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see it.

‘A secret for a secret is the deal. I shall bestow upon you what you don’t know, and in return you will seek what belongs to me.’

I didn’t care, I just wanted to be out of the water, I didn’t want to die. I’d take it, just help me.

‘Then so shall it be my little pony. Like or not the deal is struck, you will seek out a secret I desire. You are already on the path to it, a marvelous secret that could topple the civilization it had built.’

My chest burned so much, I couldn’t hold it in any more, I was going to breath water. That’s when the shadow dove in, the black mare from my dreams, her deep golden eyes looking into me, through me. With an embrace she forced her lips onto mine, and breathed life giving air into my lungs. With the air delivered, she pressed her muzzle to my ear, and whispered.

‘The knowledge and secrets to your survival will be yours, and I’ll throw in something more.’ She pushed away from me, and blended into the darkness of the water. ‘That night, when you fell into the water as a filly, how the wire in your mother’s leg snapped. It was no accident, just ask your sister.’ The water around me bubbled and vanished, and now I found myself in a black void, with no light but from mare’s golden eyes. ‘Thy name is Phobetor, and I ensure you that our partnership will be most beneficial.'

______________________________________

I jolted awake, trying to cough up water that was not there. Everything hurt, both inside and out, and the distinct smell of burnt… everything was in my nose. Looking around, everything was a blur, my eyes too sensitive to look at even dim light. My body convulsed, and I threw up what food I still had in my stomach, along with some blood. I could tell because of all the red that was with it, and because of the rancid metallic smell it gave off.

“OH! This one’s awake!” the voice of a mare called, sounding far too chipper for my liking right now.

“Good, give her a healing potion, we can’t wait any longer out here.” This voice was of a synthetic mare.

A vial was stuck in my mouth, and the content was forced down my throat. I was also sprayed in my face, which made it feel a little better, and helped my eyes recover.

Blinking a few times, I could see properly again. Not that I could see much with a mare right in my face. She was a purple coated mare with a medium length pink mane that was a mess. Her smile was as wide as a pony could physically manage, possibly a little bigger.

“Oh plusgood, you’re awake! I had thought you were going to unlive.” She pulled out a rag, and wiped some of the muck off of me, before helping me up. She placed the rag back into a bag, along with the used healing potion vial and the small spray bottle. “I had to give you a bunch of chems to help you pull through, but I don’t know how it’s going to help with your pain, so does it still hurt anywhere?”

“Everything still hurts.” But the pain had dulled, if only a little. Some Med-X would help a lot, along with some more healing potions. “But I’ll be just fine.”

She smiled. “Good, it would have ungood if you had not woken up. Reaver Blaster Beam said we have to leave soon. If anypony has not gotten up, we have to leave them behind.”

“Wait, Blaster Beam is here?” I looked around, and my eyes were rewarded with finding that I was face to face with the mare.

“Yes, I’m here.” She said with her synthetic voice. “Now I need you to pack up and get moving, our ride won’t wait forever.” She backed off, and pointed to a pair of saddle bags. “You can get yourself cleaned up once we’re on board.” The reaver trotted off to another pony who was coughing up blood, offering the mare a small amount of healing potion.

I was baffled for a few seconds; all I could do was look around. We were all in what looked like an old recon post, from before the forest had completely took over, the plant life having long forced themselves in. But the place was secured, and the air, though foul smelling, was breathable. Equalists were packed inside the building, around twenty of them, with more than half looking like they just ran through a meat grinder, and six of them looking like they fell into one. Next to me was a pony covered in a sheet, same for the next one down the line.

Looking at myself, I still had the equalist jumpsuit on, though now dirty, blooded, and burnt. It then hit me what was going on, they had mistaken me for one of their own. Now grasping the situation, I figured that I might as well go along until I had an opportunity to get away. Lifting my right foreleg, I distinctly remember not having one before, this one looking like it was made from scrap parts. Complaining about having full mobility was probably a bad idea, so I bit my tongue and trotted over to the saddlebag. My legs gave out, and I hit the floor. I also puked again.

My head felt light, and it was hard to focus on one spot. If I didn’t know better I’d say I was drunk, but I knew it was the radiation poisoning. Getting back up, I took slow and careful steps, finally reaching the saddle bags, only stumbling a few times.

Inside the bag was a bunch of spark batteries, both older and newer variations, as well as mechanical and electrical parts. It was a heavy load, which I had trouble just getting it on my back, and even more trouble standing up with it on.

My left four leg felt off, not being as stable as it normally was. sitting down, I held my breath as I pulled back the sleeve of the jumpsuit. Minerva was gone, in it’s place was the same kind of scrap leg as I had on the right. Checking my back legs, luckily they were the same as before, so at least I knew I still had something I could rely on.

“Here’s your radaway ration!” The pineapple flavored radaway was forced into my mouth. The purple and pink mare pulled out a three small jars, and dropped out a few pills into her hoof. The levitation talisman she had must have been old, as everything she moved with the magic was slow to start, and jerky in motion. “Alright what we have here is some Rad-Safe to help fend of radiation. Some Med-Chill in pill form to dull the pain. And my plusgood choice, Rush, to help you stay awake long enough to get home free. Ungood recommended to take them together, but you look like you're going to need them.”

I looked at the pills, and sighed. I felt like shit, and was in no position to argue, so I opened my mouth. The pills didn’t go down easy, but I managed. I was fine with the Rad-Safe, but the other two from what I knew, were heavy duty medications. Med-Chill was an alternative for Med-X, refined Chill made into strong sedative, only used in small doses. Rush on the other hoof was strong stimulant originally made on the big Island. It allowing a pony to stay awake and aware for hours, if not over a day. Both started out as an inhalants, and is still used that way, but the modern powdered stuff is far stronger, with a high over dose rate. So I prayed that I didn’t just fall over and start convulsing.

“Feeling better?” the purple and pink pony asked. I was feeling a little better, as the pain started to melt away, and I no longer had trouble keeping my eyes open. So I nodded. “Good! And here, I’ll take a few batteries off of you.” Two of the spark batteries jerked out of the saddle bag, and into hers. “There, you should be ready to move out.”

Pushing up, I didn’t even feel the weight of the saddle bag, I also didn’t feel anything at all really. But I could hear the blood pulsing through my ears, which could get annoying. “Thanks, I thought I was a goner. Though I can’t for the life of me remember what happened.”

She nodded. “Ya, that was a doubleplusungood scene. You were cut up all over, and burnt. It looked like one of those ungood attackers must have hit you with a spark grenade, and thrown you into a thorn bush. If I hadn’t found you, you would have unlived.”

“So you saved…” I hacked up what seemed like a piece of my lung, I didn’t feel any pain, but the coughing was quite violent. “Saved me, thank you.” My voice raspy in a bad way, sounding like a smoke addicts.

She cringed, pulling out a vial of healing potion, which only had a minuscule amount in it. “This should help your voice.” I drank the small amount of healing potion. She looked at me, scratching her chin. “Now that I think about it, are you one of our new recruits?”

I almost shit myself, that or I already did and didn’t have any more in me. At least she gave me an out, but I knew I was not going to be able to simply play it off. So I could only hope she didn’t dig deeper. “Yes, but everything is hazy. I had my card with my right hoof, but it seems to be missing” Card, what card!?

“Oh, that’s ungood. You were missing that leg when I found you, both front legs actually. One of our comrades donated hers after… after she unlived.” The look on the mare’s face drooped, and some tears formed in her eyes. She wiped the tears away, and forced a smile. “Even if we few must sacrifice for the good of the many, it’s still sad to lose a comrade. The bed will feel much unwarm without her.”

It was too much sad information then what I wanted to hear, though I didn’t feel all that affected by it, probably do to the drug cocktail I had in me. “Sorry to hear. Was she your marefriend?”

She shook her head. “We just shared beds, and she didn’t mind my sleeping habits.” The mare straightened herself up. “But her sacrifice was not wasted, I was able to save two of our other comrades with her supplies.” She looked proud, sad, but proud. “Had to replace your jumpsuit too, it was in a ungood shape, even your clothes under it had to be thrown out. But your panties were okay, they’re adorable by the way.” I blushed a little, but was at least glad that I was not in tattered clothing.

Blaster Beam stomped on the floor, getting every ponies attention. “Alright comrades, move out, we have an hour to get to the ship, and another hour before daylight. Anypony who drags their hooves will not survive the trek, so keep your steps high, and quick. I’ll handle any of the nasty beasts out here.”

Everypony put on their gasmask, leaving me fumbling around, looking for one. The purple pink mare jammed a gas mask onto my face, and I quickly affixed the straps. With everyone ready, we all shuffled out of the cabin, following Blaster Beam.

The purple pink mare trotted alongside of me, helping me stay up when I stumbled out of the doorway. “Here, I’ll sponsor for you when we get to Valley Island, that way you don’t have to go through interrogation. My names Clarinet Reed, what’s yours?”

I opened my mouth, but caught myself before giving out my real name. Even if Blaster Beam didn’t know who I was, she might know my name. I had to think fast, and what came to me was “Chime.” Citole’s older sister. “Chime Catbell.” I could only hope nopony figured out that it was a fake name.

“Oh, what a lovely name.” Clarinet gushed. “I know we're going to get along just plusgood. I have a nice place you can stay at while you housing arrangements are sorted, one bed though, so I hope you don’t mind cuddling up.”

Clarinet was hard to read, both bubbly happy, and stoically sad at the same time, I didn’t know if I wanted to hug her, or be hugged by her. Truthfully I didn’t know what to think right now, I was glad to be alive, but it was a bittersweet feeling. I had failed in every way possible, and now was marching to what might be the heart of the equalists. Clarinet was both my savior, and probably my jailor, as I could tell she was not going to let me just wander off.

“So did you own any cats? I love cats.” Clarinet asked excitedly. “They’re the cutest thing ever.”

I shook my head. “My family was more into dogs.”

“Dogs are awesome too!” she was just too excitable, probably just distracting herself. In a way, she was doing a good job for me, as thinking about how I had failed was just too damned depressing, and painful.

The storm was still raging outside, so two equalists stood by the door, passing out raincoats. Most of them had seen better days, but it would be better than just getting drenched. Into the forest we went, looking back, the cabin we were using looked like one of the ones set up a hundred years back, when the forest was just starting to reclaim the islands, and the toxins in the air were thicker. Even if it was run down, it probably still had a few years left in it. Lucky break for the equalists.

The march through the forest was mostly uneventful, with the chems in my system keeping me from feeling the pain of moving around. The local wild life did pester us at a few points, but Blaster Beam made short work of them. The guns that had replaced her wings were automatic beam pistols, and her two forelegs had the equivalent to a magical energy musket built in. Small windows in her forelegs would glow red as she charged them up, and the beams would make that distinctive twang sound, tuning anything they hit into ash. What really caught me off guard was the built in flamer she had in her mouth, allowing her to breath fire. Overall, she was like a one pony beam platform, like how Theremin was a melee powerhouse.

Clarinet kept talking, though now keeping her voice low. Mostly it was about what she was doing on Pineapple island. It seemed that she was part of a group that set up a soup kitchen for the working poor, trying to get others to consider their ideology through good will. I never seen it myself, but I was told that aside from the free food, they spout anti-capitalistic propaganda almost nonstop as they pass out the food.

Then the big question came my way. “What were you doing, you know, before you joined up with us?”

I opened up my mouth, only to mumble a little before shutting it. I had to think fast, so I took a deep breath. “Most of my work… it’s on the big island… so I… only barely got by.” Vague, but I hoped that was enough.

“I see.” Clarinet looked up, as though in thought. “Haven’t been to the big island for a long time, it was an unfun place.”

I Nodded my head. “I know what you mean.”

The small talk thankfully remind light, so I wasn’t worried about getting stuck in a lie. Instead the conversation moved onto what life is like in the inner stations of the republic. From what Clarinet told me, everypony has a place to live, food to eat, and a job. It sounded nice, but from my time in Orthrus, having something for everypony never meant equality. A place to sleep could mean an old cot, or some sheets on the hard floor. Food for all could mean mass produced rations. And jobs, as my drill instructor would say, ‘We have job’s for everypony, do you want to stand guard for ten hours, or clean toilets for eight?’ so the concept of a job for everypony didn’t fill me with any hope of something dignified.

Which was fine for me, I just needed to slip away when the opportunity arises. I did think about pretending to be hurt, falling over and telling the others to forget about me. Though beaten and bruised, the equalists didn’t look stupid, and it would take just one of them to point out that I have Med-Chill in me to know I was faking. I just needed an opportunity, some place I could just slip away. Just bolting into the forest would be tempting, but I’d make a lot of noise, and from seeing Blaster Beam work, I’d not make it far. My best bet is in the metro, just find some dark corner, and sneak away when nopony is looking. Easier said than done, but these equalist troops didn’t look like a well-trained military, so it was a possibility.

Our trek went on a little while longer, stopping at a cove. Looking around, I didn’t see any kind of entrance to the metro, not even a structure from the old world. It was just a natural cove.

“Aren’t we going back to the metro?” I had to ask.

Blaster Beam laughed. “And let those bit grubbing hogs know our movements.” She lifted a leg up, pointing above the water, and fired a beam of magical energy. “We have other ways to get around.”

Nopony moved, or made a sound, the only sound was that of the rain and wind. That and a light from the water. A light that grew brighter, accompanied by the sound of an engine. The ship quickly got closer, showing no sign of slowing down.

Some of the other ponies began to panic, tripping over themselves as to get out of its way. Blaster Beam, Clarinet, and some of the others didn’t move, staying with the group. I chose not to move, trusting that they knew what was coming.

To my surprise, what I thought was a boat turned out to be a hovercraft, it hit the ground and circled around us. Some of the panicked ponies dove for cover so to avoid it. The hovercraft looked like it was made of scrap, had a thick cloth skirt along the bottom, and had two of what looked like a vertibuck propellers at the back.

The craft came to a stop, only dropping a little as the propellers slowed down. A pony looked over at us from a window, same raincoat, gasmask, and jumpsuit as everypony else. “Oy comrades, better late than never, but you're cutting it close don’t you think.” The pony opened a door, sending some steep stairs down to the ground.

First on was Blaster Beam, who then began helping others on. The same thing happened on the other side, Clarinet taking on the role to help the others, allowing us to quickly board the hovercraft. There was less room than in the building I awoke in, but everypony managed to squeeze in. The only seats were for the pilot and twelve others, six seats on either side of the hovercraft. Five others packed themselves in what was likely the cargo hold, a secure spot at the back. The three remaining without a seat were Blaster Beam, Clarinet, and me.

I had been distracted by the fact that I never even heard of this vehicle before. It looked a bit like the inside of a train, but with less space, and thicker metal. “What is this?” I couldn’t help but let the question slip from my lips.

The pilot got into her seat, and the engine revved up. Blaster Beam trotted up next to the pilot, sitting with her back to the wall, and looking at us all. “Alright, to all new recruits, this has been a true clusterfuck of a night, but this is where things change. What you are standing in here is a military transport hovercraft, called a M.T.H. for short. It uses cloud talismans to provide the hover, and high powered propellers to move it. This here beauty will help us unify the islands, allowing us to be free from Orthrus’ greedy control.”

There were a few ‘ooo’s’ and ‘ahhh’ from the other ponies. But with the rain pounding on the ceiling, I didn’t feel at ease. “Excuse me, but how does this craft keep from tipping in the storm?”

My question got a few worried mumbles from the others, but Blaster Beam stood firm. “The cloud talismans will allow us enough clearance to stay above the water. It takes more power, so our speed will be at a slower rate, but we will make it to our destination safely. We just need every pony to play their part and provide some power to the engines.” She pointed at the two groups sitting in the seats. “Attached to your seats are a magical connection cable. You can help supply this ship with extra power by simply feeding it the magic you can gather.”

The ponies in the seats did as they were told, pulling out the cable and holding it in their hooves. The hovercraft moved out, hitting the water, and shaking at first, but the movement quickly smoothed out. Much of the shaking came from the wind, but were high enough above the water that it didn’t affect us all that much.

“Hey, miss asks-a-lot-of-questions.” Blaster Beam threw a pair of binoculars to me, it was so sudden I almost dropped them. “Since you seem so lively, keep an eye out. I don’t want any of those flying doodads sneaking up on us.”

I was glad she could not see me glare at her through my gasmask.

“No, let me take care of that, she's still very much in ungood condition.” Clarinet interjected.

Blaster Beam Shook her head. “I need you to check the others. You’re the only one with medical training among us here.” Clarinet backed down. “And don’t worry, I have an extra Rad-Away for her.”

Clarinet stomped her hoof. “That Radaway was for you, just because you have a higher radiation tolerance does not mean you’re not cooking on the inside.”

The cyberpony laughed, waving her hoof at Clarinet. “I’ll be fine. You should have seen Theremin, that bastard got a bullet in his lung, and his two back legs blasted off, along with his flank. If he can survive that, I can survive a little extra radiation.”

Clarinet sighed and began taking a look at the others. I on the other hoof, trotted to one of the windows, but couldn’t find a latch to open it. Blaster Beam cleared her throat, getting my attention, and pointed to the ceiling. There was a retractable ladder with a door above it, meaning that I wasn’t going to stay in here.

The wind was worse here, with no trees to break it up, I was getting everything this storm could throw at me. I looked around, but there was simply nothing for me to see in the dark rain.

“Interesting turn of events, don’t you think.” A voice came out of nowhere, so clear that it surprised me so much that I almost dropped the binoculars. Looking around, I found a black earth pony mare lying down on the top of the hovercraft. She didn’t look wet, and her mane acted as though it was in a light breeze. The only thing not black about her was a white lab coat she had on, and her golden eyes that seem to look right through me. “Now, now, don’t do anything to embarrass yourself. I’d rather get this little chat out of the way as soon as possible.”

It was the mare that had been in my dreams, always the same, always unnerving. “Who are you?”

She laughed. “To be forgotten is such a wonderful thing. To have a secret that no others even know to look for, even if it is but a name. You can call me Phobetor, and I’ll be your ever present guide into this mad world.”

“Phobetor… right, so what do you want? Nothing's for free.”

The dark mare got up, and trotted to the other side of the hovercraft, unaffected by the wind. “A deal has been struck, and I seek my reward. A secret for a secret, I bestow onto you the knowledge you need to survive, and in return you seek out what is hidden from me.” Phobetor turned around and smiled. “I gave you the little things, like knowledge about the Republics ID’s, so that you can slip in without any suspicion falling onto you, and a few other little things. With that knowledge, you will go to the heart of the republic, and learn the secret to their power.”

I didn’t like this, not at all. But I was trapped with no way out. I know if I played nice, eventually I would have my opportunity to free myself.

Phobetor trotted up to me. “I know what you’re thinking, tricky ones like you always think the same.” Her hoof was gently placed under my chin. “Know this, if you break the deal, I will find a fate worse than death for you. Those Reavers for one, I don’t know what their plan is for you, but I’m betting you don’t want to find out first hoof.” She removed the hoof from my chin. “But if you insist on resisting, I’ll let you know this. If you do as I say, you will find your way home, very much alive, and free from the control of others. But only if you do as I say.”

I looked at her in the eyes. “And how do I know you’re not lying. Fuck, how do I know you're even real?”

Phobetor laughed even louder. “You don’t, but nor do you have the real choice to doubt me.” She turned her back on me. “It’s your faith in me, or be thrown to the wolves. You can choose, but I don’t see the point in suicide.”

She had me, I didn’t know what to do. Theremin said I was on a list, which meant they knew who I was, and actively kept tabs on me. I could fake it, but it was only a matter of time before they found me out. If what Phobetor said was true, at least I had some hope through her, even if she made my skin crawl. “Fine, I will find this secret you want, and you help me get out of this mess. That’s the deal.”

“That’s the deal, a secret for a secret.” Phobetor pointed to the right with her hoof. “You should stick with that mare, Clarinet was it, she will make good camouflage for you.” I looked to where she was pointing, and could see a dim light in the distance.

“What’s that?” I looked back at Phobetor, but she was gone. Turning back to the dim light, I looked through the binoculars. It slowly focused into view, the lights revealing themselves to be part of a large ship. Closer, I could see writing along the side. It spelled out “The Queen of Knives” in big bold letters. I could see what was likely cannons, along the side, big enough to blow us out of the water.

Dropping myself from the ladder, and back into the less wet, and warmer inside of the hovercraft, I took a deep breath as eyes fell to me. “We’ve got trouble, there's a large ship to our right, heavily armed.”

Blaster Beam trotted up to me, and took the binoculars, jumping up the ladder. She was up there for all but a few seconds before dropping back down. “Everypony hold on tight!” she quickly trotted over to the pilot. “Turn up the speed, I doubt they don’t know where here.”

The engine revved up, and the speed picked up. I could hear some of the others quietly mumbling to themselves, scared and just hoping to live through this. Suddenly the hovercraft shook violently, but didn’t stop. “Lucky break, if we didn’t pick up speed, we would be dead in the water.” The pilot called out.

I had managed to stay upright by holding onto the ladder, But Clarinet and Blaster both got knocked around in the shaking. Getting up, Blaster Beam looked at me. “You got a steady head on your shoulder there. Do you know how to handle a gun?” I just nodded. “Good, climb to the roof, were going to shoot back at this asshole.”

I didn’t argue, I just climbed up the ladder, this time stepping onto the roof of the Hovercraft. Blaster Beam followed, pointing to the front of the craft, as she went to the back. Complying, I used the railing along the side to keep myself from being knocked off the hovercraft, until I found what was likely a turret mount. The thing was in a cage that allowed 360 degree aiming, and the gun itself had a cover on it. Looking back, Blaster Beam was in another gun cage herself, pulling at the cover of the gun. This was not just a troop transport; the Hovercraft was a gunship. Pulling off the cover, I could feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach, it was as a IF-155 ‘Bad Seed’ attached to the turret mount. The hovercraft was armed with two .50 caliber LMG railguns, something that was overkill with just one.

Powering up the IF-155, I held onto it as another shell from the bigger ship landed near us, shaking the hovercraft. The pirate ship beamed lights on us, though bright, they were too far away to blind us. Our guns had a flood light attached to them as well, and in turning it on, I could see a few little specks flying off the pirate ship, and at us. Both Blaster Beam and I fired, in short bursts, as the attackers were too far away to hit with any accuracy. The pirates fired back, one shot landing near my back hooves, and ricocheting off into the storm. As the attackers got closer, I could see that they were griffins and pegasi.

We both fired another volley of steel balls at the pirates, talking down two of them, and forcing the rest to fall back. They returned fire, but the storm prevented them from properly aiming at us, and only rarely hitting the hovercraft.

The hovercraft shook again as shells landed near us, but the shots didn’t come from ‘the Queen of Knives’, but another ship we didn’t see. Shining some light on the other ship, I found another name ‘Bones of Sand’ it spelled out.

The hovercraft raced between the two pirate ships, our guns firing off to keep their troops from getting closer to us then we were comfortable with. A beam of energy cut the water next to the hovercraft, and another beam glanced off the side. A Vertabuck had positioned itself behind us. Luckily for us, we were armed with .50 caliber LMG Railguns, attached to an external power source. Blaster beam let her gun loose, and the Vertabuck quickly pulled back and away, smoke now billowing from it. A few more shells fell near us, shaking the hovercraft but nothing more. I could only guess that the shells were meant for blowing up boats, and we were in a hovercraft, unaffected by the explosions in the water.

I was able to knock a few more pirates out of the sky before they fell back, and we were too far away to give chase. The two pirate ships fired at us, but none of the shells connected. Soon the two ships were out of sight, only a quickly dimming glow to show where they were. I couldn’t help but feel that we got lucky, be it the storm, the cover of night, or that we were in a hovercraft and not a normal boat. We managed to avoided the jaws of death entirely.

Returning to the inside the Hovercraft, Blaster Beam and I were soaked. The raincoats providing us with only a small amount of protection. Blaster Beam hoofed over a packet of radaway to me, and I took it. “Good shooting out there, what did you do before joining up?”

I didn’t have to think too hard for a lie, as little bit of truth can go far. “Did a lot of work on the big island. Had to defend myself many times. Some bandits, but mostly the wildlife.”

Blaster Beam chuckled. “Well It’s good to have you in the family, we can always use more defenders in our ranks.” She shook off some of the water on her, much like a dog. “But fuck, who were those assholes. First vertibucks, and now, what… warships?”

I sighed, “Not only that, but griffins two.”

“WHAAAT!” Clarinet gasped. “You mean those bird-cat things from the cartoons! You saw one, a real one!?”

“Well, I think I did.” I know I did. “It didn’t look like a Pegasus.”

“I think that’s the least of our problems.” Blaster Beam slumped down onto the ground. “Whoever they are, they have vertibucks, warships, and what looks like a lot of troops to throw out. The general is going flip her shit over this. So much for unifying the islands when they’re around.”

Clarinet trotted up to Blaster Beam. “Oh don’t be that way, and this might be a good thing. If these big meanies threaten the metro, we just need to answer the call, and send them back to wherever they came from. If the ponies of the metro see that we’re there for them, they will see that we're right.”

Blaster Beam laughed. “That sounds like a good idea, I’ll run it by… by… the general.” The cyber mare collapsed onto the floor, Clarinet there to keep her head from hitting the floor.

“Oh no, she’s really burning up. Why didn’t you take the radaway like I told you!” Clarinet emptied her bag, but it didn’t have anything that would help with radiation sickness. “Please, just hold on.”

Nopony had anything to help. We were all out of any medical chems, other than ones for combat, which would likely make her condition worse. All we could do was give Blaster Beam some space, and hope she doesn’t take in more radiation before we get to our destination.

The rest of us took turns providing extra power to the engines, though the small amount of magical energy wouldn’t be enough to power the engine long enough to get to our destination, it did help provide it with the extra power to push through the storm. The hovercraft had the ability to get us where we were going, but without the power, it would have taken us twice as long.

After some time, the pilot let everyone know we were about to hit land. It only felt like a little bump, but the scenery through the window changed from a gray squall, to that of green. We didn’t stop, continuing down what I guessed was a road constructed by the Republic, the tall trees bearing over us, and probably hiding the road itself.

The ride was much smoother than when we were over the water, with the wind now being weakened by the surrounding forest. I could only guess that we had gone deep into the island, as we entered what was the ruins of a long dead city, and soon after, inside a large building.

The hovercraft slowly came to a stop, and looking out the window, there was a crew waiting for us. Clarinet and I both opened the doors on the side of the Hovercraft, and began helping every pony out. Last, we both helped hold Blaster Beam up as we exited the hovercraft, and a medical team took over as soon as our hooves were on the ground.

“So feeling any better?” Clarinet asked me cheerfully.

I paused for a moment. I was still wide awake, and numb. “I don’t know, maybe, I’ll find out when this medication wears off.”

Clarinet laughed, and leaned against me. “Well that’s better than ungood. Just let me know when you need more.”

I shook my head. “It’s best if I let it where off, last thing I need is an addiction.”

“Lucky you.” Clarinet became limp, forcing me to hold her up.

“Hey” I let her slide onto the ground, keeping her head from just dropping. “This is not the place to sleep.”

A medical pony came over and took Clarinet off my hooves, and another came to me, leading me to where some of the others were. We all entered a sealed enclosure, allowing us to take our masks off. It was for a medical checkup, the medical ponies checking our eyes, tongue, and blood. Seeing if we were safe to re-enter the population. With most of the islands vaccinated for most known pathogens, checkups were less common now, but some places still do it for the extra security.

After a half hour, I was cleared to move onto the next room. This time it was a security checkpoint, as everypony was hoofing over their ID’s, along with another card. Patting myself down, I was missing everything I owned, so all I could do was sigh.

“You there!” one of the security ponies called out to me. “Why have you not presented your papers?”

I took a deep breath and opened up my forelegs as I slowly exhaled. “They got lost in the chaos.”

The security pony didn’t look happy with my reply, and motioned with her hoof to another pony. “Then we're going to have to take you into custody.” This was exactly not what I wanted, but not something I couldn’t resist. “Do you comply”

“Yes, yes. I’ve had a long day, so please just give me a minute.”

The security pony squinted at me. “You got quite the mouth on you.” She levitated a baton up. “You should learn to shut it.”

I rolled my eyes. “I said I’m complying, so don’t get your panties in a bunch.” Sighing, I trotted up to the mare. “Listen, I know you have a job to do…”

The bitch stuck the baton in my mouth. “No you listen here, I say comply, and you respond with yes ma’am. You don’t look me in the eyes, swish your tail, or smack your lips. You do as I say, and nothing more. Do you comply?” she didn’t remove the baton.

I wanted to knock the thing away from me, and give her face a close greeting with my hoof. I backed up, but she just pushed, keeping the baton in my mouth, a grin on her face. I was really not in the mood for this shit, and glared at her.

“What did I say about looking me in the eyes.” She pulled the baton out, and hit me in the face.

I was still numb all over from the Med-Chill, so I didn’t even flinch. “As I was saying, you have a job to do, so sooner we get this over with, the less trouble you’re going to have with Blaster Beam.”

The security mare looked shocked, but soon started laughing. “Me in trouble with that freak. I’m so terrified.” She turned around and whipped her tail at me. “Come this way.”

______________________________________

Unsurprisingly I entered an interrogation room, the solid gray walls only accented by a mirror on one side, and a metal table in the middle. It was like out of the old detective comics, even having a lamp to shine in my face.

Another security mare took over the interrogation, predictably aiming the lamp so that the light was directed right at me. “Now we're going to ask you a few questions, and you’re going to answer. You understand.”

“Yes.” I raised a hoof to block the annoyingly bright lamp. “Is this necessary?”

“Is, this, necessary?” The mare chuckled. “You’re the only one to come without papers, or ID. We had reports of spies among your group, and everypony checks out but you. So yes, this is necessary!”

I suddenly felt strange, my head dizzy. Another pony trotted out from behind me, in medical attire. She was holding a few empty syringes with her levitation. “What did you do?”

The security mare lowered the lamp. “Just something to help you relax, and be more compliant. Memory extraction is a delicate art, and we can’t have you making fake memories on us as we sift through them.” The security mare pulled out a strange helmet from under the table. “So we're going to ask a few questions, and you’re going to tell us everything.” The medical pony lifted up the helmet and brought it over to me.

I felt well and truly fucked. Between the room starting to spin, and the feeling of weightlessness, I almost didn’t see the mare standing on the table.

“How barbaric.” Phobetor said, as she held my head in place. “Trying to steal what is mine. And in such a forceful manner. Not even a care to the damage that could be done in the process. They might as well try to steal a dragon’s horde by blowing up the mountain.”

“What…?” I felt numb and sick all at the same time. “is…” other than Phobetor, everything was spinning. “going…” The room itself looked like it was melting away, or flaking away. “...on.”

Phobetor smiled. “Don’t worry, this will be over soon.”

______________________________________

I was in some sort of void, everything was dark, and I was floating.

“Now, tell me, who are you?” The voice of the security pony echoed throughout my head.

Images popped up all around me, they looked familiar at first, but were all blurry beyond recognition. One image came in clear, it was of me and Clarinet. “Chime Catbell” the image spoke.

“Who are you” the security mare's voice was a little more forceful.

The other images shook, but didn’t become any clearer.

“WHO ARE YOU!” her voice made everything shake.

The images didn’t budge, but this time one of them warped, Phobetor seeped out like a black puss. She turned around, and tapped the image. It warped again, this time becoming clearer. It showed me as a filly, alone, in the dark. “Mommy! Where are you?” the image called out in a squeaky voice.

Phobetor seeped back into the image, becoming part of it. “I’m here Chime, just follow momma.” She took on the look of a scrapper, and the filly version of me hauling scrap metal. “Don’t fall behind or the rad-roaches will get you.”

The image began to repeat, without the sound. Next to it another image came into view, Phobetor jumping from the image she was in, and into the new one. It depicted me much older, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Hanging outside the lucky rabbit’s foot, dressed in what was a mock bunny mare one piece. I had a bad feeling about this, but couldn’t even turn my head. “CHIME CATBELL! I thought I raised you better!” It was Phobetor again. “Come home right now!”

The mock me looked away. “If I don’t do this, we're just going to be right back at Charon’s Stop.” Chime snorted at Phobetor. “And what about you, you’re not doing anything different. At least I can get a better price.”

The image slowed down and began to repeat itself. I didn’t like where it was going, but whatever Phobetor was, she weaved in and out of this memory scape quite easily. I just didn’t like the idea of pretending that I whored myself out in my youth.

“Why are you here?” the sultry mare's voice once more bounced into my head.

Phobetor jumped out of the image, as it faded away, and a bunch of blurrier images replaced them. The black mare touched one of them, and it warped. The scene was once more in the dark, but I could see some scenery, familiar scenery. It was the bandit camp that I met Merit outside of. Chime was pulling a dead bandit into the shadows, the pony's head half missing. Striping the pony of her cloths, Chime disguise herself as one of the bandits, and nervously trotted into the camp.

The bandits didn’t pay her much mind as she made her way through. Her destination was the prisoner cage. Phobetor seeped into it, and appeared in the cage, looking beaten and bruised. Chime got up close to the cage, and whispered. “mom, I’m going to get you out of here.”

Phobetor weakly sat up. “Chime, what are you doing here, you must leave.”

“No, I’m going to get you out, no buts about it.” Chime pulled out a screwdriver and a bobby pin, but dropped them when Phobetor moved into the light.

Her back half was burnt, the legs missing much of its mass. “I had a nasty run-in with some twittermight’s before the bandits found me. I think they're hoping I’m worth a ransom, that’s why I’m still alive.” She weakly trotted up to the cages bars. “Now go, I’m dead already.”

Chime backed away, shaking her head. “I hate you.” And with tears in her eyes, she ran off, surprising some of the bandits, but not raising any alarms.

The image came to its end, and Phobetor jumped from it, to another. It opened up outside of the Lucky Rabbit’s foot, Chime drunk on the floor. “You don’t look so good.” A mare said, looking down at Chime.

“Well I feel like shit, so I must look like shit.” Chime responded.

The mare smiled. “Why don’t you come with me, I can help you feel better.”

Chime grunted. “I’m not some two-bit whore.”

She giggled. “How about ten bits and a drink?”

Chime paused for a moment, and got up off the ground. “Fuck it, I got nothing better to do.”

The image came to an end, and Phobetor jumped to the next one. Chime was in bed with the mare, her face buried in the mare’s chest, and crying. The mare patted her on the back. “If you hate your life so much, you could always start a new one.” The mare spoke. “The republic is open to everypony. You can just throw this life away, and start one with them.”

“I…” Chime sniffled. “I don’t know; how can it change anything?”

She giggled. “First off, you’ll be joining one big family. Second, you can be with me, and teach me that trick you did.” She pulled Chimes head up, and gave her a kiss.

Chime smiled. “I think I might like that.”

The image came to an end, and Phobetor seeped out, trotting over to me.

“Now tell me where you got those cyber legs?” once more the words of the security mare forced images to pop up in my mind, but as soon as they appeared, everything went white.

“What’s going on, who gave you authorization to use the memory extractor?” it was the voice of a mare, squeaky in tone.

The security mare almost flat on the wall, saluting. “Captain!”

I wobbled my head over to the side to take a look, only seeing what looked a looked like a filly. Small for a pony, but definitely a full grown mare.

“So, who was it.” The mare jumped up onto the table, her coat was teal, and mane bronze. Her green fatigues showing little sign of a rank. “I know I didn’t”

The security mare looked away, and the medical mare cowered.

“Thought so. And what useful information did you get from this recruit?”

The security mare gulped. “She has an earth pony mother that worked as a scrapper, and joined up with us after she died. The pony who recruited her looks like one of the ponies who died on Pineapple Island.”

“Anything else” The Captain asked, and the security mare shook her head. “Such a waste of time.” She did an about face, tuning in a flash. “Now you… you don’t look good.” She got up closer. “How many chems did this idiot put into you?”

I had to wait for a moment for the room to stop spinning so much. “I have... Rad-Safe, and… Med-Chill… Rush… and, whatever they put into me… can you stop wobbling, you’re starting to look like jelly.” I had to shake off the dizziness.

The mare face hoofed. “Fucking seriously, you two drugged up a drugged up mare… I don’t even know where to begin. Your job was simply to detain suspected spies, not press them for information.” She put a hoof to her mouth and whistled, and a another pony came trotting in. “Go take that mare to medical for detox, she’s going to have a rough withdraw soon.”

The new pony tried to lead me out, but I couldn’t get my footing right, and just tripped over myself. Luckily another pony brought a wheelchair over, and soon I was being pushed to medical. It didn’t feel like I was drunk or high, I was simply numb, and very aware. The problem I was having felt strange, I had a hard time keeping myself straight, as though I was lacking the ability to move my legs and neck, but I felt entirely calm, relaxed even. It was strange, even when things would begin to spin, they’d quickly pass, and I remained calm.

______________________________________

Medical was what I expected it to be, sterile, white, and smelling of blood. It wasn’t a big room, so it looked crowded with all the beds hidden behind curtains.

“Who’s this?” A medical pony walked up to me, her white scrubs covered in blood.

The pony that was pushing me stepped to the side of me. “Security got overzealous in their hunt for spies, and this mare got truth serum injected into her.”

“I see.” The medical mare looked at me closer, her glasses had two specks of blood on it, on the right side. “Dilated pupils, Short and fast breathing.” She pulled up her stethoscope plugging it in her ears, and placing it on my chest. “Irregular heartbeat that’s too rapid.” A little metal stick was pulled out of her pocket, and she used it to open my mouth. “Dry mouth, with some foam forming.” Last she put her head to mine. “And she is heating up. This is not something that stupid truth serum can do, what else is in her?”

“Med-Chill, and Rush.” The other pony spoke quickly.

She face hoofed. “Of all the fucked up chems to have in her system. What’s her name?”

“Chime Catbell”

The medical mare trotted behind me. “Okay, your job’s done here, I’ll take care of the rest.”

I was pushed over to a bed, and helped onto it. On the next bed over was where Clarinet was sleeping, and on the other side of the room was Blaster Beam. The medical mare pushed a machine over to my bed, and a IV stand. A needle was inserted into my neck, it attached to the IV, and the IV was attached to the machine. “Alright miss Catbell, this will start flushing your system of the chems. I’m going to put you under so to prevent you from panicking when the chems wear off, and hurting yourself. Do you understand?” I nodded. “Good, now just close your eyes and count backwards from ten.”

Ten. I felt nothing, everything was muted and gray.

Nine. Color appeared in my vision, feeling warm and inviting.

Eight. The colors formed ponies, dancing in a ring, with soft music.

Seven. The ponies became more defined, having fancy dresses, suits and masks. The music was of the classical variety, that the ponies were dancing the waltz.

Six. Stepping into the crowed, I could see that they were dancing around something, giggling and laughing.

Five. Pushing through I saw what it was… Rototom, on the floor, blood pooling under her.

Four. The warmth became heat, giggles became screams, and the music tuned into the sound of fighting.

Three. Looking around, all the ponies were on the ground, dead, brutally shredded. So much blood surrounded me it was the only color I could see.

Two. One of the dead ponies got up, and looked at me. then another, and another. All their eyes a sickly green.

One. Rototom got up, a gash in her neck still pouring blood. She stepped towards me, and I could not move. “It’s fine sis, It’s fine.” She hugged me, and whispered in my ear. “I never wanted to hurt you.” Rototom let me go, and I fell, the dance floor above me quickly becoming nothing but a speck. It felt like I hit water, but it felt wrong. Looking around, I couldn’t see anything, nothing but two large golden orbs. No not orbs, eyes, and they were staring at me.

Whatever it was, it was big, bigger than any monster I had ever seen. It opened its mouth, showing me rows of dagger like teeth. I began to be pulled toward it, and unable to move, I helplessly watched as I moved closer to its mouth. With a snap It closed its maw around me, and everything became truly dark.

______________________________________

Footnote

New Quest: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship.

Chapter 17 - Orientation

A dull aching pain, that’s what I felt all over. Below that of an injury that I needed to take pain killers for, but above something ignorable that I could walk off and forget. Overall I didn’t want to get up out of bed, it was comfy here, and warm. Though the bed had something left to be desired, feeling a bit stiff, and the pillow was a bit too flat for my likening. At least I was warm, more so on the back of my neck, like somepony was breathing on it.

Ya, something was wrong here.

Opening my eyes, the room was too dark to properly see, but in moving around I felt the feeling of somepony pressing on my back. “Minerva, light on.” My pipbuck leg didn’t respond. “Minerva!” still nothing. The pony behind me shifted a little, almost making me jump.

Giving up on Minerva for now, I reached out with my hooves in search for some sort of light switch. My hoof hit a wall, which meant I was on the inside of the bed, putting me on the opposite side of where a light switch would be. Most housing was set up in a way where one would put a bed near a light switch, this room could not have been more different.

The pony next to me sat up and yawned. I held my breath, and steeled myself for a fight. The pony moved around a little, but it was too dark to see, that was until the lights turned on, blinding me for a second.

“Oh good, I thought you might be awake. You were asleep for so long, I was worried that you may need to see medical again.” It was… was… Clarinet… ya that’s the name. “But it’s good that you’re up, I can at least show you around before everything closes!” She had this excitable smile on her face.

I sat up, annoyingly enough, I was naked. “I have so many questions… where’s my panties?”

Clarinet laughed. “Sorry about that, but most of your things had to be thrown away.”

I reached for my neck. “My scarf, what happened to my scarf!”

She cocked her head. “What scarf?”

“The one I was wearing, it’s bright red.” My heart was pounding.

Clarinet rubbed her chin, and shook her head. “Sorry, but I never saw one…” Her eyes became wide. “That monster had one.”

“Had what… what monster?”

She smiled, and raised her hooves above her head. “Some monster pony, I’m sure I saw it. It was dark as night, red glowing eyes, and trying to drag you away.” She put her hooves down. “It scampered away when It saw me, it must have ungiven your stuff. probably ungiven your legs as well.”

“Oh…” from the sounds of her description, it could only have been Turnip. I looked at my front legs, seeing only two cheap prosthetic cyber legs on me. Now I remembered that Minerva was already missing since the last time I woke. Frustratingly this meant no S.A.T.S. no auto mapping, no item sorting, and support programs for using talismans. I was going to have to make do with what I had until I can get home, Then find Turnip to recover my stuff.

“Well, no use dwelling on what’s unfound, it’s better to focus on what we have.” Clarinet hopped out of the bed, almost taking the covers with her. Now able to get a better look at the mare, more than I cared for, I could see that she was clearly younger than me, probably a good five or more years younger than me. Defiantly in her late teens, if not early twenty’s. She was slender, if a bit underweight, but her coat was bright and healthy. Her pink mane had a straight clean look to it, hanging just above her shoulders, and her tail was cut a little short and tied off on the end. It all had this prim and proper look common among ponies who work in factories, or in office buildings.

I would have pinned her as an innocent young mare, except for two things that stood out. First, her ears were all chewed up, and had holes in them. A clear sign of excessive piercings without proper sanitation, and also having them be ripped out. Second, the whites of her eyes were yellow, which is common among drug addicts, combat chems tend to be a big contributor to yellowing of the eyes.

The signs pointed to one thing, but I didn’t want to assume, yet I had to ask. “Clarinet, if it’s not too much, can I ask you a question?”

She was cheerfully pulling out some clothes. “Ya, ask away.”

“Okay.” I thought about it for a moment, but I felt that beating around the bush would be a poor idea. “Were you a bandit?”

She stopped for a moment, and then picked up some of the clothes and trotted over to me. “Yep, born and raised. Lived a uncivilized and unfriend wise life before finding Equality. But now I’m a civilized pony, helping others find happiness through equality.”

I didn’t know what surprised me more, how she answered that without shame, or how little like a bandit she acted. “So how did it happen? If it’s not too much to ask?”

“No, no. Ask away.” She opened a door and turned on the lights to a wash room. “Go get cleaned up, and I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll even help you wash your mane.”

Getting up, I decided to take her up on the offer, as I found it a bit hard to move my legs, or even turn my body without my spine feeling like pins and needless. But first I had to have some privacy as I took care of private business. We may both be mares, but she didn’t need to see me use a toilet.

Having relieved myself I let Clarinet in, and got into the bath tub. She trotted over to the tap, but I stopped her before she turned it on. “Sorry, I don’t do baths, do you have a bucket or something I can pour over myself.”

“Oh… yes, I actually do.” She trotted out of the washroom, and not much long after trotted back in with a metal bucket in her mouth, placing it into the tub. “If I tell you my story, maybe you can tell me yours?”

I thought about it for a moment, and Phobetor’s words bounced into my head, my mother's accident not being an accident. Shaking it off, I decided to tell Clarinet and altered version of why I don’t take baths, replacing the bathtub with a shallow pool of water. Clarinet seemed to take it in at face value, and began to fill the bucket with water.

Dousing me with water, she applied some soap to my mane and tail. The water and soap stung all over, not enough to real hurt, but it did make me flinch. “Well I got discovered by the republic a few years ago when they found our camp. Most of my family had gone off to raid near one of the stations on the outskirts of the Republic’s control.” Her way of washing was a bit rough, which made me glad that rubber bottoms for prosthetics was standard. She also had readied another bucket of water, I tried to not look at it, but the full bucket made me feel uneasy. “Well myself and two of my sisters stayed behind to look after the foals, and I was the only one who could act as nursemaid to the youngest, so they were put on guard. Well the republic caught onto our scheme, and wiped us out before we could retreat. Because of how merciful the equalists were, they took me and the foals in, and helped reeducate us.” I was doused with water again, washing the soap out of my mane and tail.

So she was not actively banditing, just feeding the babies… “Wait, what? You were a nursemaid, how old were you? I mean you would have to have, you know.”

She doused me with another bucket of water, and began to rub me with a towel. The pain had dulled, the rubbing of the towel made it flare up. “Of course. I was fifteen at the time, so my goal was only one-year-old, and a big drinker she was. Had my second about six months later.”

I was shocked, utterly shocked. I knew that the ponies who lived on the edge of civilization were on the savage side, but I haven’t thought about having foals yet, and I’m twenty-five. I quickly looked around the room, looking for signs of foals, but saw nothing. “So, where are they?”

Clarinet smiled, putting the towel away and motioning for me to step out. “There living at the nursery with all the other foals.” She placed me in front of a mirror, and began brushing my mane. I cringed when I saw my reflection. It wasn’t all that bad, but I had a nasty looking black eye that shown through my fur, a clear sign that I had an orbital skull fracture. They can be healed with magic and potions, but the swelling tended to take a few days to go away. My lower lip had a scar on it, looking like it had been ripped open, and looking on the inside side, ya, my lip had literally been split apart. I was sure I had other cuts and bruises under my fur, but I decided to not check for them.

“I see, so you gave them up for adoption, I can respect that.” Though it did seem sad they weren’t being raised by their mother, and Clarinet did seem to have a good head on her shoulders. As far as I had seen, I mean. but she was too young to have even been having foals.

She laughed. “Adoption, no. I simply lack the equality credits to raise them, so the republic raises them for me until I’m a truly respectable citizen.”

“What?” I got out of the tub feeling dry.

Clarinet trotted of the wash room, and over to her nightstand, lifted up a card. It looked like an advanced ID, the kind used by corporate CEO’s made of metal over a crystal core. “This here is my Equality Credit Score Passcard. It shows my Equality Credit Score, that’s ECS for short, with this card.”

“What?” I responded, following her out of the wash room.

She put down the card. “Sorry, it all must be new to you.” She picked up a second card in her jerky magic, and passed it over to me. “You ECS represents how well you’re doing in the republic. The better your doing as a citizen, the more the republic can support you in your life. Ponies with high EC scores can not only can raise their own foals, but get bigger homes to raise them in. Better food, clothes, and jobs too.”

Feeling a little cold I began to put on some clothes Clarinet had left out for me. Picking the skirt, shirt, and jacket, I began to feel a little more myself again. The gray panties left for me were alright, if a bit rough on my fur. “So what’s your score, and how do you rise it?” Personally I didn’t like this whole ECS thing, it already smelled rotten to me.

“Oh that’s simple, you just need to show how willing you are to being equal with everypony, and put in the effort to help others be equal. My score is at 437 right now. Not the best, but with your help I know I can get it up higher.” She held onto a big smile as she put on some shorts and a sweater that was a bit too big for her.

“How do I help?” The hole being equal and helping others be equal was flying over my head, and now I was involved… of course I was involved.

“By being equal silly.” She smiled as she pulled me out of bed. “We got a few hours left until the shops close, so let’s get you all equal.” She stopped for a moment, tapping a hoof. “Food too, you must be starving.”

As she dragged me, I got a good look at the room. Much of it was bare, except for pro republic posters, one of them showing a pony holding an equalist flag, standing above another pony in a top hat. At the top it said “Stand above the capitalists,’ and on the bottom, ‘Or be crushed by their greed.’ Somehow that poster filled me with dread.

______________________________________

I had to say, Trust Town station was positively spotless, almost polished to a shine even. Not that cleanliness was anything new, but it had a freshly cleaned like feel to it, like it was just recently done. Not just that, but how new everything felt. From the cement below my feet, to the lamps on the ceiling, nothing looked older than ten years old, twenty at the most.

The ponies who were sitting around, which were quite a few, were all reading either the newspaper, or a book. It all being the same paper was not strange to me, but I only counted three different books between everypony I saw.

It was not only that, but we all had practically the same outfit on, the only things standing out were the brighter colored ponies, or my back legs. It actually made me feel a bit self-conscious about having full cyber legs in the back, like it was something out of the norm. I know that the other ponies were looking at us, but none would look at us directly, as though they were using a mirror to look at us, and not with their own eyes.

Clarinet went over a few things I should know, like how it is not equal to try to stand out above others, or that being polite is more important than being right. It sounded a lot like basic common sense, but with forced conformity integrated into it. Not that I didn’t understand it all, in Charon’s Stop ponies didn’t like to be treated like they were inferior, and you rarely proved you were right by insulting others. It was all the same kind of social rules but with an equality spin to it. A pain in the neck to be sure, but not hard to understand.

We arrived in what was the market district of the station, like any other station, it was the center of where everypony got the things they needed. You could always go outside the station to pick up the same thing at a cheaper price, but most merchants bought up everything before anypony could wake up.

The shop we stopped at was the local stylist. It called itself ‘Perfect Mane and Tail’ with a big neon Open sign above the door. The inside was not much different from that of any hair salon, being clean, covered in mirrors, and a wall dedicated to hair products. What looked off to me was the stylist, not strange, but just out of place for where I was, which was normal anywhere else. She had a distinctive bandit look, though similar to everypony else, still like a bandit. Her jacket was black cloth, her pants were blue, and her mane was done in a blue Pompadour.

The stylist put on a big smile and trotted over to us and gave Clarinet a hug. “Clarinet, so good to see you, and you brought a friend, always nice.” She let go of her and gave me a hug as well. The touching did not make me feel comfortable at all. “I know my sister has strange tastes, but I’m sure you will love her like we all do.

Clarinet blushed as red as a radish. “Bass Don’t tease me, you know I’m trying to raise my score.”

Bass the stylist chuckled. “I know, sorry. But you should really just cut us off if you want to raise your score. Were just dragging you down, making you not square. Ya dig.”

She puffed up. “I do dig, dig better than you. Our family is going to be big you see, even if I have to lift every one of you up, we're going to be the most equal family that any equal family has ever seen. And I’m going to make Pompadour’s be seen as an equal mane style to prove it.” Clarinet spoke with conviction, almost making me want to cheer her on. Except for the question on how one could be more equal than any other.

Bass laughed. “I dig, I dig. Now that mare’s got lots of mane and tail. So she must be new. Which haircut should I give her, the equal kind, or the not equal kind?”

I sighed. “Do I need a haircut, I kind of like it long. The Stallions I like, like it that way.”

Clarinet shook her head. “Sorry, but you’re not going to have a fun time if you don't get with the others. And first on the list is a haircut, the tail too.”

I lifted my mane up with a hoof and sighed. “It can always grow back I guess.”

Bass, who during my haircut told me her full name was Bass Clarinet Reed, and that the name of the Clarinet I knew was actually Alto Clarinet Reed, of the Reed bandit family. There were two others of the Reed family in this station, including a male from another bandit group, who was also the father of their foals. The Reed foals numbered at sixteen, which helped explain why the bandits were such a problem in the metro, they breed like Rad-Roches. Bass also let it slip that her sister was gay, though she had two foals already, it was more to do with her devotion to her family then her own sexuality. A strangely charming quirk for a bandit.

In the end, my main and tail looked exactly like Clarinet’s, short and tied up. Bass looked a bit depressed about it, and I did too, but I knew I was not going to get out of here by being a bright light in a dark room.

Before leaving we said our goodbye’s, and Bass hoofed over some mane jell to me in case I ever wanted to rebel a little. Remove the rape, murder, and chems, the Bandit look had its own charm. Making me a bit sad that Bass was another mare, as I could dig her if she was a stallion, and somehow I knew she felt the same about me. I almost brought up about how I'd rather stay with Bass, but I didn’t want to hurt Clarinet’s feelings, because any attention would be forced onto me.

Next Clarinet brought me to a local food dispensary. The place was set up like it was a diner, but it only gave out rations. Luckily it still had five rations left, and my ECS pass card allowed me three meals a day. Of which I still had three to use, and Clarinet had one. So we ordered four meals to eat. What we got was pink nutrition paste and water, the water being free. Clarinet’s ECS allowed her to order a food supplement powder which she could mix in water for a better tasting drink. So we both had a meal and a half of tasteless paste, and watered down pineapple flavored water.

It was a tasteless meal, but i had worse, like when Sweet dared me to eat a immature wild punga fruit raw off the vine. The sourness was intense enough I had almost puked. But this was simply nothing with a hint of pineapple. Even Orthrus Rations had flavor to it, my favorite being ration R-29 that having a strong apple flavor, with a hint of cranberries. Sadly, they stopped making it, so R-29 was a gray market deal now.

“Sorry about my sister, she talks too much.” Clarinet spoke up as she slowly ate her paste.

I waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. If all bandits were like her, my life would have been much easier.”

She shook her head. “Not five years ago. I bet you would have shot her on sight.”

I didn’t answer that.

“You see, only me and my sisters at the camp survived. Flumpet our male, he was the only one spared in the raiding party…”

I raised my hoof up catching her attention, and cutting her off. “Right now I don’t care. And truth be told, I might never care about it. You’re helping me, and that’s all that matters. So why don’t you take me to see your foals, I’m sure they're adorable. What do you say?”

Clarinet rubbed a tear from her eye, and smiled. “Ya, lets.”

The nursery was a large place, probably taking up a two tunnels, we started at a reception desk. The mare at the desk gave Clarinet an annoyed look, and proceeded to ignore her. I felt this was a rude thing for a social worker, but Clarinet didn’t seem to care, so I decided that neither would I. This was Clarinet’s world, so I was not going to mess things up for her.

“Just remember to not do anything to upset the foals, it’s the fastest way to lose your privilege to see them.” Clarinet advised me, and I nodded.

“Why isn’t Bass coming. She’s a mother too, right.”

Clarinet’s head seemed to droop a little. “her score is too low, and last time she was here, she took it upon herself to discipline her foal, instead of letting the nursery do it. So she can’t come here until her credit is back up.” It felt wrong to me, not just that Bass was not allowed here, but at place itself. Foals should be with their parents, not locked away in some permanent school. Looking around, I could see many of foals looking at us, futility trying to stay out of sight, and with the look of disappointment on their face’s. What hit me the worst was the posters that were plastered everywhere, an image of a pony standing tall, with the word ‘The Republic Made Me Strong, The Republic Made Me Equal, The Republic is the only Family I Need.’ It sent a shiver down my spine.

We entered what looked like a playroom, and in the center was a larger group of foals and two full grown ponies, a mare and stallion. Clarinet brightened up and trotted over to them, the other mare stepping over the foals to give her a hug.

“Sopranino! You're allowed to read to the foals again. This is wonderful.” The two mares held onto each other for a minute before letting go.

Sopranino had a bunch of scars covering her face, and a burn that covered the area around her right eye. She kissed Clarinet on the cheek on both sides. “It seems like a little sis of mine went and did really good, enough to bump my ECS back up over 400.”

The two hugged again, and I turned my attention to the lone male. He looked a bit out of place here, scowling, and covered in scars that clearly extended under his clothes. I would have been more intimidated by him if he was not covered in foals. Two of the braver foal adventurer’s were two colts fighting for the position on the top of the stallion’s head. The stallion simply glared at me, not moving his head. The youngest of the foals were snuggling themselves under his chest, hiding their faces.

“Um, what’s the problem with big daddy there.” I pointed at the stallion. Now I liked rugged stallions, but there was such a thing as too much of a good thing, and he was too much rugged for my likening, a bit scary even.

Sopranino laughed. “My husband is just overly protective of his kids. He’s actually just a softy on the inside.” I’d be willing to believe that, but I already knew that they were bandits, and he had probably raped and murdered his way into the Reed family.

Two fillies separated themselves from the group and jumped onto Clarinet, one much older than the other. My bet was that they were her fillies. The older one had deeper colors, a purple coat that was almost black, and a pink mane was almost just red. The younger one had two normal back legs, but was much more muted in color, her coat a grayish purple, and a mane that was a light rosy pink. Both cuddled Clarinet, and she cuddled them back.

The older foal jumped around, tripping on one her prosthetic legs. “Who did you bring Mommy, can I wrestle her?”

Clarinet laughed. “Her, no. She’s needs to recover her strength before she can take you on.” Patting the filly on the head, she gave her a hug. “Her name is Chime Catbell, and she’s going to help me raise my score so that we can live together.”

The filly jumped out of her mother’s hold and bounced over to me. To my shock, she had the same yellowed eyes as her mother, but luckily that was it. The six-year-old was bursting with confidence as she stared me down. “Don’t go hurting my momma!”

I glared down back at her. “Don’t assume that I will.” We glared at each other for what felt like a minute, I didn’t want to lose to a six-year-old. Somehow I felt that if I did, this kid would come back to torment me.

The other filly had curled up onto her mother’s chest and had fallen asleep. It was a real cute scene, almost heart attack worthy. The rest of the foals had gotten curious about me, and were straying from their father to get a better look at me.

Clarinet explained to me that the foal’s names were Recorder Reed, with Clarinets oldest being Descant Recorder Reed, and her youngest Garklein Recorder Reed. It also turns out that Bass’s foal was one of the Colts, the one proudly standing on his father’s head. His name was Treble Recorder Reed, looking a lot like his mother, but with the face of his father.

After a short time of letting the foals simply run around us, Clarinet announced that it was time for us to go. They all seemed a bit upset about it, but none of them got difficult about it. It was strange, as they were definably upset about us leaving, but they were forcing themselves to remain quiet about it. I still remember when I latched myself onto my dad’s leg so he wouldn’t have to go to work, and how he had to shake me off. I’d imagine Bandit foals being far more demanding, and loud.

______________________________________

Leaving the nursery, I could feel an air of sadness around Clarinet, but i didn’t want to push the issue. It was obvious that she wanted to be with her kids, which made me feel angry that she wasn’t. I had seen bad parents before, but Clarinet felt like a parent who at least cared, and was trying. Not the best parent, but at least trying to be a decent one.

We stopped at what was called a worker’s outlet, and the smile on Clarinets face had returned. “Now let’s get you set up as the hard working member of the republic that you are… well, will be.” The inside did not disappoint. Everything in here was geared towards doing a job, mostly unskilled labor work, but also military, and a few engineering jobs. “Right first things first, we need to get you a new jumpsuit, and fatigues. Also a dress suit for classy work, and some cleaning tools for helping keep the station clean.”

I stopped her. “How much of this is necessary?”

Clarinet laughed, and snorted. “All of it. You can’t show how willing you are to work for the republic until you have the gear to do the job. The jumpsuits for all basic labor, the fatigues are in case you're called to fight, that kind of stuff.”

“Wait, there is a military draft?”

She waved her hoof at me like I told a joke. “Draft, no. everypony is expected to defend the republic, if they don’t, they’re not a citizen.”

I had to think about it for a moment, and it hit me, this meant everypony here is part of the republic's military. I remember learning in school that the republic, before the equalists took over, had a large military. But it would have only amounted to 10% of the population at most. The republic today, if what Clarinet said was true, has a near 100% military population, not counting those too lame or sick to fight.

“What happens to the ponies who are not a citizen?” I had to ask, if such ponies existed, they could help me get out of here

She rolled her eyes. “There around, not doing anything to help anypony. Lazy I say, they just want to drag the rest of us down. I don’t know why the Pinks even pick them up. Work camps are so capitalistic, just sending them to Carrion’s Stop would be for the best.”

“I see.” I eyed the cashier, who was pretending to not look at us, and returned my gaze back to Clarinet. “Well I guess we should get this shopping done. No need for the pinks to pay us a visit.”

Clarinet smiled, and quickly grabbed everything I needed, and a few things for herself. From what she told me, she had earned a lot of bits with the republic in her work on pineapple island. To her the best way to spend the bits was to show how committed she was to the republic by getting me set up as a model citizen.

As it turned out. Buying work clothes added to a pony’s ECS, same thing for spending the rations on the tasteless paste. The paste was free, but you only get three a day. Choosing to eat it over less processed food was considered helping the republic avoid a food shortage, those adding to the ECS for being a good citizen. The work clothes were seen as a willingness to help maintain the republic, and keep it strong, same for military clothes, as It showed a willingness to fight for the republic. All of it added to the ECS, of which the higher the ECS, the more benefits a pony would earn.

It sounded simple, with a pony working to raise their ECS, the better their life in the republic would be. The fastest way to raise the score was to actively volunteer for the military, in which Clarinet was a medic. What felt wrong to me was how your social connections affected your score. From the sounds of it, If Clarinet had cut off her sisters, her score would have been in the five hundreds, allowing her to raise her two fillies. Her big hope was to make me a counter balance, by making me a model citizen I would help her raise her score. Though it was not me alone she was helping, but two others, I was simply the one that needed the most help right now.

When we were done shopping, I had all the basic stuff for working in the republic. Unsurprisingly, the only clothes that didn’t feel utterly cheap were the green military fatigues, which was a bit rough, but thick and strong. I placed the cap on my head, and hauled the stuff out. Even if I didn’t plan on staying long, I felt like it was a good Idea to play along the best I could.

On our trot back to Clarinets pace, everything had gone dark. The only light coming from the lamps on the ceiling, all of which had dimmed. “So I’m guessing this is lights out time?” I asked nervously.

“Yep!” Clarinet responded. “Everypony should be hurrying home now. It be rude to be out and about when everypony is asleep.”

“What about ponies who work overnight?” I felt that it was A fair question.

She scratched her chin. “I guess they get special permission. I know some places have cots for overnight workers, like at the factory’s. I’ve even heard that some factories are lived in by the workers.” With that answer she trotted ahead, and I chased after her.

The room was no different from before we left, a bit bleak, with a spare gray shirt on the floor. Clarinet gave out a long sigh, and undressed. I on the other hoof found a place for my new stuff. I didn’t know which I was going to use, so I just kept it all in a neat pile in the corner of the room.

“I know you haven't been up long, but come to bed.” She was already nude, looking a bit too excited for me.

“Sorry, I’m just not feeling all that sleepy.”

Clarinet scratched her chin and smiled. “You could always play with me, I’m sure you know a few tricks I don’t.”

I nervously laughed. “I’m sure I do. But sorry, not into mares.”

She frowned. “That’s fine. But you’re going to want to get some sleep, and the best way is to sweat yourself to it. But if you’re not interested, I do have something in my desk to help. It’s a good stress reliever, but I try to use it sparingly.”

I trotted over to her desk, hoping it was not a dildo she was talking about. Opening the drawer inside was a few small air canisters, and an inhaler. It was chill, enough to put one's self to sleep for a week. “Is this legal?”

“With permission.” She said looking unashamed. “It’s a perk for working with the Ministry of peace, as long as the chems stay in my house I have free range in their use. But I can only get more from the ministry.

“Ministry of peace, I thought the equalists dismantled the ministry system?”

She shook her head. “Cut down, but the ministry’s still have their place. I owe the ministry of peace everything that I am today, and acted as a representative of it when the ministry of awesome went out to the pineapple islands. I plan to be become a nurse in the next few years, and have my daughters follow my hoof steps.”

Clarinet had a glow to her, everything she said had conviction behind it. But the glow, though it felt warm, it also felt wrong. Despite all that innocence, respect, and hard work, I felt like she should have been cursing up a storm. Or at least being as much of a bitch as Dollu was. I could see the damage on her, in her. Everything about her was damaged, and I wanted to hear her scream and cry until it was all out.

I looked at the inhaler, and knew I was at a crossroads. Sleep with Clarinet and maybe convince her that this was a life she didn’t want. Or breathe in the chill, and play along.

…

What right did I have to impose my morals onto another. “For the Republic.” I put the inhaler to my lips, and pressed down, breathing in the chem.

Putting down the inhaler, I trotted over to the bed, removing my clothes. Everything became slow, my movements, sound, even the light was slow. Don’t ask me how, it just was. Clarinet helped me undress the rest of the way before helping me to bed.

In the bed, she lay next to me, only cuddling, and nothing more. The room was dark, and I tried to close my eyes, but she just would not stop staring at me. Phobetor’s golden eyes looks at me from the shadows on the wall, like there was another space beyond it, threatening to pull me in. The shadows formed into a hoof, reaching out to me and placing it on my face.

‘sleep’ she told me, and I complied.

The world melted away into darkness as my aching body became numb.

______________________________________

Swirling colors and I was standing on the ceiling. Even though I knew it was a dream, wrapping my head around it was no easy task. The only thing that remained a constant was the oversized stable door below me, with a pony pacing back and forth in front of it.

It was probably black spot, trying to get in. I still didn’t know why, something I wanted to ask Phobetor, but when I tried, my mouth was missing, and she walked away.

Not knowing what to do, I let myself float away to the overly blue rainbow, which tasted like carrots. My mouth was still missing, but my hoof did well as a substitute. If only I didn’t leave my bag of hammers behind, I could have finished the terminal.

______________________________________

I woke up, my body still felt sore all over, and I had a slight headache. I also felt confused. Not as to where I was, I knew I was at Clarinets place, but just confused kind of confused. The headache got a little worse.

Looking around a little, a small cup of pills and a glass of water sat next to the clock, with a piece of paper next to it that had my ‘name’ on it. Pulling the paper to me, it had a short note on it that read. “If you're still feeling unwell, just take the painkillers, they should last you for most of the day.” I didn’t hurt enough to warrant the taking of pills, and I’d seen plenty of strung out addicts to convince me that power through the pain was better than taking pills to ignore it.

Not wanting to dwell on it, I got out of bed, and was pleased to find that I still had some underwear on. Clarinet on the other hoof was still bare, setting up two pairs of clothes as she hummed along to a marching song that was playing over the radio.

The music died down, and the very monotone voice of a mare spoke up “Good morning to all the wonderful citizens of the Republic. I have some good news, bad news, and music. But first a message from our president, Garmon Keys.”

The stallion spoke, his voice was deep, confident, and had an air of sophistication about it. “Good day citizens. I am pleased to announce that we had another station join our case, it may be only one, but even the smallest victory brings us closer to unification. This is all thanks to you, the citizens, for without your support it would not have been possible to separate the station from the lies they have been fed, and bring them into the truth that is equality. Like the great heroes of old, our victory does not come from anyone ponies action alone, but from when we all act together as one in harmony. So rejoice, because of your efforts we grow stronger every day. A small step by one pony is nothing more than that, but together we make a stampede.”

“I’ve also been hearing about the possibility that I might have lost my way, and I’d like to dash these rumors. I choose to step out there so that you may not need to, be exposed to everything that is wrong, see it with my own eyes, and bring back to you with the knowledge that yes, you are right to stay here, far from their corruption. I’ve seen as the gluttons produce and hoard vast amounts of food as they leave their sisters and brothers to starve. Parading the food around in private rooms, as though it were more trophy than food. The Greedy force workers to be in slave like conditions, earning great wealth for them, but never sharing it, not even with the ones who had truly earned that wealth. The eyes of the workers are a void of hope, only knowing that if they don’t work, they will be treated as trash to be thrown out. I’ve even seen the crimes of the flesh, the top hats engaging in incest over a false sense of purity. So have I been led astray? No! I have only been shown why the metro needs you, needs us. There is a cancer out there, a cancer called the capitalist, is it’s up to us to save the metro.”

“Slowly but surely we are saving the metro, one station at a time. My comrades, my brothers, and sisters, this is not a time for doubt. It’s a time of joy. For the Capitalists know we are winning, and grow more desperate at every loss they suffer. I am but one pony, flawed and powerless, but you, you all are the many. Against your might the capitalists will fall, and history will prove you to be the victors.”

Finally, the blowhard was done talking, and the monotone voice of the DJ returned. “That was Garmon Keys everypony, and as passionate as always. Now for the news. In the good, the food surplus has hit its goal for the year, meaning that our daily rations may be getting some extra flavor soon. Everypony has been really pulling their weight out there, and it shows. So if you find yourself enjoying your rations a little more than the norm, remember that it’s thanks to your comrades and yourself.”

“Now for the bad news. One of the north side tunnels has collapsed. It was one of the lesser used old tunnels, so the movement of supplies will not be slowed down. But as the reports show, one pony has become lost, and yet to be found. There are also worries that the surface wild life might be able to get into the metro if the tunnel is damaged enough. Worker groups are being formed to clear and secure the tunnel, but it may be months before the tunnel is opened up for public use.”

“Now that’s all I have for you, for now. Stay tuned for updates, and more messages from our good president Garmon Keys. But until then, more music.” The old equestrian marching band music returned, a bit easier on the ears then what DJ Cerberus would play, but it made me feel uneasy.

The next thing I knew; some clothes were thrown on the bed next to me. “Isn’t he good plus?” Clarinet excitedly said. “The capitalists think they can drag him down, but no, he always comes back to us.”

I looked at the clothes, they being what we purchased the night before. A dress shirt, vest, skirt, stockings, shoes, and even a cute little hat. The stockings and shoes seemed weird to me, do to nearly everypony I knew having cybernetic prosthetics, but I didn’t’ argue, and put them on, with some difficulty. “So I’m guessing he is real popular then?”

Clarinet nodded. “Yep, successfully negotiated for five stations to join the republic, and keeps most of the outsider’s attention on him and away from us.” She was putting on the same outfit as I was, though having a much easier time. Her vest had two pins on the chest like they were badges of honor, both looking similar to the old ministry's. They were recognizable enough to me: First was a cross with a butterfly for the M.o.P. and the second had three diamonds which would be the M.o.I. Clarinet fill out her cloths real well, hugging her hips ever so nicely, making jealousy and self-loathing stab at me. That or I needed to take some more painkillers.

Sighing, I trotted over to the nightstand, and took the pills. The pain was slowly getting worse, but didn’t feel like it would get unbarable. But I didn’t want to risk it right now. Just trying to not get found out was going to be bad enough, I didn’t want to be in pain the whole time on top of it.

The shirt and skirt went on easy enough, and I was glad to have something cover my plot other than a thin piece of cloth. “Sounds like a damn good politician.” I put on the shoes, which clacked on the floor. “My mom always told me to not trust politicians, their job was to be the best liar.” The last to go on was the hat, which turned out to stay on by pinning itself to our mane. I put it at an angle, feeling that it was cuter that way.

“I don’t know. If it’s the politics ran by the capitalists, then I’m sure it’s all about lies. But what do you expect from a capitalist? Here in the republic it’s different.” She finished adjusting her outfit, and trotted over to a terminal on her desk. “Alright, orientation will begin in an hour and a half, so we have time to eat first.”

“Orientation?” I asked, as I looked at what was on the screen. She was going over her mail, one message being from her sister Bass. Another message was something about ECS opportunities.

“YEP!” She said happily. “You and the other new ponies get to learn about your job here, and how wonderful your life is going to be. The others have a bit of a head start, as I got to spend more time with them, but orientation will help put you on equal hoofing.” Turning off the terminal, she trotted over to the door. “Let’s go get something to eat, and then I’ll take you to orientation.”

______________________________________

The food was just as bland as it was before, just with more ponies around me to share the atmosphere. It all had a military feel to it, but a bit more relaxed, and friendly. The only real problem was the feeling of somepony’s eyes being on me, which never stopped.

Everypony had similar cloths on, with gray being the main color. Clarinet and I had the better looking clothes, along with a few others, most of the rest had a jumpsuits on, and a small few had overalls. Overall it looked like we were civilians organized to be like a military. No uniforms, just the same colors, and a mess hall replaced by a food court. It was very surreal.

After picking up our pink mush, and something that looked like bread sticks, Clarinet took me to a table with two sickly looking mares sitting at it. They both had the same outfits as we did, though it hanged loosely onto their thin bodies.

“This is Paixiao.” She motioned to a dark gray mare, with a blue mane and tail. She had a lot of small cuts on her lip, a common thing among scavs who had no levitation talasman. “I met her in the soup kitchen back on Pineapple Island, say hello Paixiao.”

The mare weekly waved. “hello.” her voice quiet, and a bit squeaky. “I’m Paixiao… as you already know. I um… I’m really thankful for your help. But are you sure this is okay?” She had the look about her of a pony not use to getting attention, the kind you just want to hug.

Clarinet playfully waved her off dismissively. “You're in the republic now, we share and share alike. Like family. There's no better way to spend your bits then helping out your fellow pony.” She turned her attention to the second pony. “This is Ruan.” The mare didn’t look much better off than Paixiao did, but had less of the wear and tear about her. Her lime green coat had a bit of shine to it, and her tan mane and tail had less frizzle to it, meaning they were probably longer and well maintained. “I also met her at the soup kitchen”

Ruan nodded. “Charmed.”

Something seemed off about her, and before I knew I was doing it, everypony saw me staring at her. “Oh sorry.” I pulled back and sighed. “So why did you join the republic?”

Her eyes darted about for a second before focusing back onto me, and glaring. “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

Before I could respond, Clarinet cut in. “This is Chime! I met her topside, where I saved her life.”

The other two raised an eyebrow, and I relaxed. “That’s true. Me and the pony I was with got ambushed by the whoever was attacking us. I think, it’s all still fuzzy. But when I came too, Clarinet had dragged me to safety, and helped me the rest of the way here. I owe her my life.” I gave Ruan another look. “What about you?”

Ruan lowered her head. “I… I have a gambling addiction. All my bits had dried up, and all the money I earned went to just keeping me from getting kicked out of the island.”

“So running away from loan sharks?” I had to ask, and she nodded.

Clarinet banged on the table angrily. “You see, that’s the problem with the capitalist! They make a system where your only option is to be their wage-slave. And when they take all your bits, they send ungood ponies to take your legs so that they can sell them off too.”

“No, it was not like that.” Ruan attempted to calm Clarinet down, with fair amount of success. “I was a fool, and fell into a trap. My momma always told me to accept my fault when things go wrong. That’s why I’m going to turn my life around, no gambling, no taking loans for gambling.”

Clamped down, Clarinet smiled. “Well, if you want your life to get better, I’m here for you. I’ll even give you some helpful advice for orientation.” Clarinet went on to explained a few things about the orientation which we were going to, one being that she was going to help instruct it. It was simply going to go over the do’s and don’ts we needed to know as a member of the republic, and what was expected of us. Nothing seemed strange about her explanation, except that I was expecting there to be more, or at least some supervision going on. The orientation was just going to be a group of new citizens, and three speakers, somehow I doubted that no pony was spying in.

______________________________________

It was a little unnerving how open everything was, even though the inner stations of the republic were cut off from the rest of the metro. There were no armed guards at every corner, just simple patrols with only batons to defend themselves. I did see camera’s everywhere, but they were more strategically placed at entrances and exits, and not watching our every move. It felt like a real peaceful civil society, if a bit overly gray.

The only things really popping out were posters that were all over. Many being like the ones I had seen before. ‘pro equality, anti-capitalist.’ But others were a lot more uplifting, like ‘Remember to share, for sharing is caring.’ And ‘We are in this together, so don’t leave a comrade behind.’ But there were some that made me confused, the main one being ‘Don’t be a slave to Individuality, your freedom is in Conformity.’ The posters were all over the place, but evenly spaced enough to not feel oppressive, and it broke up the monotony of gray that was almost everything else.

Clarinet told me that the posters were made and maintained by the Ministry of Image, and they would give a small version of the posters out as gifts to good citizens. A pony could buy their own, but the posters the M.o.I. gave out were of higher quality, and given a stamp of approval. It seemed that collecting the posters was a big thing in the station, and Clarinet had seven she safely kept in her closet. She also told me that if I made a good impression at orientation, I’d probably get my own poster. I personally didn’t care, at all, so if I got one, she could have it.

The building where the orientation was being held was the job placement office. Everypony had practically the same outfit, other than a few pins to designate their job. “Oh one more thing.” Clarinet stopped me, and adjusted the hat I had on. “You’ve got to show them how committed you are, and you can’t do that by standing out.” It was a bit confusing, but I decided to not argue. I still had that feeling of eyes on me, so I didn’t want to risk standing out.

When orientation started, I found myself in a room sitting with a bunch of other mares all wearing the same outfit. All of them looked younger than me, and a lot more ragged. One mare had clear signs of being burnt, her fur still not have regrown over the damaged part of her skin. Another mare looked severely malnourished, her bones visible under the skin. One other mare looked mostly normal, but was missing an eye, she smiled at me, showing that most of her teeth were missing or broken.

Clarinet and two other mares stood at the front of the room, Clarinet was fumbling with a pin she was putting on. The other two stood tall and proud, though looking a bit thin like clarinet. One of the mares step forward and spoke, her voice louder than what it should be, probably enhanced through a talisman. “Hello and Welcome. We are part of the M.o.M.’s Happier Citizen project, so please sit tight as we explain everything you will need to know.”

The speaking mare strutted the center of the stage. “Now I know you all must be wondering about what your future will be here, how you’ll fit into such a wonderful society like this. Well, you’ve already taken your first step to being a proud member of the republic, and we are here to guide you into your happy role.” The mare gave a bright, if a bit off smile. “Among the things we will be explaining will be the nature of equality, how your equality credit score will work, and the dangers of hurtful thinking. If you have any questions, we will be here to help.”

The second mare, and Clarinet rolled a video projector out into the back of the group. The thing had seen better days, probably a good twenty or thirty years old, which meant it was still in better condition than the old stable-tec projectors. The lights dimmed, the projector turned on, and the sound of crackling video filled the room.

Some popcorn and soda would hit the spot right now.

Trumpets blasted as the republic's seal appeared on screen. I had forgotten how much valley island liked the color pink, as the Seal consisted of one bright pink Lokelani Rose bordered by a green laurel, with a light blue background. It was a much brighter symbol than that of Orthrus’s blue and gold two headed dog.

The music faded along with the republics seal, and the first scene opened up with a mirage pony mare standing in front of a desk. “What is equality? If you answered that it is when we treat all others as equals, and they treat us as equals, then you’d be right. But how does that happen, how do you know you are equal? To know this, we must first know what is not equal. So let’s take a look.” The mare trots off screen, only for her to poke her head out. “Come on, don't be shy.”

The scene changes to that of a school classroom, with many little foals sitting behind their desks. The video pony trots in with a smile on her face, nopony in the room paying her any mind. “The classroom, an example of an equal environment, where every student is the same, with the teacher placed as their advisor, parting the knowledge she has onto them. But even here inequality can happen.” One foal trots into the room, her nose in the air, and an elderly pony in a suit following here. “This is the little capitalist, her parents are wealthy, and love to throw their bits around. One of the ways they do this is by making their own foal better than all the others. Now we are all equal, so how does one pony do that is simple, they push everypony down to make themselves look better.”

The elderly butler pulled out a bag of bits and gave it to the teacher. The teacher nodded, and waved at the other students, who then pushed their desks backward, forcing them to be crowded. The one desk that didn’t get moved was of the wealthy filly, who sat behind the desk with a fat grin. “Now not all will be subjected to the crowd, the capitalist does like to pick their favorites to sit next to them.” The wealthy filly pointed at the crowd, and one filly pushed her desk happily forward. Then the wealthy filly pointed at the ground, and the other filly simply nodded happily, and placed herself under the wealthy filly to be used as a hoof rest. “But remember, you are never their equal, just a tool to make life easier for them.”

The teacher passed back and forth in the room, instructing the class, and when the foals had a question, all raising a hoof, the only one picked was the wealthy filly. “As you can see, the little capitalist has taken what was an equal environment, and turned it into something that serves only their needs. But that’s not the only place inequality shows up.”

The scene changes to that of a factory floor, with ponies at a conveyer belt, adding parts to what looked like an engine. The video pony once more trotted in, “Here we have another equal place, where everypony works together for the same goal, and are paid equally.” Another pony trots in, and sits at their workstation. But after they put on the part like all the others, they held onto the engine, and started putting other parts on. The other ponies, confused, stop to look at what was going on up the line. “Once more we have another capitalist, this one competitive to all around them. To them it’s more important that they are seen doing a job better than others, that they are willing to steal work of other ponies.

The capitalist pony began working on the next engine, as the others sat around doing nothing. A portly pony in a top hat than trotted into the scene. Top hat smiled at the one pony working on the engine, and scowled at the others. “Here comes another capitalist, this one the owner of the factory, and always looking to pay their workers less, and charge more for their product. Here the owner is pleased to see a pony willing to do all the work, as it gives him an idea.” The top hat pony, shews the other workers off screen, and passes the other capitalist pony a piece of paper. “The capitalist worker finds themselves with a raise, twice the pay as they were getting before, but all the other workers, they are now out of the job. Meaning that the capitalist owner is now paying one worker the wage of two workers to do the job of ten. As for the rest of the workers now out of work, the capitalist worker would say that they were just not working hard enough.”

The scene changed once more to what looked like a battlefield. The video pony cautiously trotted out, with a green helmet on her head. “Here is a place equality should win out, but rarely does.” Three young adult ponies run out in with helmets and fatigues on, only to all jump down and go prone on the ground as animated explosions go on overhead. “These ponies here are all equal, they’ve come from diverse backgrounds, and have been trained to treat each other with respect, like they were family. Except for a few ponies.”

The video pony trotted to the side, and the camera panned to follow her. The camera settled onto a pony with a fancy hat on, covered in pins, and sitting at a table eating some food. “The capitalist finds wealth to be made in everything, even war. Not that they would ever fight in it, that’s a job they leave for others to do.” Three more young ponies run in, and the commanding officer waves them off, and they ran onto the battlefield. “For them, war is simply another business, where the currency is the bodies of others, and the winner is the one who has the most bodies to throw at their enemies.”

“They get other ponies to fight for them through bribes and lies. Parading around what makes us different, and hiding what makes us the same. Convincing others that it is better to simply take what they want, and not talk with them, not to share. They tell the fighting ponies that if they fight and win, wealth will follow, but when the fighting is over, they spit on them and lock their doors.”

“So what is equality?”

The camera panned back to where it started, and the three young ponies were now shaking hooves with three other young ponies. “Equality is the ability is to look past what makes us different, and find what makes us the same. To embrace each other as sisters, not as enemies. To not be manipulated by the capitalist, not to feed their greed with our blood.”

The scene changed to that of the factory, where all the workers were working with smiles on their faces “Equality is to share the burden so that we may all have a place. To not give into the tricks of the capitalist, or our own pride.”

The scene changed again, this time to the classroom. All the foals were sitting at their desks, not cramped or unhappy. “Equality is a fair opportunity for all the young, nopony is treated better than others, nopony is brought down so that others can be lifted up.”

The scene changed one more time, back to the desk where this video started. The video pony trotted into the scene, a smile on her face. “So what is equality? It’s many things, but most importantly it is to respect your fellow pony, to see them lifted up with you. But you must always remember that equality is always under attack, as the capitalists seek to tear it down, and profit off its shattered pieces.”

Trumpets blast again as the video fades to white and ends. As the lights turns back on the projector is slowly carted away, and the speaker pony returned to the center of the stage.

“Any Questions?” she asked with a smile. I had quite a few, like in a system based on merit, much like a factory or a military, doesn’t forcing equality retard the ability of those most capable from getting into a position in which fits their skill level the best. It had to be hard to pick who should take the manager role when everyone is forced to be the same, and in the end it must be a popularity contest, not simply picking the one worthiest of the position.

One of the mares in my group raised a hoof, the one that was all skin and bones. “How does one be equal if there is not enough supplies to go around?”

The speaker did not hesitate at all. “Then we must all suffer together, as we should all feast together. As the saying goes, Sharing is caring. In the republic we make sure nopony goes hungry. I mean, sure the rations aren’t the best tasting stuff you have ever eaten, but that’s not the point, as it feeds everypony in the republic. The same goes for clothes, homes, and work. Everypony has a place here, for everypony is equal, and we all love you.”

Another pony nervously raised her hoof, the mare with the broken teeth and missing eye. “What about finding a stallion. Surely you can’t have solved that?”

Sighing, the speaker took a deep breath. “Yes, this is still an issue that needs to be resolved. The republic is working on one, but it’s something that’s another generation down the line. In time the republic will have a gender balance of 50/50, but until then you all must bear with us.” The smile returned to her face. “But if your worry is about becoming a mother, we do have a solution to that. We have a program called the Stronger Generation Project, where you help the republic by ushering in the next generation. The republic will handle all the more problematic parts of raising a foal, so you can concentrate on being a happy mother.”

I had a strong feeling that the speaker simply meant that the foal will live at the nursery, and the mother can visit them whenever she has free time. No thanks, If I’d ever had a foal of my own, they live with me.

The speaker’s eyes scanned the room, surveying us intently. She was either looking for dissenters, or ponies lacking the confidence to ask any more questions, maybe both, I didn’t know. I did get the strong feeling that I should play the part, not as an eager to be equal mare, but as someone who has given it some thought and is looking to be convinced. I raised my hoof, and asked a question. “In a situation involving the distribution of scrap and other salvage, equal distribution is normal, but what if there is a pony hiding some of that they recovered so that they can claim it all for themselves later? How do we keep that from happening?”

For a moment, the speaker paused to think. “Yes, that can be a problem, and it’s so not equal.” She smiled. “Hoarding is a sickness of the capitalist, of which the Republic will do what it can to cure from the pony, but if all else fails, such a pony must be excluded.”

“Excluded?” I had to ask.

She nodded. “Excluded. Such behavior must not be tolerated, so the kindest thing to do is to not associate yourself with them. We ponies are social creatures, so if the pony wishes to return to us again, they will simply have to fix their problems, return to equality.”

After that, nopony had any more questions, and the speaker took a step back and let the second pony take the stage. Behind her, Clarinet pushed a black board into view, on it was “E.C.S.” in big bold letters.

“Hello everypony! I’m going to quickly go over the Equality Credit Score with you.” She had the same kind of upbeat feel to her as the last speaker. It was a mix of genuine excitement, and forcing yourself to be happy. It was weird. “Now, I know you’re asking yourself ‘what does this E.C.S. have to do with me being a happy citizen’? Well it has everything to do with you being a happy citizen!”

Clarinet wrote down on the blackboard, ‘High E.C.S. = citizen of high regard’ and ‘Low E.C.S. = citizen of low regard’

The speaker continued. “How it works is that the score represents how equal you are being in the Republic. Good citizens can and will quickly raise up their score, where irresponsible citizens will see it drop. The benefits of having a high E.C.S. are many, but nothing that would make you unequal to others, just things that would help you be a happier citizen.”

On the blackboard, clarinet drew a present with a tag that said ‘High E.C.S.’

“Some of the benefits do include gifts, such as collectible postcards, flavor additives for your food and drinks, and even pins that you can put on your clothes to show the pride you have for the republic. But the most important part about having a high E.C.S. is that it shows that you’re a responsible citizen who can be trusted to guide others in being equal. What this means is that new opportunities will open up to you, both for work, and family. The more you show your willingness to be equal, and help others to be equal, the more responsibilities the republic can grant you.”

Once more Clarinet drew on the blackboard. This time it was a pony standing above others, with a word bubble saying “Follow me!”

“You can raise your E.C.S. by focusing your effort on helping the republic and your fellow pony. Buying work clothes is a small way to do it, even if it’s not for yourself. Volunteer work is a big plus for equality, as is public speaking to show how equality has helped change your life for the better. Any effort you can put into benefit the republic, and your fellow pony, can raise your E.C.S.”

Clarinet turned the blackboard around, showing a bunch of ponies having a party.

“Your social connections are also important, as we are in this together. The more ponies you have in your group, the better you will do. Your score will affect them, and their score will affect you. This means it is much easier to spot a pony who may be in trouble, and allow you to help them back up. As you see, with the E.C.S. Nopony is alone, and nopony is left behind.” With a smile, the speaker looked around the room. “Any questions?”

I figured that it was best to show that I was engaged, so I raised my hoof. The system sounded good and all, but that last bit felt like an excuse for other ponies to inject themselves into my business. “How do I know what my score is, or any other ponies?”

The speaker’s eye’s widened as though in shock. “Oh my, how could I have forgotten. Sorry about that. You can access the information through any terminal connected to the Republics Network. There is a terminal in every home, and public terminals all over the republic. You simply need to place your E.C.S. passcard into the terminal, and your information will appear on the screen. You can also view the information of ponies you have selected as your friends and family, and send them messages. The network is also a great place to view the news, and comment on it. The network is also a great place to make new friends that you might never get to meet in person.”

A few of the others had their own questions, but mainly about the benefits they can get for raising their E.C.S. It was information I’d be interested in if I planned on sticking around, but I wasn’t, so I only feigned interest.

The two speakers pushed the blackboard off stage, and Clarinet took the center, with a big grin on her face. “Now I know this has been a lot to take in, but we have one more thing to go over. And that’s how to avoid hurtful words. Now I know, I know. Words are just words, and they can’t actually hurt you. But that’s only physically. The improper use of words can have an effect on another pony’s feelings, which could lead to them having problems with socializing with others, which could lead to depression.”

I had a feeling i knew what this was going to be about, but still it was a mental loop and a half. Manners were important, everypony but savages knew that, but hurtful words were still just words, nothing that needed to be told to adults.

Clarinet continued. “Now we know most of the aggressive words that ponies tend to use. Most ponies use them out of anger, or because they are hurt themselves. They're mean and hurtful, but easy to recognize and avoid. What we’re going to talk about is the minor aggressive words that we use every day, but don’t know about. Word’s such as bad, ill, or even dark. These words just muck up our ability to communicate and could unintentionally do harm. Alternatives words that get to the point are ungood, unhealthy, and unlight. Or to emphasise a positive word, good plus, healthy plus, and light plus. By using words this way, we can avoid miscommunication, which would help us avoid hurtful words.”

This… explained a lot about Clarinet, but the mental gymnastics to just understand this gave me a headache. Among the group I was with was a mix of confused stares, and nodding. The two other speakers trotted among us, with big smiles on their faces, and hoofing out small books titled ‘Equal Speak and you.’

“Now you should all have a quick reference guide in your hooves.” Clarinet holding up one of the books herself. “Now equal speak is not required to be seen as a good citizen, but to anypony who wishes to quickly raise their E.C.S. being able to equal speak will help you from saying anything that would take away from your E.C.S. as well as raise it if doing public speaking.” She put down the book. “Another advantage to equal speak is its focus on positive words. Many ponies, like myself, have felt the positive aspect of equal speak. It helps improve your mood, ushering away negative thoughts, and helping clear your mind. It has also shown to help improve the mood of other ponies around you, meaning that you can cut through the negativity though the positive power of equal speak.”

Clarinet seemed more energized the more she talked, more passionate as she went on. “Trust me, if you truly want to turn your life around, make it truly better, equal speak is the best way to start. When I first joined the republic, I was a mess, and everything I did and said was unright. I felt lost, confused, and alone. But when I started using equal speak, that all changed. I found that through it, I was avoiding hurtful words completely. Soon after, other ponies became more accepting of me, and through them, I learned what other things I was doing unright. Because of equal speak, I found a new family, and I love them as they love me. That’s why I want you to at least try equal speak. I want you all to find your new family in the republic, be loved, and love in return.” She took a deep breath. “So any questions?”

At this point about nearly all the other ponies were nodding along. I couldn’t blame them, they all looked like they had gotten out of a bad situation, some worse than others. Finding a new family, loving, and being loved in return, it all sounded nice. But I had a family I loved, and I wanted to return to them. So I had to play the part, be Chime Catbell until the time I can escape. Raising my hoof, I cleared my throat, ready to ask one last question. Clarinet looked positively ecstatic that I was engaging in her Q&A “About equal speak, if it’s so positive, are their plans on having it spread outside of the republic?”

Clarinets smile held firm. “Not yet. Equal speak is still newly widespread enough within the republic. So if it goes out into the metro as it is, there is a risk of it getting corrupted by those who do not understand it.” Sounded reasonable enough to me, in a crazy weird sort of way.

The rest of the questions from the others went on about little things, such as if equal speak could help them get a good job, or other ways to improve their lives. Some even asked the same question, just with different wording, which to me felt like a justification for equal speak.

The other two speakers joined the stage with Clarinet, and one played a little tune on a harmonica before Clarinet spoke again. “And so that concludes your orientation, we’ve left a guide book at the door for anypony who wishes to review what we went over today. Also if you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to ask you fellow citizens, were here to help.”

We all quietly shuffled out of the room, almost everyone taking a book with them on their way out. Playing the part of a good citizen of the republic, I took one as well. Out in the hall, everypony looked a bit at a loss, which was understandable, as we were all new here, we didn’t know this place very well.

Ruan and Paixiao followed me out. Ruan looked the most baffled out of all the mares here, and I felt that she may have a lot of trouble adjusting to her new life. Paixiao on the other hoof was flipping through the equal speak booklet, so I felt that she was going to do just fine.

Almost bouncing out of the room, Clarinet stopped at a few of the other mares, giving them hugs. The last ponies she went up to was us, hugging the two other mares but I got a sly look and a wink. “I’m glad you were interested in the orientation.” I swear that the metro had too many lesbians for its own good. “So you want me to show you around some more. I still have a few hours until I need to go to medical for work.”

“Sorry, but I’m going to check out the job placement office.” Ruan said scratching her head. “I think as soon as I get situated here, the easier it will be to understand this all.”

Paixiao closed the booklet. “Uhh, yes, That sounds good. I’ll just come back here later, or study the books.”

“That sounds fine.” There shouldn’t be much left to look at. Sub stations like this one were not known for being big. My real concern right now was to blend in as much as possible, and mulling around with nothing to do was not a way to do it. “Maybe I could help you out at medical, if it’s not too much of a problem.”

Clarinet almost jumped. “Yes, that be wonderful. I don’t think you will get paid for it, but volunteer work is the best way to raise your E.C.S.”

The three of us left the job placement office, passing some of the mares who were now gathering at one of the open desks, looking for work. They all had a look of hope about them, not the kind that said that everything was going to be alright, but a small fragile hope that their lives were going to at least a little better. I didn’t know what lives they were living up until now, but I wished them the best of luck.

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Footnote:

Quest progression: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship.(20%)

Chapter 18 - Equality, More or Less

Clarinet’s room was just as dark as before, but this time I was on the side next to the light switch. I didn’t feel like waking her up just yet by turning on the light, and from the look of her digital clock on the nightstand, it was a few hours too early to be awake. So I simply stayed in bed and tried to go back to sleep.

It was odd having to share a bed like this, not once, but three times now. My biggest problem with this setup was Clarinet’s habit of cuddling in her sleep. It probably only became a problem for me now because I didn’t medicate myself before going to sleep. Some painkillers, yes, but I wanted to avoid taking anything hard again. Sadly, it was not enough to make some of the pain go away, leaving this dull ache that was keeping me up.

It all made me frustrated, and helping out at medical didn’t help. Mostly sitting around in one spot, taking down the names of the ponies needing some help. But it did give me time to look through the books I was given. It was all a bit mind numbing.

The books were less about how to be a happy citizen, and more about avoiding what the republic considered offensive behavior. Vulgarity was out, which meant that the next time a pony pisses me off I’ll have to be creative with my insults. The books just went on, and on about the do’s and don’ts. I ended up having to reread them to just wrap my brain around them.

In my time at medical, I did learn about how bad things had gotten for me before I had arrived among the equalists, as well as talked to a few ponies that came over to medical. Sadly, most ponies were tight lipped about anything past their daily lives and how they loved the republic. I think I had this new girl smell about me, as very few ponies would talk to me for very long, and didn’t seem to like it whenever I tried to ask a question. It all made me want to go home even more, and spend some time with mom.

______________________________________

Medical here was less a hospital, and more a clinic with a large ward. Not that many beds had been filled, but the place was busy nonetheless. Clarinet had left me at the reception desk to go get changed, with only another mare across the room from me waiting for care. She had a bad cough that sounded like she had something in her lungs.

The reception room was a sterile white and light gray, with the only colors coming from the republic’s seal above the desk, and the posters on the walls. They were similar to the old Ministry of Peace posters that can be found topside, but none of these ones had the Ministry Mare Fluttershy on them, or anything referring to Zebras. One was of two ponies that looked alike, one clean and the other sickly, it showed the clean pony holding one pill in her hoof, the sickly pony holding five. The poster had a message at the bottom, “Abusing your medication is abusing yourself. Remember to always follow proper dosage.”

The rest of the posters followed the same theme, with varied levels of propaganda. One showing a pony in a tophat with their back to a sick pony, and another pony with an equalist leg band helping the pony up. It supported the public healthcare of the republic as they portrayed the capitalists as heartless. Another poster encourages the citizens to learn first aid, and a fourth pushed the importance of clean living. Despite how sterile the room was, the posters gave enough life to it to be pleasant.

When Clarinet got back, she was in scrubs, which came with cute little white cloth shoes. Another pony in a white lab coat followed her, looking a little in need of sleep. “Chime, this is doctor Repique Click. She runs the medical ward here." She reached out her hoof and pointed to me. “And this is Chime, she’s new here and has offered to volunteer. Isn’t that doubleplusgood!?”

Doctor Repique Click was a plain looking older mare, with a faded greenish gray coat, and dirty blond mane. One thing that did stand out was that her prosthetic cyber legs were milky white, and smooth. It was similar to some of the medical ponies in Orthrus, were they had legs made for use in surgeries and other medical procedures that tended to come in contact with lot of blood.

She looked me up and down, pulling out a clipboard and looked through the paperwork. “Yes, here you are. Despite the injuries, and being heavily drugged, you were the healthiest pony to be sent to this station. Being nearly dead notwithstanding.” She paused for a time, looking intently at her notes. I exchange looks with Clarinet, but she simply motioned for me to stay calm. “Right, here it is. You had to have a complete synthetic blood transplant do to a complication in detox, and were claimed legally dead two times before recovering.”

“What?”

Repique sighed. “Sorry, let me explain. The amount of drugs in your system, though not enough to overload your body, did become a toxic cocktail. It was to the point that your own blood was starting to break apart, and had to be replaced. Lucky that the cocktail didn’t involve flux, or they might have had to start cutting out tumors as well. In the end your body had shut down twice, luckily you were already in a medical facility, and they just had to jumpstart your heart and lungs until your brain regained control”

“Twice?”

She sighed. “Yes, this happened twice. In the notes it says that there was a mechanical malfunction. Which to me means that somepony unplugged your life support system before you were ready to come off of it.

I shook my head, and took a deep breath, processing what I was just told. “I remember three drugs being put in me, strong stuff, but nothing that I heard that could do that.”

Repique looked at her clipboard. “Let’s see. There were four chemical compounds we didn’t recognize, probably newer bandit chems, so they were likely the culprit. There were also high traces of chill, and rush in your system, along with some buck, and Mint-als.” She put the clipboard away, and glared at Clarinet. “Care to explain.”

Clarinets eyes darted about before she sighed. “It was a ungood situation. The Buck, and Mint-als I had were crushed and mix in a few bottles of water. We used the mixtures to keep everypony awake, aware, and able to push onward. The Chill and rush were just for Chime, she was still in a super ungood shape, and needed to be numb and awake.”

I nodded at her explanation. “True, everything hurt at the time. I don’t think I could have moved far without the stuff.”

“And the four other compounds?” Repique asked.

“Well I was taking back some new chems for our ponies to study.” She said sheepishly. “One of my friends managed to get three medical chems from the capitalists. From what she told me, the drugs were used in regenerative treatments, so I figured that it could help her. The fourth was a bandit chem I got from a local dealer. They told me that it helps resist radiation and boost the physical body.”

Repique face hoofed. “And you just gave them all to her?”

Clarinet stomped her hoof down. “She was going to unlive, so I took a risk, and she is alive.”

We all paused for a long moment. Repique was first to break the silence. “So she is, but next time you may not be so lucky.”

The tension in the room slowly faded, and the doctor turned her attention the other pony who had started coughing and wheezing. Her and Clarinet took the sickly pony to the ward, and I was told to sit behind the reception desk, and to do reception things.

It was a simple enough job, but with little to do, and it didn’t help that half way through it I got a migraine that lasted around an hour. I could only guess it was from my body getting fuck up two days ago, or from the sheer blandness that was everything.

______________________________________

Opening my eyes, and saw that only an hour had passed on the clock. I regretted not taking the chill like before, but if I wanted to get better I needed to stay clean. But still, if sleeping only an hour or two at a time becomes a regular thing, I might as well give in and save my sanity.

Closing my eyes, I focused on getting back to sleep. Back home, if I was having a night like this I’d just go to the bar, get drunk, and trot on home to sleep. Sadly, to my annoyance, alcohol was not something that was easy to get here, and even the places that sold some were closed after lights out. Alcohol was around, but buying a bottle had a three-day waiting period at the soonest, and the only bar in the station had only one drink. Mushroom vodka. Something I had never tried before, and wish I never did.

Paixiao, Clarinet, and I decided to meet up there later. Paixiao also said that she’d bring Ruan if possible. Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed this simpler kind of life, but I knew if I didn’t get moving, something would move me. I knew this because that’s what Phobetor’s eyes were telling me, every time I open them, she’d be staring back at me from the other end of the room.

______________________________________

When the shift was over, I couldn’t get away from that desk fast enough. The volunteer work didn’t stress me out, physically or mentally, but it was boring. I just needed a change of scenery, and something to dull my aching body. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t getting paid for this, but that was a minor concern right now.

The station’s bar was nothing all that fantastic, not having a name, or much in the way of booze. One thing that gave the place some personality was that the posters were being used as wall paper, both republic posters, and even some old world posters. Pinkie Pie watching us from across the room, her eyes somehow following us.

The four of us met up at a table, each one of us having a bowl of pink mush, food sticks, and a glass of water. I had also ordered a shot of mushroom vodka, which got me worried looks from the others. I didn’t really care, and Clarinet already paid for the shot, so I was not going to waste it.

“You should…” Paixiao spoke up, but was stopped by Ruan.

I shrugged and downed the vodka. It burned... it burned really bad. “What the fuck is in this stuff?” My body shivered as it hit my stomach, and the burning sensation reversed course. “It’s coming back up.” Ruan and Clarinet both laughed, as one of them patted me on the back.

“Mushroom vodka, kicks everypony’s flank.” Clarinet said with a laugh.

I shivered one more time before the feeling subsided. “Ya, that was strong stuff.”

“One hundred and twenty proof strong. Most ponies cut it with water first.” Clarinet explained. “Most alcohol that is made goes into medical equipment, so the alcohol that’s for consumption tends to be strong.”

“Ya.” Ruan sighed. “It’d probably make for a good martini, but no syrups or juice here. Such a waste.”

Clarinet smirked “Well from what I’ve been told, ponies with a good E.C.S. can order outside supplies.” She scratched her chin, holding up the leg with her other hoof. “There are rules, like no weapons or subversive materials. I’ve seen one pony with a whole bar setup, it was small, but pluscool.”

Ruan paused for a moment. “So what you're saying is that as long as I play nice, and be the good citizen, I can still have the things I want.” Clarinet nodded, and Ruan sighed. “I don’t know, still feels weird to me.”

“I…” Paixiao spoke up. “I like it. We all get food, and clean water. Even though Ruan snores, the beds are real beds, which is nice.” She sipped her water. “I also like being able to trot around without having to worry about getting robbed.”

“I can agree with that.” I spoke up. Food and water was never that big of a worry for me, though there were days after leaving Orthrus that I had to skip a meal. But Sweet had a knack for finding jobs. As for getting robbed, ponies that could rob an armed pony were rarely brave enough to try, and the ones stupid enough to actually do it, were dead long before I knew about them. But remembering that I was Chime right now, I needed to act like I had more in common with Paixiao for the moment.

Our get together continued on, mostly small talk, but with a few interesting bits. Ruan had been given a job assisting with the train depot. From what she told us, she will be helping with safety checks and general maintenance. As it turns out, the trains here did not run all the time, and turn in after lights out. Each station had an extra train, which they would switch out every day as the other train is checked over by the maintenance crew. This meant that no trains move at night, making a good opportunity for me to slip out.

Paixiao on the other hoof got a job with waste management and recycling. She was tasked with gathering up the garbage, so nothing all that interesting. But one thing that did catch my attention, was the disposal process. Simply, the garbage is taken to another station for processing, meaning all the other stations take their garbage to that one station. This gave me another option to slip away disguised as a garbage hauler.

Having two options to move to another station under the radar helped put me ease. So right now I just needed to bide my time, and prepare to move out. I didn’t know how well guarded the republic had this station, but I’d be a fool to think that they weren’t prepared for at least one of their new citizens to change their mind and try to run away. The fact that I never heard about the conditions here was a good indicator that nopony had ever left to tell about it.

______________________________________

Once more my eyes opened up to find that less than an hour had passed. Phobetor had not moved, still staring at me from the corner of the room, I knew she had something to say, but I was not ready to hear it yet. Closing my eyes, thoughts of escape galloped in my head. Nothing came up involving me getting to one of the outer stations, only being able to move within the republic controlled stations. I needed more information, I needed to find a hole in their security, or at least a way to get a message out. If Rototom knew I was here, she’d get me out.

I just couldn’t put my hoof on it, but something felt seriously wrong here. Like the longer I was here, the harder it would get to leave. I understood all the regulations, programs, and even what the happier citizen project really was. It was something Orthrus trained us in, not a big part of our training, but something that we had to do every year. Public pacification.

Simply it was about getting the public at large to act in a more favorable way, and how to lessen the feeling of resistance towards the government. It was why Orthrus was so hooves off with almost everything, it kept most complaints being about how they needed us, and less complaints about wanting us to go away. The places we did have a presence were seen as our territory, of which we charge a tax to pass through, and anypony who chose to take a different path ran the risk of running into bandits or having to fend off rad-roaches. This meant that anypony who didn’t want to deal with Orthrus, didn’t, and the ponies who wanted to have safer lives were much politer to us and paid the tax.

The republic seemed to have something similar going on, but in a far more direct and extreme way. The E.C.S. was frightening enough, not the idea of it, something like that would not fly on the other islands. Well I hoped it would not catch on with the other islands. What frightened me was how celebrated it was here. Almost everything Clarinet did was to raise her score, and she didn’t see that it was keeping her from her kids. It was not just her, but it seemed that almost everypony here was more concerned with their E.C.S. then just being ponies.

But that’s not what bugged me, not completely. It was something that I was not seeing, something that was unspoken. Everything else was out in the open, where my mind can challenge it, and be understood for what it was. But I knew there was something else here that was trying to get at me, I could feel it in my gut.

I think I started getting this feeling after we had left the bar, and I joined Clarinet with some more volunteer work. This time we were cleaning sheets and military uniforms. The ponies whose job it was to do this did most of the work, we simply made things easier for them by pushing carts, and cleaning the area.

______________________________________

We had stopped by our place to change into more comfortable work clothes, Clarinet didn’t want me ruining my nicer clothes so soon after getting them, so jumpsuits it was. Despite the grayness of the dress uniform, I did like the look of it, even the little hat. It all had a lady like feel to it, unlike the rest of the clothes.

From our room, it didn’t take us long to get to the laundry facility. The humidity in this place was as bad as it was on the surface, even had its own bad smell to it. When Clarinet told me that we were going to push things around, she literally meant that we were going to push things around. The laundry facility we were at held about fifty/fifty volunteers and workers, and was where the republic got a lot of sheets, uniforms, and other things cleaned. The volunteers job here was to simply keep things moving, nothing complex or all that labor intensive. It was the same kind of job that new recruits in Orthrus would do, just that we were choosing to do it.

Everypony here worked as a team, not one of them were alone, not even on breaks. I simply followed Clarinets lead, and soon we were transferring a large basket of sheets over to get sorted. The large baskets rested on a cart that had been made to have a pony strapped to a harness so that they could easily pull it. The job of the second pony was to make sure nothing fell out of the basket, and to clear the way for the pony pulling. I chose to have the harness attached, pulling meant I didn’t have to put myself out there all that much as we did this.

Pulling the large basket proved to be simple enough, even with how loaded it was, others around me seemed to struggle a little more than I was. It was probably because of the back legs I had, the full cybernetics had more power behind them, and griped the floor better than my old ones did.

Sorting was a mess of full baskets as ponies walked over them. They would throw the contents into a large pile, as more ponies pulled out clothes, sheets, and other stuff into different baskets. “We got another load!” A mare shouted as the others groaned. The mare trotted over to us, and pointed to the group of baskets that some ponies were standing on. “Get that unloaded, we got a freshly sorted basket ready to be taken to the wash.”

Trotting the basket over to the bunch, two workers helped pull it off, and directed us to where we were to pick up the next one. “Thanks for the help.” One of the workers said as she trotted alongside us. “It seems that it’s been one load after another today.” The mare didn’t look the best, with dark shadows under her eyes, and a slightly unfocused stare.

“Doing overtime?” I asked.

The mare shook her head. “No, same shift as everypony else. Just not been feeling well, that’s all.”

“I know how you feel.” I sighed. “Went through a grinder before getting here, and owe the pony I’m partnered with, my life. So I’m on some painkillers right now, though a bowl of vegetable soup would probably help just as good.”

The worker mare laughed. “Ya, I think I know what you’re getting at. I try not to eat that pink crap when I can, just doesn’t go down well with me. When you start earning bits, I suggest putting in an order for dried fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t hurt your E.C.S. and you can skip the pink mush.”

She helped push a new basket onto our cart, this one almost completely overfilled with military uniforms. When the basket was locked in place one of the fatigues fell onto my head. I simply stood there as Clarinet threw the pants back onto the basket, and so we were off.

Leaving sorting, I couldn’t help but linger on what the mare had been talking about. “Hey, Clarinet?”

“Yes?” She singsonged the word.

“Do you eat anything other then that pink stuff? Or other than the food sticks that come with it?”

She looked up and away from me for a moment before looking back and nodding. “Sometimes.” She turned her head forward to see another basket coming the opposite way. She backed away to avoid a collision, and when it had passed, she quickly trotted back up to me. “But not often. It’s easier to just save up my bits for more important things. But they didn’t have any of the stuff on the other island, so I had to make do with the stuff we were giving out. It gave me a bit of a headache though.”

“Important stuff?” I didn’t see much of the way of stuff at her place, and I was a bit worried that she spent her bits on me, and the other two mares.

She nodded. “Yep, I’ve been making sure my little fillies are getting good food and books to read. There’s no way they're not going to become important ponies in the republic.”

Looking at her, she had a smile on her face, not the eerie one she normally had, but something more relaxed and natural. I think that’s why I never felt uneasy around Clarinet, she had this honest care about her. Not that she was some pony I could trust, she had drunk the rad-roach poison tainted fruit drink that the equalists had been giving her. But I knew she would be honest with me about it, right up to my execution.

Shaking off the thought, we arrived at the washers and dropped off the basket. We picked up another basket, and took it to the dyers. From the dryers, we took another basket to where the clothes were folded up and packed away. This continued for a few hours, until there were no more baskets to move.

______________________________________

Still a little early, but this time much closer to the time I needed to get up, so this time I sat up and stretched a little. My spine popped as I flexed back, and were my flesh met my cybernetic connections I felt sore. After all the thrashing I had been giving them in the fights before I got here, I probably needed to get the connections looked at. I had seen a few infections that happened because of stress put on the connections, and while it was rare nowadays, it’s only because most ponies get it regularly checked out.

Looking down at Clarinet, it was too dark to properly see her, but I could make out her outline. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. Before the day was over, we had visited her foals again, the two fillies bouncing around like they were last time. The other foals were also happy to see her, and they all had quickly overpowered her in a large pile.

She had read them all a story, sang a lullaby, and kissed them goodnight.

That was why she made me feel sad, she should be raising her foals herself. She had gone from a young bandit to a productive member of society, all thanks to the republic. But then the republic tells her that she is still not a perfect enough citizen for her to live with her foals. Every positive I see from the republic is met with a bigger negative.

“Not bad for first impressions, you’re a real work pony.” Phobetor sat at the desk, poking at the terminal. She faded into the darkness, almost all the way, but her golden eyes were still barely visible. “I’d give you a nine. It be a ten, but you’re not as nearly worn out as all the other ponies. That and the back legs, if they saw it, you’d stick out like a unicorn horn in an earth pony lineup.

“It’s not like I have control over what’s happening.” I quietly spat back at the dream mare. “I just want to go home.”

“Try it, and the next thing you know, you're digging out a new tunnel deep underground.” She said with a calm, knowing voice. “I think they call it… Fun Camp.” She pushed back on the desk, stretching over the chair, yet making no noise whatsoever. “Plus, it’s not in the deal. My secrets have kept you safe, but now you must repay me.”

I sighed. “How?”

“Go to the heart of the republic, Persephone Station. There is something there far beyond my current reach, and you will find it for me.” Phobetor got out of the seat and trotted over to me. “And yes, from there is the way home.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” The mare creeped me out, making the fur on my neck stand up.

Phobetor wrapped her hooves around my neck, forcing me to be nose to nose with her. “Simple. You’re going to walk out the front door, and a pony you know will pick you up. A pegasus that you've had your mind on.”

Before I could respond, the clock buzzed, and the radio turned on.

“Good morning to all the wonderful citizens of the Republic.” It was the radio mare, who seemed to have spot on timing. “I have a few topics today to talk about, and another message from president Garmon Keys. First on the list is more information about the tunnel collapse that happened the other day. Due to big efforts of the citizens living in the area who volunteered, an opening to the tunnel has been made. Not long after, the lost pony was found and is said to soon make a quick recovery. Now that a life is out of danger, the tunnel has been closed off from any more digging, all citizens are advised to keep away until the extent of the damage is known, and any breaches to the surface have been closed up. So stay safe citizens, your government is here to help.”

“In other news, the rumors of the theater shutting down have proven false. The rumors started when the Tremolo sisters were talking about taking their act to the other stations. It seemed that one overzealous fan mistook it as though the theater was shutting down. As it turns out, the singing sisters are staying at the theater, though it be nice hear about the joy they could spread, but there is no stage better than the theater here in Persephone Station.”

The sound of papers shifted around. “So that’s it for the news, I’ll be letting you know when there is more to know, but now a word from president Garmon Keys.”

The voice of Garmon Keys spoke up, same as before. “Hello good citizens of the republic. I’m happy to hear that the lost pony was found. It goes to show just how good the citizens of the republic are, and making me even prouder to serve you all. That’s why this morning I bring you a story, an old one told to me by my grandma, and one I hold dear to my heart.”

It was hard to tell if he was sincere, or just full of it. Either way I had to give him credit, he was good. But as politicians were, I knew he was lying through his teeth, it was what politicians do. It just seemed that the role Garmon played was of the caring father, where most played up the strong mare. It was different, of that I was sure, but he was probably doing the same song and dance as all other politicians.

“Long ago, before the revolution, when the capitalists still lorded over the working ponies. There was a group of mares who had started a contest to choose who was most beautiful, and a crowd had gathered to watch.”

“The first mare was a unicorn noble from the Orphic Kingdom, born protected from the toxins. In fact, she almost glistened in the light of the stations lamps. Her coat was without dirt, her mane and tail were long, lustrous, and fluffy. The dress she wore was made of the finest cloth, decorated with gems. She was clearly the crowd favorite, with many seeing the visage of the princesses in her.”

“The second was a Mirage Pony, the heiress of a corporation. Clean, straight, and all business, the mare had an air of intelligence and authority about her. Lacking the glitz and glamor of the unicorn, this mare made up for it with style. Her clothes were finely tailored to both be stylish and practical, her mane and tail were not as long, but had a wave to it, and bleached at the tips. Covering her eyes were blue shades with white rimes, making her look like the famous stars of old Applewood.”

“The last mare held her chest out proud, but only got sneers and laughter. She was a simple factory worker, her mane and tail were greasy and tied back. Her coat covered in dirt and grease. The clothes she wore where simple work clothes, torn and dirtied from her work. And last, her legs were of old and worn cybernetics, having long lost their shine from the grueling and thankless job she does.”

“The first two mares simply ignored the third mare, and continued with their contest, flaunting their beauty. That is, until one voice shouted from the back of the crowd. It was an old stallion, his mane had long turned white, and coat began to sag. ‘You should be ashamed at yourselves!’ the old stallion shouted. With a weak hoof, he pointed at the third mare. ‘Don’t you see that she is the most beautiful?’ The rest of the ponies paused to stare, confused by the sudden outburst."

“The old stallion went onto explain why. Pointing out that her legs were worn because of how much work she dedicated herself to. Her mane and tail lacked the same bounce as the other two because she values her own family over being better looking. The torn up clothes, and oil smudges on her coat were because she was not afraid to get dirty to get her job done. He stated that she was a ‘beautiful for being a working mare, and the only mare a stallion would truly want. “

“The crowd paused for a moment more, and then all changed their minds, now favoring the third mare. The two other mares simply left, holding their heads in shame as they knew no matter how beautiful they could make themselves, they could never be as beautiful on the inside as the working mare was.”

Garmon Keys gave a little laugh. “And that’s the story I’d always been told. It has a lesson I take to heart, myself. You can make yourself look beautiful, but what truly matters is what’s on the inside. That’s where it counts. Ponies who know what it means to work hard, understand their fellow pony, and help all to be equal with each other, they are who is most beautiful to me. Now I’d love to share my wisdom with you some more, but like everypony, I too have a job to do, along with ponies to help. So have a wonderful morning, and never forget that happiness comes from what you can do for others.”

The radio crackled, and the familiar, somewhat monotone mare's voice returned. “As wonderful as always, that was Garmon Keys, making our morning a little happier with his presence. But sadly, like all good things, that time has come to pass. But stay tuned. We will hear from him again later on, as he is if anything, always able to return.”

I felt Clarinet reach over me to turn on the light, the sudden brightness blinding me for a moment. “Good morning Chime, ready for another day?” She didn’t have that upbeat feel to her, probably do to her still being half asleep.

“Ya… are you going to be doing the same thing as yesterday?” If she was, I had a few plans. Mostly it was to gather more information that could help me. If at all possible, something for a plan on getting to Persephone Station without raising suspicion. If Phobetor was right, not that I trusted some shadowy dream mare completely, it was my ticket out of here.

Clarinet got out of bed, moving past me, naked again. It didn’t bother me too much, as we were both mares. But I had to sleep next to her, making it a bit weird for me. “Yep… well no. There’s no Orientation, you already did that. But I do plan on working at medical, and some volunteer work. What about you?”

“Another day helping you out sounds like a good plan, this all still feels a bit odd to me.” I also didn’t want to go to the job placement office, I had a strong feeling that it was not going to help me.

“Good plus. It’s always good to have another helping hoof at medical.” She trotted over to the bathroom. “I’m going to get washed up, you can use the tub next.”

The door closed, and I was left alone in the room. There were some clothes haphazardly thrown around the room, mine were in a nice pile. Somehow Clarinets panties were hanging on her terminal monitor, making me sigh and shake my head.

In front of the door was some mail, two letters addressed to Clarinet, and one to me. Taking them to the desk, I placed Clarinet’s mail on the side. Opening the one to me, out dropped a large card, a note, and a pin. The card was one of the miniature posters that ponies here collected. It depicted three ponies standing side by side all holding tools, above them was the Republic's symbol, and printed on the bottom was the words, “Together we are strong.” The pin looked a lot like the symbol for the ministry of awesome, a cloud with a thunderbolt, and two wings. Putting the pin to the side, I picked up the note.

Opening up the note, it read:

“Dear miss Chime Catbell.

We are pleased that you decided to join our family, and wish you the best of luck. The republic is a professional and fair organization which focuses on what’s best for our citizens. That’s why we were disappointed to learn of your treatment at the hooves of our security after your brave assistance to insure the safe arrival of your comrades. Because of that, it is our obligation to offer you a suitable compensation.

We are also interested in offering you a potential job within our ministry. We respect those who have the will to survive, and the strength to act. With us, your talents will find a greater use, and your limitations will be surpassed. All members within our ministry are well rewarded for their work, and you will not be an exception.

To obtain your compensation, and if you’re interested in working for us, come to the job placement center wearing our pin.

Sincerely, the Ministry of Awesome. “

I folded up the note, and put it over the pin, pushed the two to the back of the desk were some junk was. The ministry of awesome was as well-known as it was in the old world, so I knew fuck all about them. It also didn’t help that the republic's version of the ministries were just shadows of the old world ministries, mostly just a name used to help keep order. But it was an interesting offer, and possibly what I was looking for to get where I want.

Sitting at the desk, I pulled off Clarinets loaned underwear and threw it onto the bed. Turning on the terminal, I plugged in my E.C.S. pass card, the screen flashed as numbers scrolled across the screen. it went blank for a second, and than words popped up on screen.

Chime Catbell

Status: probationary citizen

------------

Equality Credit Score – N/A

Last earnings – N/A

Contacts – 1

Claimable benefits – 1

Special Offers. – 1

------------

It made sense that I didn’t have a score yet, they probably had ponies keeping an eye on me to see if I did anything suspicious. I did get a feeling that I was being watched most of the time. It was not much different then whenever I entered a station I was a stranger in, but it was more intense.

The contact was predictably Clarinet, it showing me her own E.C.S. and associations. Her score was 414+, the ‘+’ meaning that it had gone up. And her associations were the M.o.I. and the M.o.P. From what she told me, she just did a lot of busy work for the other ministry’s, so her main association was mostly with the M.o.P.

Checking the Claimable benefits, it showed that I had earned an extra ration. It stated that due to my volunteer work and attending orientation, I can claim an M.R.E. pack at the ration dispensary. It didn’t sound all that appetizing, but I was betting that it was going to be better tasting than the normal stuff. If there was one thing I can say about the republic's system, it was that nopony was going hungry here.

The special offer was about doing volunteer work, but with a guarantee for getting a prize. There was cleaning out train carts and the area around the rail lines, with the prize being a postcard and a M.R.E. It didn’t seem like much of a prize, but the card was a collector’s item, so I can see how it would draw in volunteers.

With nothing else to see, I logged out of the terminal and put my card to the side. Thinking about it, the whole system the republic had was not all that bad, but I just couldn’t bring myself to like it. The guarantee that nopony goes hungry, incentives for volunteer work, and a culture based around cooperation had its positives to it. And I like the idea about it. But everything seemed to lack color, even when I did volunteer work. Nopony said or did anything interesting at all. It all made me miss Sweet, and I knew this place would drive her up the wall.

I chuckled to myself, remembering one time during basic training when Sweet got bored and started stacking the chairs in the mess hall. Somehow I got roped into it, and we managed to make a pyramid with chairs. We both spent the rest of the week cleaning the bathrooms because of it. Good times.

“Enjoying yourself?” Clarinet trotted into the room, clean and smiling.

“Just remembering a good time I had with a friend awhile back.” I got out of the seat, and trotted past her.

She picked up some of her clothes, and a clean pair of panties from an open drawer. “Oh where’s this friend of yours?”

I sighed. “Hospitalized. We ran into a monster in the big island tunnels, and she got hurt really bad. Lost her eyes.”

Clarinets ears drooped. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I shook my head. “She’s a strong mare, I’m just glad she’s still alive.”

In the washroom the bucket was left by the tub, and so I washed yesterday’s grime away. I didn’t bother soaping up, as I didn’t get that dirty, I just needed the water to get a little grime off of me. The warm water felt nice on me, though I wished Clarinet had a shower. Showers were probably for ponies more equal than others. Damnit, If I had to actually stay here, I’d make it so showers were available for everypony. Say something about it being not equal for ponies who can't simply take a bath, biased against the aquatically unable.

I chuckled to myself as it hit me. The ‘equality’ here was a joke. The E.C.S. was simply about separating loyal ponies, from ones who would be dissenters. It was hard to tell how many ponies understood this, or how many were playing it like a game. Clarinet seemed to be a true believer, but Ruan and Paixiao were still new here, so they were unlikely to buy into the equalist propaganda. But the two mares also had a good enough reason to stay and play along, even if they saw right through it.

The two mares obviously did not have good lives going for them outside of the republic. Clarinet as well. It seems that the republic offered them everything they needed, no, it was giving them everything they needed. Food, water, shelter, work, and safety. I was raised to understand that I had to earn those things, but I also saw many ponies who couldn’t, and slowly wasted away because of it.

Shaking my head, I understood that relying on anypony here would be a big mistake. Just trying to get a scrapper to let go of their pile of junk is liable to give you a black eye, but putting the safety of their new lives at risk? That’d get me shot.

As I dried off, I looked in the mirror and saw that I was starting to look more like my old self. The dark black and red ring around my eye had faded a little, and the fur around the scar on my lip was getting a little thicker. Small blessings I guess.

Feeling clean I trotted out of the wash room, and looked for my clothes. I was greeted by a happy looking Clarinet, holding the card I got in the mail. “I knew you made a good impression at orientation!”

Picking out my spare pair of gray underwear from my gray saddlebag, and slipped it on. “What do you mean?”

“Well, not everypony gets their first poster card so soon! Only the ponies that show good understanding about being equal tend to get them so quickly.”

I chose to put more casual work clothes on, a button down shirt and overall shorts. Not my style, but after being in a skirt all day yesterday I like the idea of not having my plot exposed. The shirt was also white, which was a nice change from all the gray. “That’s good, I guess. But I think you should keep the card, you were the one helping me.”

Clarinet waved her hoof playfully. “No you did goodplus. Anywho I already have this poster card, so it’s yours.”

“I guess I’ll hold onto it then.” Looking at her, she had put on a simple Jumpsuit that fit snugly on her. “So did you read about the special offer they're having for helping clean the train?”

She sighed. “Ya, I’d love to go, but work-work is more important than volunteer-work.” Shrugging She trotted over to the door. “It’s fine, the card they're giving out is probably just the extras from this month. So I probably already have what their hoofing out.”

“Right, I guess I’ll stick with you then.” I pulled out the military cap, and placed it on my head. “You know more than me around here. Oh, also one other thing, if it’s not too much to ask?”

“What is it?” Clarinet responded with a raised eyebrow.

“I think we should get a cot. That bed just barely fits two ponies.”

She waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t be silly, it’s plenty comfortable. We just have to snuggle closer.”

“Into stallion’s Clarinet.” I sighed. “Into stallions.”

She laughed and trotted to the front door. “Can’t blame a mare for trying. Well, we can look into it later. Right now we need our first meal of the day.”

“Super bland pink paste, the best way to start the day, yay.” I pulled the pin and the note from the back of the desk and dropped them in one of my pockets. I was still uncertain about what they wanted with me, but getting in good with one of the powers-that-be sounded like the best way to open more doors, and get closer to getting home.

______________________________________

“One M.R.E. pack” I asked as I hoofed over my E.C.S. pass card.

The mare at the food dispensary pushed the card into a port and tapped at the terminal before nodding and hoofing back my card. “One M.R.E. meal pack. I’m sure you want the breakfast pack, but we do also have a lunch and dinner pack available.”

I thought about it for a moment, but I was too curious about what was in these packs to not ask. “Can you tell me what’s in them?”

“Sure, let me see.” She tapped at her terminal. “Well we have the pineapple pancakes pack for breakfast, the carrot and cabbage pack for lunch, and a full garden salad for the dinner pack.”

I felt my mouth start to drool, after having to spent a whole day eating pink paste, I could not skip on this opportunity. “I’ll just take the breakfast pack”

The mare smiled. “I’ll just be a moment.” She turned around and trotted off into a side room.

“Not bad, getting an M.R.E. after your first day.” Clarinet piped up. “I tend to just send them to my foals.”

I was sure she did. Behind the bandit past and the chem damage, Clarinet was clearly a loving mother. “I’m just doing what I can.” And doing my best to not look like a pony who the equalists would like to shoot. “It’s nice that the republic gives a little back.” The nicer things I say about the republic, the less it seems that other ponies keep an eye on me.

Clarinet giggled. “I know, right? That’s how I got a job outside of the republic. The ministry of Awesome said I’d be perfect for a recruiting job, and set me up in a soup kitchen.” She had a proud look on her face. “It’s sad that they didn’t want to officially hire me, but I did get to act as a representative of the M.o.P. and the M.o.I.”

The mare inside the food dispensary came back holding a gray packet, placing it on the counter in front of me. “Here you go miss, enjoy your meal.”

I took the M.R.E. and we left, going to a table where Paixiao and Ruan were waiting for us. Everypony but me were still eating the pink paste, and food sticks. Opening the packet, the sweet smell of pineapples hit my nose, making me drool a little more.

“What!? How did you get that?” Ruan whined. “Clarinet, did you by that for her? What cunt do I have to lick to get one?”

Clarinet’s face went red. “No… no. She earned it with the volunteer work she did yesterday.” She shifted her eyes around and slowly opened her mouth, but I cleared my throat, getting everyone's attention.

“Now, I’m one not to care about what ponies do in their free time, but I don’t think this is the best place for a discussion like this.” I already shared a bed with one pony, I didn’t need to share it with a second.

Ruan and Clarinet looked away, both looking a bit Embarrassed. Paixiao looked unfazed by the little exchange, and was already half done with her breakfast. Licking the pink stuff off her lips, she saw the two embarrassed mares and giggled. “If you two come to our place tonight, I can show you a few tricks.”

Rolling my eyes, I waved her off dismissively. “Sorry, into stallions.”

“Same here.” Ruan said with a sigh.

Paixiao shrugged. “So am I, but It never hurts to expand your skill set.”

Clarinet looked a bit flustered, opening her mouth, but only to close it again. It was easy to see that the lesbian pony was interested in Paixiao’s offer, but didn’t want to ask out in the open. Feeling pity on my roommate, I decided to change the conversation. “Now I know we all like to talk about a good pole to ride, but I think we can save it for later. What I’d like to talk about is the pins that Clarinet has. I thought we were all equal?”

Clarinets ears perked up, and she looked down at her three pins. “These, there not all that special.”

“That’s a fucking lie.” Ruan blurted out. “Other than the pins, I’ve seen nopony with any accessories. Other than of the pink flower that’s printed everywhere.”

“Well, okay.” Clarinet said as she puffed up her chest. “There markers of a pony who’s been given official training by a ministry.” She pointed at the M.o.P. pin. “Trained under the Ministry of Peace, I know first aid, and have other basic medical training.” She lowered her hoof to the M.o.I. pin. “The Ministry of image officially educated me in equal speak, and proper equal edict.”

Ruan raised an eyebrow. “So what, the pins just mean you’re an official on some stuff?”

Clarinet nodded. “Yes, if a pony is in need of medical care, I can provide the necessary medical assistance to keep them alive until the proper medical ponies arrive. Or if a pony is unsure if that there not being equal, I can advise them on what they’re doing right or unright.”

It was simple enough, but seemed a bit too basic to be a ministry thing. “On the subject of the ministries, how much power do they have. I know they were somewhat powerful in the old republic, but they don’t seem to have that much of a presence here?”

Giggling, Clarinet playfully waved her hoof at me. “Of course they don’t. The old ministries were what was dividing the republic, like how it divided equestria. Today, their role is to help organize the citizens and help make a more equal republic. The real power is the Institution of Equality.”

“The Institution of Equality?” I had to ask. With much of the republic hidden from the rest of the metro, I barely even knew what the old ministries were at all. “What do they do?”

Clarinet had a big smile on her face. “Well, they help to make everypony more equal.” Her smile faded, and scrunched up. “I mean, well, it’s hard to explain. But it’s the only ministry with a leader. That’s who Garmon Keys is, he’s the head of the Institution of Equality, and the president of the Republic.” She scratched her chin for a moment. “From what I remember, other than the leadership of the republic, their role is of historical accuracy, and education.”

Ruan snorted almost spitting up her water as she laughed. “So you're saying that the republic is led by a bunch of eggheads?”

Pausing for a moment to think, Clarinet nodded. “Ya, I do remember a few times when Garmon Keys talked about his time as a professor. Some of his favorite stories are about his own students. Just listen to the radio, he will eventually talk about it sooner or later.”

I didn’t think I’d get more information out of Clarinet. She didn’t seem well educated on the topic, so it would be unnecessary to push the subject further. “Enough about politics, never been a good dining subject. How about that stallion? You know, the father of your foals? I know you’ve got to have a few stories to tell about him.”

It seemed that the one pony least interested in talking about stallions was Clarinet, but she did decide to tell us a few things. One was that her eldest sister was the one still in a relationship with the stallion, Clarinets involvement was more out of family obligation, same for her other sister. She also told us that Sopranino was the real vicious one in the family, and one of the few things that kept her in check was her almost content pregnant state. She also had the nicknames of the Brood Mother by the rest of the station. I got a feeling of disappointment from Clarinet when she talked about her sister Sopranino, unlike the rest of the ponies in her family.

The conversation shifted subjects a few times before we were done. Ruan didn’t have much in the way of story’s. Her life consisting mostly of working, and gambling. Paixiao on the other hoof lead a much more colorful life, both as scavenger, and as a cheap prostitute. We asked if she was ever worried about getting pregnant during that time, and she simply shook her head and told us with a sigh that she was sterile.

When it was my turn to talk, I used my words very carefully, so not to give away that I was not who I said I was. Though I still mentioned my time with Merit, and how my back legs didn’t work right after. Paixiao gave me a few looks, but never said anything. I could only guess she didn’t believe everything I said, but didn’t want to stir up trouble.

Soon it was time for us to part ways, and we wrapped up our conversation. On our way to medical, I suggested that Clarinet spend some extra time with Paixiao later, and her face turned a shade redder. If anything, Clarinet deserved a little fun.

______________________________________

The time in medical went on same as before, but I did have myself checked out by the doc when there was time. I was recovering quite well, and so far there were no signs of addiction in my system. But Doctor Click did warn me that my system was still vulnerable to addiction right now.

I did have one pony who was willing to talk with me, though after some time I’d wish she would stop. It was as though she just wanted to hear her own voice, and I was the poor soul who gave her the opportunity. It would have been different if she had something relevant to talk about, but it was all about her daily life, which was boring and incredibly dull.

When it was all over, I was overjoyed to leave, dead set at doing something that would get me out of this station. The first thing I needed to do was get away from Clarinet. It was simple enough, but I didn’t want to just slip away. I wanted to give something back, I owed her too much as it was.

“Hey Clarinet?” I called out.

“Yes, Chime?” She said my name in her sing-songy voice.

I got in close to her and smiled. “I’m betting you want some alone time with Paixiao, right?”

She blushed. “Well… I don’t think it’d be appropriate.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not the point. She said that she’s willing, so why not take her up on it?”

Clarinet sighed. “but, she said she’s not into mares.”

Trotting up ahead a little, I turned to look her in the eyes. “Neither am I, the difference is that she’s willing to entertain your interest, and I’m not.”

Her ears drooped, and she hoofed at the ground. “I see, well, it’s okay.”

Stepping up to her, so that we were almost muzzle to muzzle. “So what’s the problem, you're both adults.”

She looked away. “It’s not that, it’s just, you know...”

“I don’t, so tell me.” I said calmly.

Looking me in the eye, she sighed. “You're more my type. You have this feeling for you, like everything’s going to be just fine as long as I trust you. You’re like somepony I knew, long ago, before the republic.” Her cheeks flushed brighter. “I… I… I really like you.”

I put my head to hers. “Clarinet, you’re a good mare, and I like you too, but not in the same way.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sure there’s a pony out there just for you, but you can’t just sit around and wait for them to find you. It never works that way.” Taking a step back, I looked her in the eyes. “You already do so much for others, why don’t you do something for yourself and go get laid?”

She back away. “No, I don’t think…”

Cutting her off with one solid laugh, I put a hoof on her shoulder “Then stop thinking, stop caring about what’s proper, and just ask her. Other ponies are looking up to you, so show them a bit of happiness they can have here. Share your happiness with them.”

Clarinet wiped a tear from her eye. “Ya, I should at least ask. I do know a few stallions that I can introduce the others to. We can make it a party.” Okay, that I didn’t see coming. “You want to join?” Some time with a stallion sounded like fun, but I had other goals in mind.

I shook my head. “Sorry, but I’m thinking of getting a job. I can’t just keep relying on you.”

She shrugged. “Well let me know if you ever change your mind. I know we would make a good couple.” Trotting pass me, I watched as she entered into the food court, and joined up with the other two. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Ruan looked a bit flustered from where I was standing.

Pulling out the M.o.A. Pin, I placed it on the chest of my shirt. It gave me this feeling, nothing magical, but a sense of importance. Straightening myself up a little, I made my way to the job placement office.

______________________________________

There were very few ponies at the job placement office, and two desks open, one for general job placement, and a second for ministry placement. All the other ponies here were waiting or in line for general job placement, leaving the other desk completely free.

The mare at the ministry placement desk took a long look at me, sizing me up. “I see, just a moment.” She tapped at a terminal for a moment, and nodded. “Go to room 3B off to the left. A representative will be with you shortly.”

The room was no different than the one from orientation, just dimly lit and empty. Finding a seat, I just picked one at random and relaxed as I waited. The air was stale, and definitely had some dust floating about. Though not as bad as some of the old abandoned tunnels that you can find in the metro. But still, this room felt like it had been unused for some time.

A cold sensation came from behind me, sending a chill up my spine. It was the distinct feeling of being watched, not the normal feeling of being watched, like when trotting around this station. No, this made me feel more uneasy, more worries. I didn’t like it at all. “I made my choice, Phobetor.”

“What makes you sure that this is the right path?” Phobetor’s voice was like a whisper in my ear. “You still have two other paths to choose from.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but she put her hoof over it, cutting me off as she sat next to me, phasing thru the chair. “I’d advise on not talking, don't need other ponies thinking you’ve gone insane. Just let me take care of your side of the conversation”

I glared at her, and she simply smiled, looking at me with her golden eyes. “Yes my little pony, there are ears hearing what you say, and eyes that are following what you do.” She waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t despair, I doubt they caught on. That unfortunate episode with the memory magic, it turned any suspicion of you to ash. They seem more interested in you as a pony it seems. Would you be interested in my educated guess to why?”

I stretched my back and wings, getting a few pops from the bones. Relaxing in my seat, I gave Phobetor a nod.

She rubbed her hooves together, and giggled. “Now sadly what I know is limited, so this is an educated guess in all things. But I would have to say that your performance back on Pineapple Island was a big boon. You managed to act sober, and capable enough to help defend the other pony’s, though you were far too drugged to be doing anything but mumble and trot.” Phobetor winked at me. “Don’t forget to thank me.”

I didn’t know if that explained my survival, or just made it more confusing. I still didn’t even know what Phobetor was, but I did know that she did scare me a bit. Something about her was just wrong, other than her being some creepy dream pony.

Phobetor tapped her chin, still smiling. “So it’s safe to assume that they think you may be special, or at least worth giving extra attention to.” She relaxed her hooves, silently tapping on the floor. “Maybe they're interested in seeing if you have a mutation that they could use, and want you as a lab rat.” She shrugged. “What does it matter now, you’ve made your choice.”

Smirking, Phobetor looked me in the eyes. “On the topic of choice, you did make the right one, not that there was any other. This places secrets are sealed tight, I doubt they’d let a pony roam free, or sneak out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were waiting for a pony to try. Some pony they can pin as a spy, use as scapegoat for all they see wrong with the world.”

Sighing, I slumped back into my seat. “So where do i go from here?” I mumbled.

“Forward, until you get to your destination.” Phobetor’s voice became a faint whisper, and looking over she was gone.

Brightness. Everything became bright, so I lifted a hoof up to block it, and realized my eyes were closed. Opening them, the room came into focus, and two ponies stood on the little stage. One was a very gray looking Mirage pony mare, with a dark gray coat, and lighter gray mane and tail, she seemed to blend in with her gray dress uniform. The other pony was Blaster Beam, looking as gung ho as before.

The gun platform of a mare gave me a coy look. “Sleep well?” Blaster Beam said, chuckling to herself as she did. Her voice was still as eerily synthetic as always. “I’m glad you decided to come around, makes things easier for us.” She chuckled again, and pointed at me. “But before we get started, you probably want to wipe that drool off, it’s a bit distracting.”

Sitting up straight, I quickly wiped my mouth, feeling a little embarrassed by it. “Sorry about that.”

Blaster Beam shrugged. “Ehh, if it was a problem, I’d turn you to ash in your sleep.” The gray pony cleared her throat, making Blaster Beam cringe a little. “I mean I would have filed a report on your unbecoming behavior.”

Giving the cyberpony a nod, the gray mare stepped forward. “Miss Chime, now for the first order of business. For your assistance on the gunboat, despite your condition, and your treatment after the fact, you are to receive compensation. Now, we cannot simply give out bits or raise you E.C.S., as that would unbalance the equality of the station by showing such favorable support for one pony.” The mare trotted over to a gray box that was sitting near her, no not a box, but a hard case saddlebag. Picking it up, she passed it over to me. “The saddlebag, and the contents inside are your compensation.”

Looking at the saddlebag, it was the kind used by ponies working construction. Plenty strong, and distributed its weight a better than most saddlebags. Opening one side, I pulled out a box of food supplement bars, made with fresh oats, grains, and dried fruit. The other side had a few more boxes of the same stuff. Looking up at the gray mare, I simply raised an eyebrow.

“Ahh yes, an explanation would be required.” The gray mare stated. “First off, before you ask, call me Miss Shade. Now as for the compensation, as you may have noticed already, food is a bit limited in variety around here. Even if you can get an M.R.E. there is no guarantee it will be in stock. So any extra food is considered highly valuable, and giving some out is a good way to expand your social connections.”

Closing the saddlebag, I placed it on the seat next to me. “So Miss Shade… what your saying is that my compensation is a boost to my E.C.S. by having me giving out free food supplement bars, and making friends.”

Miss Shade nodded. “Good. I’d thought you’d understand. Getting integrated can be a bit of a challenge for some ponies. It could be years before they make enough connections and raise their E.C.S. to move to one of our main stations. Something like this can dramatically reduce the time it takes to make such connections.”

Nodding, I didn’t quite understand it all, but I could understand that this gift was more about me becoming more under their control then actually rewarding me. “I guess I’ll just put it to good use.”

Blaster Beam huffed. “I got a better idea. Come with me tomorrow, I got a job that needs a pony not squeamish about pulling a trigger. Sadly, I can’t just pull ponies from active duty. It messes with our system, you see. But having a pony who doesn’t have a designated job, a pony like yourself, won’t be a problem for the system.”

“So what do you want me to do, shoot something?” I had to ask.

She shrugged. “Hope not. There’s just a few rumors going around, bad ones, and I’ve been assigned to check them out. But I’m not going without backup, I ain’t going down like Theremin did.” Blaster Beam’s suddenly lit up, like she remembered something important. “Oh, if you do this, I’ll introduce you to some very important ponies. Even get you a choice of places to stay, just pick a station. Trust me, the Ministry of Awesome looks after their own.”

“I see.” I had already decided to go with the M.o.A. but it seemed that there would be some work to do before I got were I wanted to go. That, and working with Blaster Beam didn’t sound like the best idea ever. “I’ll consider it.”

Blaster Beam rolled her eyes. “Of course you will, and after you decide to join me, meet me at the north subway after you’ve had your morning meal. I’ll be waiting. Now go, I’m sure you got a few things to do, ponies to meet.”

With nothing more to say, and out of not wanting to irritate Blaster Beam, I got out of my seat. Taking the saddle bag with me, I trotted to the door. Looking back, I could see that the two mares were looking at each other, even moving their heads a bit, but not talking. I knew the mannerisms of ponies talking through telepathy talismans. I didn’t know what they had planned for me, but I had definitely left a mark. It was either a good thing, or a bad thing, but it would only be revealed in time. Stepping out of the room, I felt it would be a good idea to meet up with the others to see if they would like a food supplement bar or two.

______________________________________

Footnote.

Quest progression: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship.(40%)

Chapter 19 - Equality, Door to Door

Eating one of the food supplement bars, I found it not too bad. Not as good as a home cooked meal, or even the M.R.E. I had earlier, but far better than the pink crap the republic fed everypony. And with me skipping lunch, it did well as a light meal. Including the one I had eaten, I had sixty of the bars, ten in each box. Quite enough to share around and get in good with ponies that would be beneficial to my life here.

Luckily, I didn’t plan on staying long, so trying to make friends here and raise my E.C.S. was not a thing that I needed to worry about. If I wanted, I could probably hoard all the supplement bars, then I wouldn’t have to eat that pink crap for over two weeks.

Arriving at Clarinets place, I was surprised to find Paixiao and Ruan there. Luckily it didn’t look like they were doing anything real private, though they were in lighter clothes then normal. “Hey, come in Chime!” Clarinet called from the back of the room, waving her hoof.

Trotting in, I saw that a few things had been moved around, and a cot had been placed next to the bed, with its own bedding. “What’s going on?”

Clarinet had a sheepish grin on her face. “Well I went to ask Paixiao if she wanted to hang out later, Ruan too, and they said yes. So were hanging out here, maybe having a sleepover.” She chickened out, she totally chickened out.

Paixiao trotted over, and sat on the cot. “For a moment there, I thought she was propositioning me. It was a little funny.”

Clarinet had a scrunchy look on her face, like she was desperately trying not to look embarrassed. With a sigh, I dropped the saddle bag, and got out of the overalls I had on. Having less clothes on sometimes felt nice, and we were all mares, so I didn’t mind it as much. “So what are you planning for this sleepover?”

Clarinet’s eyes darted back and forth, looking a little confused. She definitely didn’t think that far ahead. “you said you were getting a job, what did you get?” oh, so that’s how it is, throwing the attention back onto me.

“Ministry of Awesome, looks like I’ll be working with Blaster Beam.” Opening up my saddlebag, I pulled out the boxes of supplement bars. “I also go these as a reward for helping fend off the attackers, and as an apology over interrogating me.”

Ruan trotted over and looked over the box. “Nice, how many did you get?”

I pushed a box into her hooves. “Sixty, ten to a box. So I have plenty to share”

Ruan looked at the box, and then at me. “You sure, it’s yours?”

Shrugging, I picked up to other boxes, and trotted to the Clarinet and Paixiao. “I plan to just keep two boxes for myself, the rest you girls can have.” Passing each of them a box, I could see that Paixiao was salivating. “Just remember to only eat one.”

Paixiao looked at me a bit confused. “Only one?”

“Yep.” I said with a smile. “The rest are for you to make a few friends with. You know, bribe them with some food, and get a dialogue going.” I looked at Clarinet, who looked a little happy embarrassed. “And you, why don’t you use this as an opportunity to get a special somepony. I’m sure there’s a few mares here that have shown some interest.” Now her happy embarrassment turned into just embarrassment.

Laughing, Paixiao patted Clarinet on the shoulder. “Here, I’ll ask around my work, see if there’s any single mares who are into mares. There’s got to be at least one or two.”

Ruan trotted over, already eating one of her food supplement bars. “I can do the same. I don’t know about this one mare, I think she may just be a slut, but she does seem to be into other mares.” Her eyes moved from Clarinet, and over to me. “So do you know what you will be doing in the M.o.A. frankly I don’t know shit about them, just that the do… things?”

Now all eyes were on me, and I felt a little embarrassed. “Well, I’m not quite sure yet, but I’m going to be working with Blaster Beam. You know mare that guided us off the island, So I don’t think it will be paper pushing.” I pulled out the pin from the shirt pocket I had put it into. Paixiao and Ruan looked at the pin with some awe, but Clarinet looked a little disappointed. “Is everything okay Clarinet?”

She nodded. “Ya, but it means you will probably be leaving. Ponies who work with the M.o.A. tend to not stay in one place for long. But I’m glad you got an important job, I knew you were something special.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not all the special, I’m just useful to more powerful ponies, that’s all. Frankly, it feels like I’m just an available pony in the right place at the right time.” If there was anything I learned from being here, it was to not get a big head, and downplay everything I do. The sooner other ponies think I’m not equal with them, the sooner I start getting unwanted attention from ponies that could pin me as a spy. “If any of you would like to switch places with me, I’d be willing to, but I’m not sure how Blaster Beam would feel about that.”

Paixiao and Ruan both shook their heads at the idea of working with Blaster Beam, and Clarinet laughed. “Sorry, but I’m needed at medical.” Clarinet said through her chuckling. “A M.o.P. representative will be coming around soon to check the clinic, so Doctor Click needs me to help keep the place up to standard.” Clarinet put her box of supplement bars to the side, and got off the bed, trotting to her terminal. “Here, let me show you how set up new contacts, so that we can stay connected with each other over the network.”

Setting new contacts through my E.C.S. was no different than it was on the network at home, but I had to use the pass card to access my contacts. Shortly, Paixiao and Ruan were added to my contact list, and I was to theirs. This made it so that we could send messages to each other from within the republic, All I needed to do was access any terminal with my E.C.S. pass card.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, as we shared a little bit about ourselves. With myself having to be careful to not let slip about being with Orthrus, but my time after it gave me a lot to work with, so it was easy enough to do. Clarinet avoided talking about her time as a raider kid, which was understandable, and Ruan didn’t have too much to say, as she lived a relatively normal life. Paixiao was the one with a lot of stories to tell, though timid looking, she had definitely been through a lot. And she had ended up on pineapple island as a cheap escort for a pony who later put themselves in a drug coma. She managed to stay on the island working with a locale drug dealer, probably the one I knocked out.

Later, after we had our dinner, more supplement bars, we went to visit clarinets foals. I took a box with me, and hoofed out the bars, of which the foals gleefully took. I still didn’t like this place, it felt like a school that the foal wasn’t allowed to leave. It just didn’t sit well with me, with all the foals living here, away from their parents, like a big carrot and stick wrapped together.

At the end of the day we retired to Clarinets place, the cot giving us enough room to all comfortably lay down. Ruan and I pushed Clarinet and Paixiao together, the two ponies having a habit of sleeping nude, even when sharing a bed with other ponies. Not to say I never did, but not when sharing the bed like that, it just sent the wrong message. It was a bit odd to sleep as a group, but still a bit comforting having other ponies around me like this. I just wished that I didn’t have to lie to them about myself, or that I was not in a place I didn’t belong.

______________________________________

Feeling a little groggy, I opened up my eyes, and saw that I was an hour ahead of the alarm. I could barely make out the others, but I could tell that Ruan’s hoof was poking me in the back, so I rolled off the cot I was on. Stretching my back and little wings, I couldn’t help but feel a bit better after the night’s sleep.

Searching for my stuff didn’t take long, as I had already packed what I’d be taking with me anyway. As it turned out I had room to spare in my new saddlebag, even fitting the old saddlebag. It was just something about how they made the bags, always being able to hold far more than you think it should.

Putting on my gray jumpsuit, and military cap, I quietly slipped out before anypony woke up. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to say goodbye. I had only known them a short time, but I knew there would be tears, probably from Clarinet, and that’s probably why. If a pony started crying, I might. From Rufus and Turnip, I know I’d start crying.

Very few ponies were up and about at this time, and most of them gave me suspicious glances. I didn’t care all that much, I had better things to worry about then when the ponies here thought about me. The food court was mostly empty, and I didn’t feel like eating pink mush, so I trotted on past it, and made my way to where I was meeting Blaster Beam.

Biting down on the supplement bar, I now had seventeen left, I took a good look at the station. It had a lot in common with the station at Charon’s Stop, but cleaner, and without the boxes of dead ponies. The place was a whole lot of gray, with a few thick lines of color as guides for ponies to get to the trains, and more propaganda posters framed up like they were advertising a movie.

It didn’t take long for me to find who I was looking for, the reaver Blaster Beam was sitting by an old ticket stand, drinking a bottle of blue glowing Metro-Cola. Trotting up to her, I smiled. “And here I was worried that we couldn’t get any Metro-Cola here.”

“You’d think right.” Blaster Beam dug into her bag, and tossed me a bottle of Lurker-Blue. Popping the cap off the Metro-Cola bottle I chugged the wonderfully stupid drink, it’s chemical flavor washing down my throat, making me shiver. The cyber mare chuckled. “Careful there, you can drink yourself sick on that stuff.”

Putting the now empty bottle down, I gave a relaxed sigh. “But it be worth it after all the crap I’ve been through.”

“Like what?” Blaster Beam said dismissively. I pointed at the scar on my lip, and she paused for a moment. “Okay, I’ll give you that. Now hoof over the bottle, I can’t get a refill if I break em.”

I gave her back the bottle, even picking up the bottle cap to give back to her. “So I’m guessing it’s a ministry thing, the cola I mean?”

Blaster Beam looked like she was giving some serious thought into it. “Not quite… It’s more that Metro-Cola made a deal with the republic, allowing them to sell their cola to us, but the I.o.E. control where the soda is sent to. So you can find a few vending machines here and there, but they run out of supplies fast. If you want a more consistent supply, you need to know a pony who’s in good with the I.o.E.” A big grin formed on her face. “If you impress me, I’ll introduce you to a pony I know who can hook you up.”

It was a tempting offer, but I rather go home where I could get cola whenever I wanted. “I guess I’ll just have to give it my all… say, what are we doing?”

The cyber mare motioned with her hoof for me to follow her. We walked over to where the boarding section of the station was, with bright yellow lines signifying were ponies should not stand. “You’re going to help me root out a few spies. If we’re lucky it will be nothing more than some fool who gotten a little greedy, and needs some re-education.”

“And at worst?”

She lifted up a hoof, and it glowed a little red from the inside. “You make sure none get away as I clean house.”

I nodded, understanding what she meant. “So the M.o.A. hunt’s spies, good to know.”

Blaster Beam laughed, her synthetic voice almost squeaking. “We do more than that, far more than just that.” She gave me a you’ll see look, which made me a bit worried.

A railway cart appeared not long after, the pony driving it also having a M.o.A. pin on. As it turned out, we were going to use a more private rail line, not used by the common citizens. The other pony didn’t talk much, not that she needed to as Blaster Beam talked for the three of us through the whole trip.

Most of what Blaster Beam had to talk about where her interests, mostly boring to me. A lot of it had to do with her favorite show she saw as a filly, Pony Town, which I remember watching when I was younger. It was about six friends solving friendships problems, not a bad show, but after a long and slow decline in its popularity, the shows eleventh season marked when it went downhill hard. Blaster Beam’s hobby was collecting the figurines from the show, but dropped it after joining the republic. Now, from what she said, she just makes her own, including plush dolls.

She did talk about something that was interesting, and that was about her cybernetics. She didn’t say much, but she did say that they were prototypes. Her, Theremin, and Waterphone had experimental cybernetics, which was meant to give them an edge in combat. From seeing her and Theremin in action myself, I could attest to this fact. I was disconcerting that the Republic was planning on making more, but not surprising.

______________________________________

We arrived at our destination after some time, the driver simply leaving after dropping us off. Looking around, I saw a large sign that let me know I was at Friendly Town Station. “Why Friendly Town?” I asked mainly to myself.

“because the old name gave ponies the creeps.” Blaster Beam answered.

I chuckled. “Like what, dead pony station?”

She just shrugged. “Castle Rock, same as the ruins of the town above. I only know the name because I’ve been up there. It’s an odd looking town, from what’s left of it, something like the old east coast equestrian villages from a few old horror, and period movies.”

“So why the name change?”

She huffed. “Nopony knows, the history all went up in smoke about a hundred to a hundred and fifty years ago. Something about an old ghoul going nuts or something, before chewing on the electrical wires.”

I sighed. “You know; I don’t think I want to know more anymore. So where to… boss.”

Blaster Beam smiled. “That’s a good mare. Our first stop is to talk with the local security, see if they got a pony in lockup.”

Friendly Town Station had a lot in common with Trust Town Station, both were clean, had the propaganda posters everywhere, and had a pony population that would give us less then friendly glances when they thought we were not looking. Stable-Tec was good at what they did, but I wished they would add some variety to their underground constructions, all the gray made me depressed sometimes.

There was one thing that was different about this place, all the ponies here had piplegs. Not as well built as Minerva was, the legs were more of an old pipbuck attached to the prosthetic leg. Observing the locals as we passed, the pipbucks seemed to act a lot like an ID, or the E.C.S. pass card. They would use it to get food, pass through checkpoints, and even access terminals. I’d seen similar thing before, mostly involving high security in Orthrus, or sometimes with wealthy ponies who used pipbucks for extra security.

Using pipbucks for ID’s was nothing new at all, and was common practice in Orthrus over fifty years back. But like with all security method’s, the syndicate had cracked it, and had been using it to get around Orthrus. There was a big scandal because of that, and the general use of pipbucks as ID fell out of practice outside of controlled environments where the pipbucks can easily be tracked. Minerva itself was an old refurbished Orthrus pipleg from that time, probably how my sister could have even afforded it.

“Does everypony here have one of those?” I asked, pointing at one of the crude piplegs.

Blaster Beam looked over at what I was pointing at, back to me, and nodded. “Yep, citizens who have properly settled in get one as a sign that they have come closer to equality. It makes it much easier to use your E.C.S. pass card, as you install it into the leg, and it allows you to wirelessly access any terminal nearby. With it, if you are hurt it will call for a medical team, if you're lost it helps us find you, and if you’re in danger it will let ponies like me know, so we can come and help. Cool, right?”

I just nodded, keeping my expression neutral. To me it simply sounded like a tracking device, a very advanced, and intrusive tracking device. Not that most pipbucks weren’t like that, the older models were notorious with how easy it was to track and extract information from. Newer models, like the Orthrus pipbucks, were a lot more secure with the information it held, having their own encryption algorithms for private information. It could still be cracked, but the time and effort it took cracking just one Orthrus pipbuck made it an expensive endeavor.

I missed having Minerva on me.

Arriving at the security station, it was just as I thought it would be, but with more gray than blue. The ponies here had light padded armor, most had riot helmets, and were armed with batons, some with magical energy muskets. Their muskets were shorter, and had what looked like a scattershot lens at the end. It was not the most efficient way to set up a one shot rifle like that, but when dealing with a civilian population, intimidation was far more useful than efficiency.

The station itself had a less is more feel to it, with far fewer posters around here then anywhere else we had passed by. Deeper into the security station, we came to a spot where there were a few private offices’, and Blaster Beam began poking her head into them one by one, stopping at the third one down.

A mirage pony stallion sat behind the desk, reading some paperwork. Clean cut mane, and even cleaner uniform, he reminded me a bit of my father. Blaster Beam stepped in, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the stallion raised his hoof, cutting her off.

“Just a moment, miss.” He said, looking a little red in the face. “You can stop now lieutenant, we have company.” A loud thud came from under the desk , as though something had hit it.

More noise could be heard, it sounding like somepony shuffling under the desk, in small frantic movements. Soon a head poked up from under the desk, it was a strawberry pink mirage pony mare, with a lime green mane. Her uniform was disheveled, and had not been properly buttoned up, making her look like a mess. It didn’t help that she had some white fluid on her cheek. Standing up, the mare saluted “Lieutenant Kendang!” I pointed on my cheek where the fluid still stuck to her, and seeing me do this, she scraped it off her cheek, and licked it off her hoof, acting like nothing was wrong.

The stallion face hoofed. “Sorry you had to see that ladies, but why are you here?”

Blaster Beam took a few steps forward. “Detective Timpani, my name is Blaster Beam, of the M.o.A. and this is-“ She pointed at me. “-my assistant, Chime. We’re here to see the trouble maker you apprehended a few days ago.”

Timpani, raised an eyebrow. “Fife? If there was anything more to interrogate out of her, we would have already done it.”

Blaster waved her hoof dismissively, and smiled. “Oh no, no. We just have a few questions. I doubt she would know anything about what we're after.”

Sighing, the detective rummaged through his desk pulling out some keys. “You know what, I don’t care. Just don’t leave a mess or anything, and bring back the keys. You M.o.A. are all just bad luck for us regular folk.”

Sliding the keys to her, Blaster Beam placed them in her pocket. “Good stallion, now go back to getting your staff waxed, I’ll just throw the keys back in on my way out.”

We left the two, and made our way to another part of the security station. The few guards that were on duty, simply got out of Blaster Beams way. Truth be told, I’d do the same, the guns coming out of her back were pure intimidation.

Finding, and entering the cell of Fife, the mare was a cream yellow pony, with a purple and light blue mane. Overall on the cute side. “Can I go yet?” her voice was a little squeaky, adding to her cute demeanor. “I swear I didn’t know, not at all.”

Blaster Beam rolled her eyes. “Kid, from the information I got, you damn well knew whoring yourself out like that would get you in trouble.”

The mare snorted. “I was not; it’s called the marefriend experience. There was no whoring involved.”

“Ya ya, whatever. That’s not what I’m here for.” She stepped up to the younger mare, and Fife backed up onto the wall. “I want to know about your friend Quena, and where to find her?”

Fife looked away from Blaster Beam. “I… I don’t know, we haven’t talked in like years. Not after she met somepony new. A stallion I think, never met the pony.”

“Anything else?” Blaster pressed.

“Ahh…” Fife looked over at me, and I just shook my head. “Yes, there is one thing. She took me to where she was meeting the stallion once, the residential tunnels behind the water processing plant. I think he lived there, or at least close.”

Blaster backed away. “Good, that's enough for me.”

Fife sat up on her bed. “So, am I getting out of here?”

Chuckling, Blaster stepped out of the cell. “I’ll talk to somepony about it.”

Blaster Beam didn’t mention it to anypony, and simply tossed the keys into the detective’s office, and left. From the sounds coming from the room, the two security officers were probably having rough sex, of which I was glad not to see.

“Wait, if everypony has a pipleg, then why do you need to ask about the mare’s location?” I felt it was a fair question. And possibly something I could use if I ever needed to slip away.

“Her signal went offline a few days ago, security was sent to check on her last known location, but she was missing. The I.o.E. thinks foul play, the M.o.A. thinks she’s in contact with a spy.” She gave me a confident look, the kind that a pony gives when they know their right. “I’ve seen it before, ponies suddenly dropping off the grid, only to reappear a few days later. In many case it’s just the pipbuck acting up, but sometimes it’s spies.”

Thinking about it, it didn’t add up for me. “How do you know she is involved with spies?”

Blaster Beam laughed. “They all are. My theory is that the malfunctions are just false flags meant to throw us off, so to get security lazy about checking up on the ponies who fall of the network. When the spies are sure security is no longer looking for them, that’s when they take the pony to their hideout. We just need to find Quena, and get her to take us to the spy.”

“That… makes sense.” I said, thinking that it made sense in a paranoid kind of way. But I had to ask. “Any proof?”

She shrugged. “None yet, But I know that those piplegs aren’t some cheap knockoff. I asked a contact of mine in the M.o.A.S. and they told me that even striped down, the pipbuck legs that the republic makes don’t malfunction unless damaged or tampered.”

“I’m guessing that they weren’t damaged?”

Blaster shook her head side to side. “Nope, barely even a scratch from what I’ve heard.”

We practically had to walk to the other side of Friendly Town Station, which was not that far distance wise, but over two hundred years of it being lived in, most stations were a maze to get around if they didn’t have a main street, this station didn’t. So after having to pass through two separate residential tunnels, and the market place, we arrived at the water processing plant. Providing clean water for the rest of the station, it was easy to recognize with all the pipes poking out of the old tunnel. I didn’t poke my head inside, so there was no way for me to know how the place was being powered. If I had to guess, it was probably pony powered.

Like what we were told, behind the plant was another residential tunnel. The small homes were neatly built in parallel lines and stacked on top of each other. On one side of the tunnel was were ponies used to wait for the train, now turned into an extended housing zone, making the area feel bigger than it really was. Looking at the whole place made me appreciate living in a newer tunnel, where they made more room for housing then what these ponies had. Though it was still far better than the shanty town of Charon’s Stop.

Blaster Beam hoofed me a paper wrapped box. “Okay. You get looking, I’ll keep an eye out.”

“And The box?”

She rolled her eyes. “Right, need to explain the plan more. You're delivering the box to this Quena, but can’t seem to find her, and need to ask the ponies here if they know her. Mail ponies are known for their determination, so it shouldn’t raise too much suspicion.”

I shook the box, finding it light as a feather and probably empty. “So why not use a mail pony for this?”

“We did, but they can’t spend all day on one package, and no clue. So I’m using you.” She pushed me into the tunnel. “Now stop asking questions, and get to work.”

The plan seemed solid enough, except for the fact that most ponies were not at home, and I was not a mail pony. The first few doors I knocked at remained silent, the lack of light coming from under the door was probably a good sign that nopony was home. Skipping the homes that were probably empty, I when straight for the ones that were obviously occupied.

The first pony was a very thin mare, who looked at first hopeful, but annoyed when I told her what I was there for. The mare didn’t know a Quena, and slammed the door on me, when I tried to press for more questions.

The second was another mare, Mostly dark gray on light gray, and very tired looking. I had to admit that she had lovely blue eyes, too bad they were a bit red, and had heavy bags under them. She didn’t know a Quena either, and promptly fell asleep standing up. Feeling neighborly, I helped the mare back into bed, tucking her in. On my way out I could see she had a fair collection of the poster cards that Clarinet obsessed a bit about.

Third was a stallion with a filly on his head. He was friendly and polite, talking much like Clarinet did. Sadly, he hadn’t heard of a pony named Quena either, But he did point me in the direction of a pony who might, telling me that she “knew” everypony worth knowing about.

I knocked on the door that the stallion directed me too, and from behind it came the sound of rustling, and the sound of bottles falling over. The door opened to reveal an odd sight, A mirage pony mare dressed up in scanty nightwear, with a lab coat over it, and a bottle of what I could guess was alcohol on her head. “Heeey, *hic* are you here for a checkup, abit *hic* of a bad time… and place.” The drunk mare had a dark brown coat, and a golden blond mane. Red fishnet stockings covered her back legs, with a translucent black veil draped over her body, and red panties almost too thin to cover anything. I was glad that she had the white lab coat on, or I would have mistaken her for a prostitute.

“No, no.” I dismissively waved my hoof. “I’m here delivering a package for a miss Quena, but can’t seem to find her current residence, the most recent information on her states that she may have lived here. I was wondering if you knew where I could find her.”

The mare looked a little disappointed. “That’s no fun. *hic* I was half expending you to say that you have a big package for *Hic* me, and yada, yada.” She scratched her chin, before her eyes opened wide. “The name rings a bell, but I doubt I could *Hic* remember off the top of my head.” The bottle fell off her head and into her hooves. “Oh that’s where you have been! You bad *Hic* boy.”

A poor lead was better than no lead, that was what I hoped. “Well is there anything you can tell me?”

The mare paused for a moment, and shook her head. “*Hic* no, not here. But I may have a file on the mare. *Hic* at my office.”

I sighed, knowing what I had to do next. “Can you take me to your office, the sooner I get this delivered, the better.”

She squinted her eyes at me, and wobbled a little. “I don’t know, it’s my day off, and I’m a little tipsy.”

Scratching my chin, I had an idea that seemed real stupid, but I was in fuck it mode at this point. “I have some food supplement bars I can give you in return.”

The mare raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

I pulled out three of the bars, and hoofed them over to her. “Really.”

She looked at the supplement bars and shrugged, taking them, she threw them into her room. “Good enough” stepping out of her small house, shutting the door behind her. “Let’s go! *Hic*”

I face hoofed. “Names Vi… Chime, Chime Catbell.”

“Charmed.” The mare said with a wobbly bow, “My names Viola d'amore, the Obstetrician and Gynecologist, here in this station.”

______________________________________

Miss Viola was a confusing pony, and somehow though our walk she never once dropped the bottle of alcohol from her head, except when she was going to drink from it. She also didn’t bat an eye when Blaster Beam joined us, simply offering her a drink. Luckily for me, Blaster didn’t drink, having to do with her being mostly cybernetic, so getting drunk was something she simply couldn’t do, even if she wanted too. Supposably it was possible, but it takes ten times the amount of booze just to get her there, so it would be a waste of her bits.

The medical clinic this station had was a bit bigger than the one in Trust Town Station, with a few extra ponies working there. I saw at least two face hoofs from the staff as Viola trotted to her office, and one pony rise a hoof to say something to her, but dropped it and ignored her. I had a feeling that Viola’s outfit was nothing new, but still a bit out of the norm for a member of the medical staff.

“So walk around in your underwear often?” Blaster Beam asked Viola.

The medical pony smirked. “Every day, it’s just on my days off I go without the second layer. Not to sound like a nag, but most of the available clothes tend to be rough on my fur”

Blaster just shook her head. “And what you got on is so much better?”

“Oh don’t be that way, we all like to look a bit sexy now and then.” Viola said as she gave us a wink.

I wasn’t going to lie, even I had my own pair of black panties that I keep for special occasions. “But, don’t you normally dress sexy so that some other pony can see you that way. Not for getting drunk by yourself.”

Viola d'amore just stopped in her place, frozen in mid step.

I felt like I just hit the wrong button, no, I did just hit the wrong button “Ah… I mean it’s totally normal, nothing wrong with it whatsoever.”

She relaxed for a moment, and continued on. A short time later, we got to where her office was, though it looked more like the storage end of the clinic. Blaster Beam and I had to sit outside of her office, patient privacy and all that.

Looking back into the ward we passed, there were quite a few ponies laying down on the beds. None of them looked all that bad, but some had a hefty layer of bandages on. One pony had an IV drip attached to their neck, but still not looking all that bad.

“So did something happen?” I asked pointing at the ponies.

Blaster looked over at the group of injured ponies, and nodded. “Probably the tunnel collapse from a few days ago. It did happen near here, so it’s no surprise that the survivors are recovering here.”

“Oh, I remember hearing about that. Tunnel collapses are never fun, got caught up in one myself.”

“Sounds shocking.” She put up a fake gasp on her face. “So how’d you get out?”

“I got to an exit in time.” I rubbed my chin. “But got clocked in the jaw by a bandit soon after.”

Blaster Beam chuckled “Sounds like how my momma would say welcome home.” I raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed. “you know what, let’s not talk about our personal lives right now.”

I agreed, though mostly because if I gave out too much, I could screw myself over.

A little later Doctor Viola came out holding a folder. “I think this is the mare you're looking for.” She opened up the folder, showing a picture of a meek looking mare. She had a brownish gray coat, and a dull pink mane. “She went by the name Cajón, but I got a quick look at her E.C.S. pass card, and the name Quena came up.” She pulled back the folder to herself, closing it. “It was all strange, not just the fake name. She had come to me, thinking she was pregnant, of which she was not. Also she seemed quite drained of energy. I told her that she should rest up for a few days, and sent her home.”

Blaster Beam had a smile on her face as she stepped up to Viola. “Any information on where she lived?”

She shook her head. “Nothing I know for sure.” Flipping through the folders documents, Viola stopped on one page. “But I did test her fertility, and it was normal. So if she thought she was pregnant, she might have been spending time with a transsexual that hasn’t told her about themselves yet. I’ve seen it happen before, never ends well.”

Blaster huffed with an annoyed tone. “And where can we find this tranny?”

Viola rolled her eyes at Blaster Beam. “Don’t be testy, you’re looking for Uilleann Pipes. She used to live near me, but moved a few months ago. Last I heard, her place is near the old stairs to the surface.”

Giving me a wicked look, Blaster turned around and trotted off. I looked at Viola, who had a look of irritation and dissatisfaction on her face. “Sorry about that, maybe we can meet up later for drinks.”

“Rather not.” She said with a less than pleasant tone. “Your new right? Just a bit of advice, get away from the M.o.A. as soon as you can.”

I sighed. “You didn’t need to tell me that. For me, if I don’t get away… it’s not if, but when I’ll be a dead mare.” Trotting off, I picked up the pace to catch up to Blaster Beam.

______________________________________

“Good day dear citizens of our republic, this is Garmon Keys, here to bring you a message. No stories this time, though I do have one I’d love to tell, but no, a message. It’s about the dangers that the capitalists bring and the secrets and lies they use like a dagger, ready for your back or throat. You and I are but a knife's edge from being nothing more than livestock for the capitalists to trade among each other.

They go by many names; the impoverished, the low income worker, the peasant, and the wage slave. All of them are the same, all suffer the same, and we can all become them. They are the property of the capitalistic system, never to be nothing more than a slave without a color, and a nicer sounding name. If they do not do what their superiors tell them to, then they do not get paid. And without pay, death soon follows.

It’s a cruel system, that’s for sure. None say that disobedience is rewarded with death, but that’s what comes in the end. Be it banishment to the station Charon’s Stop, or starvation in an old abandoned tunnel, that’s the fate of those within the capitalistic system, who do not submit themselves.

The Capitalists use the idea of freedom, and the feeling of independence to place ponies under their control. They inspire competition to trick ponies into placing gilded chains around their neck, as they compete to be the most well-groomed slave among them all. The ponies who live under the rule of capitalists believe themselves to be different, expressing themselves in all manners of colors, skills, and artistry, but it’s all an illusion, as they are trapped in a lie.

There is no hope for them, not for the delusional ponies who live under the capitalists. Not without help. That’s where you, my little ponies, come in. You who know the world for what it truly is. You who understand that freedom is not truly freedom, that self-expression is but selfishness and lies. You who understand that alone you are weak, unable to do much but whimper. But we as a group, as a nation, are unstoppable.

You can save them; we can save them. But only if we remain strong, if we remain unified. Every one of us are but a small part of something greater. It is great that the capitalists fear us so, and wish to tear us down, piece by piece. This is why we must remain vigilant. We have not yet made it there, the strength to unify the metro, but it comes soon. Until then, the capitalists remain our biggest threat, seeking to enslave us all. To brainwash our foals into their ideals, and turn our mares into breeding stock for their ever disposable workforce.

So I remind you, stay vigilant. The capitalists are out there, but together we remain strong. This is your president Garmon Keys, wishing you good luck out there.

______________________________________

The old stairs. It was a general term among most stations referring to the stairway to the surface. After the end of the war, they were the most guarded and feared part of the station. Ponies trying to stay as far away from the toxic air as possible. The blast door keeping everything out, even the ponies trapped outside. And if the door malfunctioned, it meant a slow death for the station as it slowly became poisoned.

It would have been impressive to see back in those troubled times, with ponies on guard twenty-four-seven. It would have been the gathering spot for scavengers, as they geared up before leaving, or selling what they had found. I had seen a few old photos of it, showing a dark time were ponies still found joy in life.

But today, the old stairs are rarely such a place. Having been sealed off up at the surface, the worry of toxins getting in was minor now. Most salvage had been found long ago, and the large groups of adventurous ponies had been replaced by wild punga fruit farmers. Friendly Town Station was no different, except that it provided space for more homes, just like the ones I had been at earlier.

Once more Blaster had me go door to door looking for Uilleann Pipes. Luckily this time the first pony who opened their door knew who I was talking about, and pointed to the right door. Trotting up to the door, I felt a little apprehensive about knocking on it, but with Blaster Beam staring a hole through my head, there was no going back.

I knocked twice, and waited.

“Excuse me, just give me a moment.” It was the voice of a mare, semi-sweet in tone. The door opened, revealing a brownish gray mirage pony mare, with a dull pink mane. She was without a doubt the pony Quena. Her cyber prosthetics looked like they needed some cleaning, rusting a little near the joints, and a few exposed wires. Her pipleg looked just fine, though the screen was all black, unlike the rest I had seen. “How can I help you?”

Clearing my throat, I pulled out the package. “Miss, I’m delivering this to a Uilleann Pipes, is this pony home?”

Quena looked uneasy for a moment before looking me in the eyes. “S…sorry, Uilleann is not here right now, can you come back later?”

I nodded my head, and stepped back. “Good day miss-“

With a heavy hoof, Blaster Beam cut herself between us, making a loud bang on the door. Surprising myself, and Quena, the mare fell back onto her flank. “You must be the elusive Quena, Not checking in your pipbuck when it is broken is not something a good citizen would do.”

Quena looked panicked, her eyes darting about, setting them back on me. All I could do was shake my head, as Blaster Beam invited herself in. Knowing what to do next, I stepped in, closing the door behind myself. “Really, did you have to scare the poor mare like that?” Though I was more annoyed at getting startled myself.

She just rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me lip newbie, it may not look like it, but I’m a busy mare. The sooner we get this mystery done, the sooner I can move onto the next job.” Turning her head to the cowering Quena, Blaster smiled. “Now for you. Don’t worry, we just have a few questions to ask. Once it’s all over, we're just going to turn you over to security to get that pipbuck fixed. Do you understand?”

Quena nodded.

“Good.” Blaster found a nice chair to sit down on, and motioned for Quena to sit as well. “Now first off, why have you not gone and had that pipbuck of yours fixed?”

The thin mare was jittery to say the least, looking between me and blaster, quivering a little. I saw that Blaster was getting irritated, at her silence, grinding her teeth. Sighing, I stepped in, pulling out a supplement bar, and passing it over to Quena. “Here, eat this, you’ll feel better.”

Quena stared at the bar for a moment before she bit into it. We both waited for the mare to finished, Blaster looking more annoyed by the second. After what felt like almost a moment too long, Quena spoke. “It’s the headaches. Like somepony was trying to get into my head.”

Blaster Beam huffed. “And what does that have to do with your pipbuck?”

“I don’t know, but it stopped when the pipbuck stopped. I just wanted it to stop. I... I hurt myself to make it stop. But one day I took off my pipleg, and the pain stopped. But I needed the leg to move around, so... so...” Quena looked away.

“So you tampered with the pipbuck part of your leg.” Blaster asked, and Quena nodded. “Okay, Defective pipbuck. I’ve heard of that problem before, I’ll just put in an order for a new one. Now for my second question, who disabled the pipbuck for you? Who had the tools to even open it up?”

Quena froze. “I... I don’t know.”

“That’s hogshit, and you know it.” Blaster responded with a tone of irritation. “Now tell me the truth.”

The mare looked away in a slow jerky motion. “I... I don’t want to.”

Before Blaster Beam could explode on her, I raised my hoof up between them. “It’s okay, we're just trying to find the tools.” I gave Blaster a nod, hoping she would play along. “You do know pipbuck tools are not something a pony can easily get. Isn’t that right, Blaster?”

The cybernetic mare smirked. “Not easy to get is an understatement. We're here to just retrieve the tools, nothing more.” Quena slowly looked back at us. “Still you and this other pony are in trouble, but it’s only a minor offence. A slap on the hoof kind of trouble, that is as long as you work with us. So, who had the pipbuck tools?”

Quena sighed, and rubbed a tear from her cheek. “Uilleann. He said that he found the tools, and was going to try to return them as soon as he fixed my pipbuck. Until then, he told me to wait here, he’ll be back with something to help me.”

“Last question.” Blaster Beams face looked like it was holding back a huge grin, her mouth almost twitching whenever closed. “Can you take us to him.”

She looks at Blaster, and then to me, with a look of distress on her face. “I... I don’t… I… I can take you to where I last saw him.” She said the last part with a sigh.

The grin seemed to overpower Blasters face. “Good.” The cybernetic mare pulled up her saddlebag and hoofed out six talismans, passing three to me and three to Quena. “Install these first, for your safety.”

I looked at the talismans and sighed. “What do they do?” asking as I installed them into my right foreleg, and my two back legs.

“Simple really, one is for a telepathic link between you two, the other records the memories of what currently happening, and the third is a chameleon stealth unit, not as good as invisibility, but if things go wrong, you two can hide as I shoot the assholes that challenge me.”

So simply we were to record and protect any information we saw, simple enough. “Understood.” Looking over at Quena, she was slow at first, but eventually complied, installing the talismans.

It was like something throbbed inside my head, not enough to be painful, but too much to be ignored. ‘Can you hear me?’

‘ah… yes… why are you doing this?’ Quena thoughts had a waviness to it, the mare was trembling not just in body, but in mind.

‘Just stay calm, I have no doubt that once this is all over you will just have that pipbuck fixed, and you can return to normal life.’ The thought I sent her seemed to calm her down a little. Looking over at Blaster Beam, I gave her a nod. “looks like everything is working.”

The grin on Blasters face receded, but didn’t stop being unnerving. “Good, let’s move out.” She motioned for Quena to lead the way. “Miss, if you may, show us where you parted ways.”

Quena looked over at me for a moment, and then at the ground. “yes… yes, it’s not far from here.”

______________________________________

The tunnel we entered was darkened, to few lights to make it conformable for a pony to traverse through. To many places for a bandit or monster to hide in ambush. There were even places where the lights have gone out, making spaces of utter darkness. It was the one thing I liked about the surface, at this time of day there were little to no true dark spots, as the sun lit up everything it touched. Here, it felt like the sun had abandoned it, and darkness ruled.

“It’s just ahead, that’s where we parted ways.” Quena pointed out.

Blaster Beam trotted ahead of us, and motioned for us to stay put. “I’ll go scout it out, if things go well, there will just be a dead drop. So stay where you are.” She moved on, throwing on a cloak from her saddlebag, and disappeared into the darkness.

“She won’t hurt him will she?” Quena meekly spoke up.

Knowing as much about Blaster Beam as I have had come to know, she was probably going to kill Uilleann. Not out of any duty, or order, but because it was easy. Blaster Beam came off as rash and blood thirsty. So anypony who stepped out of line with her was endangered, even myself. “No, Uilleann will be just fine. So don’t worry.”

‘Oh thank Luna’ her though hit me with a wave of relief, something not normal with a telepathy talisman.

Something did not feel right about all this, and the pit of my stomach felt as low as it ever had been. Shaking off the feeling, I had no place to show doubt, or risk revealing that I’m not who I say I was. “We just need to wait here for her to return. If all goes well, she would have found the pipbuck tools, and we can move on.” Quena nodded, and we continued to watch the tunnel for Blaster Beam’s return.

Being next to Quena felt odd, like the blood vessels in my brain were pulsing. Not enough to be called a headache, but the feeling was hard to ignore. Not only that but my body tingled, like it was being poked by needles that didn’t hurt, just felt strange.

She looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. “Are you okay, you don’t look so well.”

I shook my head. “No, I think I might be ill. Might have been something I ran into a few days ago.”

Quena took a step back from me. “Oh I hope It’s not contagious, that would be terrible.”

I chuckled at her response. “Me too. I hate to be patient zero to a new plague.”

We took to either side of the tunnel keeping a bit of distance from each other, not wanting whatever had hit me to spread to her. With how easily a sickness can spread down here, it was common courtesy to keep your distance from others when sick.

Feeling a bit bored., I sent a thought out to Quena. ‘So, how did you meet Uilleann, he sounds real special to you.’

Luckily for me, she responded. ‘At first he was a client. I normally didn’t get stallions; it was so easy for them to get a mare that it was a bit strange to me. It started as a date, the next day we became more intimate. After a week I lost my virginity to him, it was the most magical night ever.’

Even from the other side of the dark tunnel, I could see that she was blushing. ‘Sounds romantic.’

I could hear her giggle in her mind. It felt wrong to me. ‘He was like no pony I had ever met. Everypony here is so concerned with their E.C.S. that they have no time to get to know a pony, not even my parents knew me. But Uilleann took time to get to know me, every part of me.’

‘Sounds like you love him.’ I added.

She held onto herself, almost like she was expecting an embrace. ‘I truly love him, love him more than the republic itself. If the republic fell tomorrow, it would not matter as long as I had my Uilleann!’

It was a bit much to take in, but somehow I could understand what she felt. To want another pony so close to you that it hurt, there was no feeling like it. ‘Then why lead us to him?’

A cold dread washed over me as she tried to answer. ‘I, I…’

‘you lead us away from him. Didn’t you’ I thought to her, and she nodded. All I could do was face hoof at her action. ‘You do know Blaster Beam will take exception to this.’

Quena nodded again. ‘But she will never find him, never.’

‘Then you do know what will come of this.’

She nodded for a third time.

We just stared at each other for what felt like hours, our thoughts bouncing between use, but neither of us sending anything worth remembering. It all made my head hurt, far more than it should.

The sound of hoof steps broke our mental deadlock, and Baster Beam trotted in with a smile on her face. “I found them!”

Quena mentally yelped, her mind holding in a panicked reaction. Blaster Beam slowly moving up to her, if strutting. The fearful mare backed away a little, but got stuck on the wall.

Face to face, Blaster Beam was almost close enough to kiss her. “You my little pony did well to share what you know. So do you know that that means.”

“N… No.” she said as she shook her head.

With an irritated sigh, Blaster pushed the mare back with her hoof. “It means you go free. Just turn yourself into security and hoof over the talismans. If you do that, and get that pipbuck fixed, then there is no reason for us to ever meet a second time. You understand?”

Quena nodded, and scurried away. Tripping as she started to gallop away, she was confused at what had happened, and so was I. Her thoughts were only of Uilleann, and she hoped that she had not just sold him out.

Trotting over to Blaster Beam, something felt off about this. “Did you really find our target back there?”

The grin on her face was fierce. “It would have been boring if I had. But no matter, we know where to find them now.”

I raised a eyebrow, but before I could ask a question to how, I saw Quena stop in her tracks. The mare looking back at us. ‘Tricked, but how?’ her feeling of worry became overpowering, and both of us realized right then and there. It was the talisman’s.

A scream of pain hit my skull as Quena fell to the ground, she tried to scream but nothing came from her, only a lick of pink flames. Even from this distance I could see her skin crack, and burn from within, engulfing her in magical flames. In the end there was nothing more than ash, and the death wail burned into my mind.

Feeling enraged, I turned to Blaster Beam, going face to face with her. “Was that necessary! Did she need to die!?”

She just chuckled at me, a chuckle that became a deep guttural laugh. “She didn’t need to live either, and this makes things easier for us. How else are you going to sneak into their little hidey hole?” her laughter cooled down, and so did my rage, only replaced with confusion.

“What do you…” Something was wrong, my voice, it was... different. “What did you do?”

Rummaging through her saddlebag, Blaster Beam pulled out a mirror, pointing it at me.

I didn’t see myself, I saw a brownish gray mirage pony mare with a dull pink mane, I saw Quena in my reflection. “What is this?”

“It’s transformation magic.” Blaster Beam said with a smile. “One talisman copied the other pony’s physical characteristics, the other copies the pony’s memories, and mannerisms. It takes some time for it to properly copy the other pony, but when it’s done, it’s hard to tell the differences.”

It all made me feel a little sick. “But why kill her?”

She groaned in annoyance. “Because we can’t have two Quena trotting around, get with the program!”

Almost on cue, my body took a step back and cowered at Blaster. “S… Sorry.”

With a sigh, Blaster Beam walked up to me, and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You’re doing well Chime, and Welcome to the Ministry of Awesome.”

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest progression: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship. (60%)

Chapter 20 - A Game of Deception

It all felt wrong to me, like somepony had replaced my skin with that of another pony. Not just my skin, but eyes, tongue, heartbeat, my everything. It was not just my body that had changed, but my mind felt scattered a bit, with small flashes of memories that were not my own, and feelings of fear that were not normal for me. The feeling of fear I had for Blaster Beam was far different than that of Quena, as I feared being found out and executed, her fear was for the ponies she loved getting hurt.

The magic involved in the transformation was extensive, and the talisman must have been expensive to make. It couldn’t have been a mere prototype either. To give it to me would have been too much of a risk, so it must be part of a test batch at best, or at worst part of a series of new talisman’s that the republic now uses. Something like this would be of huge value to any interested party.

Sadly, the biggest thing on my mind was the third talisman given to me, which was the same one given to Quena. The only thing left of her was her poorly maintained prosthetic legs, except for the one that got the third talisman, it was half melted to where the talisman was installed. It was without a doubt a kill switch, and I had one too, and I doubted I could take it out without it triggering. Not that there were ways to prevent that talisman from killing me, detaching my back leg would do the trick, but it would put me in the bad position of being under suspicion.

Blaster Beam had me by the metaphorical balls, and she was enjoying every minute. It was the look on her face, and the skip in her step that told me everything I needed to know. She was like a mare who had four aces at the poker table, and another player just went all in. I on the other hoof felt uneasy, and the bit of Quena that was in my head made the feeling even worse.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

The smell from the kitchen was a bit overpowering, as though the cook was purposely burning the punga fruit, giving the place a bit of a sickly sweet smell. Not that I would openly complain about it. This bar was the only place a pony could go to get some alcohol that was not made from mushrooms, and the best place to get an easy mark.

Fife and I tried to work the normal bar, but the ponies who would drink mushroom vodka were only interested in getting drunk before going to sleep. Here they were more willing to have some fun, and were willing to give a young mare their time.

Two ponies trotted in, both stallions, or at least they looked like stallions. Androgyny was annoyingly common, so we often had to play ‘who has a dick’. Fife and I stepped out to greet the two ponies, hoping that they were interested in spending some time with a young pretty mare.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Shaking my head, I returned to reality. Whatever this talisman had done, it made me feel dirty. I have had heard of memory orbs, but from what I had been told about them, it was like looking through the eyes of the pony the memory belonged to. This memory talisman felt more like I was Quena, and it felt... wrong.

Other than the random memories, I also knew things I didn’t before. The station itself now felt familiar to me, and some of the ponies we passed, I knew their names. I also knew were Quena last met Uilleann Pipes, and even what he looked like.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

What luck, the Stallions agreed to hang with us, even buy us drinks. They didn’t even ask if we were old enough to drink, unlike the other asshats. The stallion next to me had this vibrant green coat, and a fiery red mane, almost too good looking to be real.

“So, what’s your name stud?”

The stallion chuckled. “My name, is Uilleann Pipes, what about yours.”

I couldn't help but giggle. “That name is doubleplusgood… I’m Quena.”

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Ya, the random memories were not going to be fun. Luckily Quenas memories felt a bit fuzzy and jerky, so I doubted that I was going to have a piece of Quena stuck within me. Though the old mare’s tales still bugged me, like viewing a memory orb too long can imprint the piece of that pony onto you for good. There were even a few horror movies about it, but the science said that it couldn’t happen. It didn’t stop me from feeling a bit worried.

Shaking it off I continued on to my new destination, Blaster Beam now keeping far back, possibly just sitting back and relaxing. She had activated the ID tag of the pipleg on me, so now as long as I had the leg, she and everypony in the M.o.A. knew where I was. So I went from having a feeling of isolation, to having hundreds of eyes on me. Oh joy.

It didn’t take me too long to get to where I was going. Shortcuts were everywhere if a pony knew where to find them, and Quena knew a lot of them. I found myself just outside of the entrance to tunnel that had collapsed a few days before. The ponies on guard were armed with Magical Energy Muskets, and had them at the ready which kept a constant humming coming off of them. Other than the guards, there was a rusty chain-link fence haphazardly put up in front of tunnel held up by a few barrels, and probably the hopes and dreams of the guards.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

I stood at the entrance of the old service tunnel, Uilleann embracing me in a hug and kiss. The old light bulb from the tunnel gave off a dull yellowish hue, and seemed to drown out almost all the color here, making everything look like it was in black and white. It made me feel like we were in that old romance movie that he had found for me.

Uilleann broke it off, and took a step back “Just stay at my place for now, I should have a solution by the time i get back.”

I shook my head, not wanting him to go. “But can’t we just go and get the pipbuck replaced, it’s just a headache.”

Sighing, Uilleann turned away from me. “You had a seizure last time Quena, and that was from your replacement pipbuck leg. No, I need to do this or you’re going to die.”

“But… but what if they find me before you get back. Shutting down the pipleg is plusungood.” I took a step toward him, but Uilleann simply raised a hoof in my way.

“Just do as they say, don’t worry about me, I’ll deal with them when the time comes.” Uilleann trotted off into the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

“Fuck.” I whispered to myself. If I was going to get through this without Blaster Beam flipping her shit at me I needed to find Uilleann or at least a clue to where he was. I doubt I’d find anything by rushing into an unstable tunnel, except my death. But sitting here doing nothing was not helping either.

Sighing, I decided to do the one thing I could actually do. And that was to ask the guards if they knew anything. Having had done guard duty myself, I knew that it was a boring and thankless job. When their job came to seeing other ponies, it ranged from seeing almost nopony, to seeing so many ponies that their faces tended to blend together. But I also knew that a lot of gossip did pass through them, so I just needed to be nice enough for them to share.

Quena meekness seemed to overpower my own confidence as I stepped up to the guards. No, not overpower, it was more like I was suppressing myself, and letting the memories of Quena fill in the void. “excuse me… so…sorry to bother you, but can I ask you a question?”

The mare on duty was covered up completely, her head in an old gas mask that seemed to be a bit too bulky to be comfortable. The reason why was easy to understand. If the air suddenly became poisonous, they can respond to it, instead of being the first victims. “Go ahead ma’am.” The guard said with a muffled voice.

“Thank you.” I said with Quenas meek voce. “You see, my special somepony left through this tunnel a few days before it collapsed, and I was wondering if you might have heard of him. You see, he’s a stallion, so you can’t miss him, name’s Uilleann Pipes?”

The guard looked to her partner, exchanging looks for a moment before looking back took me. “A stallion you say… We might have. What did he look like?”

“Green coat, red mane. You can’t miss him.”

The guard chuckled for a moment. “Sounds like a catch, but sorry, no I have not seen him. I can put a call out, see if another guard has.”

“Yes, that would be doubleplusgood.”

“Right and your name miss?” The guard asked.

“Quena.” I answered, making me wonder just how many names I will go through before this was over.

“Now sit tight, I’ll put a call out.” The guard hoofed out her radio and made a call.

Carefully observing the guard, though trying to avoid appearing to doing so, I saw that she had switched the frequency of the radio before putting a call out. It was subtle, but it was something I had seen done before. Commonly done when fucking with civilians, or sending a message to a different pony then the other guards. The thing was, you never did it when dealing with another guard pony, as we all knew the trick. A voice called back on the radio, so I at least knew she was not talking to dead air.

I did as the guard told me too, but with the knowledge that it didn’t go to another guard. I wasn’t being sent away, which was good, but something was up. Despite my worry I had to follow through with this, I was probably a dead mare otherwise.

Fiddling with the pipleg that I had, it made me miss Minerva. Though a bit old fashioned, the cyberleg was sturdy and reliable. This leg I could walk on at least, so that was good. With a crackle, the radio turned on, and marching band music began to play. I was having a hard time telling what song this was, as most of the music here sounded the same, all marching band music.

The music died down, and the unexcitable DJ of the republic began to talk. “Hello citizens of the republic! I’ll have more music for you later, but right now I have a public service announcement. Beware of capitalist spies, they are as cunning as they are cruel. They seek to infest your mind with their poison, to get you to not see yourself as equal. To get you to put yourself above others, and be more like them.”

“One method is the cocktail party. Seemingly innocent at first, a get-together with food and drink, talking about what interests you. But when your guard is down, they will whisper doubts into your ears, never outright questioning the republic, just voicing small complaints. But that’s how it always starts. The small complaints will only grow, until they have you wondering if the republic should be burnt down, it’s people killed. That’s how a cocktail party works, you go in as respectful citizens, and walk out as terrorists.”

“If you see this happening, don’t be afraid to report it to your local security officer. Vigilance is what keeps us safe in these troubling times, and will be rewarded. The capitalists may try to tear us down, but together we are strong, stronger than they could ever imagine.” Music slowly faded in, and I felt even more paranoid now. What was the equalist word for all this, Untrue, doubleplusuntrue. Though I would rather call it a hog shit fucking lie. As far I knew, Pineapple Island and Orthrus didn’t even want to touch the republic, or at least they were more interested in letting the republic collapse in on itself.

After a while had passed I turned off the radio, the marching band music was starting to blend together, and become background noise. That’s when I saw a guard pony come out of the old damaged tunnel, covered in dust, and armed with a modified digger gun. The pony was still in full gear like the others, but it was easy to tell that the guard was looking at me.

“Miss, can you come with me for a moment?” The dusty guard pony called to me, as he turned to a nearby shack. Getting up, I trailed behind him, the shack we were trotting too look like a simple rest spot for guards. Inside was a cot, and a radio, but nothing more than that, so yeah, a rest spot for the guards. “If you take a seat ma’am.”

Taking a seat on the cot, my hooves just about reaching over the edge, I looked at the guard who sat next to me. I could hear a sigh from the guard, and she took off her gasmask.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Uilleann and I wrapped ourselves in an embrace, the smell of his….

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Shaking my head to bring me back to reality, my heart thumped. Sitting next to me was Uilleann Pipes, the stallion Quena loved. So much it made my heart hurt. “It’s you.”

“It’s me.” He said, his voice a bit raspy, probably from working in the tunnel. “Why are you here?”

Now it was time to put this disguise to use, and hopefully move on from here as soon as possible. “They’re after me!” my voice quivered, and my body shivered. Quena’s feelings of fear and loneliness washed over me, my own knowledge of her death fueled the fear. It was almost as though Quena was still alive in me, and didn’t know that she was but a memory. “Take me with you, I just know they’re going to kill me.” Hugging Uilleann, it was like a dam had burst as I started crying into his chest.

A gentle hoof patted me on the head, and another held me tight. “It’s alright, stop crying, I’m here for you.”

“What am I going to do? They’re going to find me, and… and.”

Uilleann held me a little tighter. “It’s okay now, I know a place where you can stay. Just come with me and everything will be alright.” He got up, and pulled out a box from under the cot. Inside was another large gasmask, and the uniform that went with it. “Put this on, we need to go as soon as possible.”

Doing as he said, I slid on the uniform and followed Uilleann out of the shack. The two guards that were at the tunnel entrance were waiting for us, and two more guards had shown up in the normal uniform.

“Thanks for giving us a heads up.” One of the new guards said with a smile on his face. It was one of the more forced smiles I tended to see on most ponies around here. “It’s uncool that you have to go back in there, but plusgood that you're willing to do it.”

One of the gasmask guards chuckled. “We're just glad you can cover us, can’t have some foal wandering in and getting hurt.”

“Too true, if another colt falls down a well, it will be too soon. Thank goodness for the dog, or that kid would have died.” The replacement guard stated. “I hope the I.o.E. send us another, Lady is getting old.”

The gasmask guard rubbed his mask. “I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard that the I.o.E. is investing in advanced cybernetics. Maybe they can give Lady a new body.”

“Enough chatting, we need to move out.” Uilleann called out, and the two other gasmask ponies straightened up. “Sorry about how abrupt this is, but we need to check for a possible hole to the surface.”

Everypony saluted each other, and we were off. The old dark tunnel reminded me a lot of the tunnels on the big island. Luckily our masks all had torches attached to them, so our combined light held the darkness at bay, and allowed us to see most of the tunnel. Unlike on the big island, most of the vegetation around here came from fungus and not from tree roots. It also looked more like the tunnel was set up to have lights in it, but the collapse must have damaged the power line, making the lights stay dark.

Nopony said anything as I walked next to Uilleann. Any anxiety I was getting from Quena was easier to manage the closer I was to Uilleann. I would say that I didn’t understand what was wrong with Quena, but the fact that Blaster Beam killed her, I had methodically took her skin, and was with the pony she loved, this all made my brain hurt.

Looking up, I could see where some cracks had formed in the roof. The tunnel was defiantly reaching the end of its lifespan, even if it was probably made by Solaris. Centuries old paint, and some not as old paint had flaked off, adding to the dusty floor along with small bits of concrete. There was even garbage here and there. The very clean citizens obviously feeling that the old tunnel was not worth cleaning like their station. What surprised me the most, no not me, Quena, was a dead lurker hatchling. Unlike the sparkle-lurkers, this was one of the classic eight legged monsters. It looked like it took an energy blast, and almost half of it was burnt black. Around it was a few ash piles, some much bigger than others.

“What happened?” I said, pointing at the ash piles.

“Lurker infestation.” One of the guard ponies answered. “But we cleared it out.”

Uilleann got a little closer to me. “It must have happened after the collapse, and a connecting sewer tunnel must have opened up. The sewer tunnel looked like a lurker nest, so when the door broke open, the lurkers moved in to hunt for food.”

“Oh, does this happen often?”

Uilleann shook his head. “No… well not back a few years ago. The lurkers tended to stay along the coastline, but lately we have been finding more of them inland. They’re starting to become a bit of a pest.”

We continued further down the tunnel until we came to a blast door. It had survived the tunnel collapse relatively well, and opened up without much problem when Uilleann turned the switch. It was mostly dark inside, so we entering one by one, with Uilleann closing the door behind us.

“Just a little further around the corner. There’s a safe place there.” One of the guards instructed. I just nodded and followed them. Turning the corner, we entered a hallway that wasn’t too long, and at the end was a closed door. Knocking on it, the guard pony spoke up. “One pony seeks truth, two ponies seek love, and three ponies seek hate. We are the one’s who are like two, but seen as the three.”

I just raised an eyebrow as there was a long pause. With a clunk, the door opened and the dark hallway was bathed in light. Entering, I saw something I have never seen before… no, something Quena had never seen before I think. Past a bright hallway, was a bunch of hanging lines of beads, and some loud music, I found myself at a strip joint, much smaller than the Lucky Rabbit’s Foot, but very active.

“What is this?” I had to ask. This was definitely not something that the Republic would condone, so it had to be an illegal club.

“This is the Rad-Den, and your new home.” Uilleann said, as he took off his gasmask. I took off mine, and the smell of smoke in the room hit my nose hard. Tobacco was hard enough to get on the other islands, but here it felt like they were smoking it like it was going out of style. “Let’s keep going. You need to talk to the boss first.”

I just meekly complied, still a bit shocked to see what I was seeing. In the center of the stage was a stallion dancing on a pole, with almost everything on display, and a hat on. Ponies who were sitting down almost all had a partner leaning onto them, and there was a bar, with what I hoped was real liquor

As I moved along, the smoke, pounding music, and light faded to a less disorienting level until we entered a dim room. The room had little in it. Some photos, a painting, and a pony behind a desk. The pony wore a brown suit, and had a dark pink coat, with light pink mane, her brown eyes were enlarged by thick glasses. Something about her was familiar, but I just could not place it.

The mare took a long look at me, and as though the air deflated from her, her head hit the table. “Why is she here. Why did you bring her here?”

Uilleann ears drooped. “But she said she needed help.”

“And you bring her here, at this time? Did you not think that you could be followed?” The mare stated flatly, banging on the table as she talked.

Uilleann took a step back. “But I was thinking that-”

“No, you weren’t thinking, that was the problem.” Her eyes turned to me, and softened. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this. I will set you up with a room for now. And also, does your head still hurt?”

I shook my head. “It’s all fine.”

“Good, how about the rest of you?”

“I’m feeling okay, maybe a bit hungry.”

“Okay, one last question.” The mare’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

“I’m Quena.” A chill ran down my spine, like somepony was looking through me. “Why do you ask?”

The mare got up out of her desk, and trotted over to me. “I know a lot of things, like how to run a business, and why the Republic should have collapsed in on itself a generation back. But there is one thing I know the best.”

My eyes darted over to Uilleann, but he simply backed up out of my vision, forcing me to look at the mare in charge. “Is it about breeding dogs. I like dogs.”

With a silver flash of light, the mare burst into silver flames, it was only for a second, but it when it was over, another pony stood before me… Quena was standing before me. “I know how to disguise myself as another pony, better than most.” Her voive matching that of the fearful mare.

I held my mouth agape, and couldn’t find the words. The pony who became Quena motioned her head, and before I knew what it was about, something poked me in the neck. Stumbling about in shock, I managed to not trip over my hooves, no thanks to the cheap forelegs I had now. “What did you…” my head started to spin, and I felt fuzzy. Next thing I knew I was on the floor looking up, and then everything went dark.

______________________________________

Music played in the background, the old classical kind. Deep Dwellers played the music all the time, often claiming it was from a better time, a time before Mirage ponies. I like to think it was from a time before they fucked up the world. But I mostly thought it was a shame to use such lovely music as a propaganda tool for racism. It felt unfair.

Opening my eyes, everything was dark because i had been blindfolded. Sniffing lightly, wherever I was had a musty smell to it. Old, but lived in.

“Who are you?” A voice spoke up behind me. It had a cold feeling to it, like the pony had no life to them.

“I’m… Chime.” It was best to keep up the act, I didn’t know who I was dealing with. Likely the ponies who knocked me out. But that transformation, it was possible that it was another republic group. So a test maybe.

“Is that so. You are not lying are you?” Not the line of questioning I wanted at all, so I shook my head and hoped that they moved on. “A shame, here I was hoping to find a mare by the name of Vibraphone, such a shame.”

Shit, this was not good. “Sorry, but I don’t know who you're talking about.” Bluffing was all I had, I just hoped that this pony was not into torture.

“Well you look a lot like her, sound like her too. Care to explain?” The voice whispered in my ear, feeling as cold as they sounded.

I was just being toyed with now, but I did have one thing on my side, the fake memory. I just needed to bullshit my way through this, maybe. “Not that uncommon, I’ve seen plenty of ponies who look alike. We could have the same father, happens all the time.” Sorry dad. “I knew two ponies who got in a relationship, only to find out they were related.”

The other pony chuckled, not that they sounded amused, more like they were mimicking some pony who was amused. “Is that so. Then if you could, if you see her. Send miss Vibraphone a message for me.”

The blindfold came off, and I found myself in a large cavernous room. Surrounding me were books, parchment, and stone tablets. Slowy turning, I saw nothing but a black wall. “What is this?”

“Look up my little pony.” Slowly, I tilted my head up, the black wall went up high, turning into what was a large reptilian body. It was a gigantic black… Dragon, like in the old story books. Nothing like the the paradise dragons here on the island. This thing could crush a paradise dragon under one claw. “Let miss Vibraphone know this; Her time grows short, and soon her mask will fall. Move swiftly to your destination, or be dragged there. The one you bested in battle will soon return, stronger, more driven.”

The dragon's golden eyes gared at me, and it’s mouth open, showing rows of dagger like teeth. A gout of black fire poured out, surrounding me, engulfing me. It was not hot, nor did it burn, it only covered me in darkness, as though feeding on the light itself.

______________________________________

“Wake up thee!” a voice loudly spoke into my ear, making me flinch. “Valorous, we must discuss our plan to escape this lodging.”

“Don’t talk right in my fucking ear, you’re too loud.” I responded as I screeched out. Everything felt a bit numb, and my head felt a bit light. “What’s going on?”

Getting up, and rubbing my eyes, I was met by red eyes… glowing red eyes. “We has't beest imprisoned by shapeshifting ruffians. That’s what’s going on.” Taking my time to clear my head and understand what was going on, it came to me slowly at first, but soon became a flood of understanding. “wherefore doth thee behold at me that way?” Mayall’s face, despite it being made of chitin contorted into a look a look of confusion. “Doth I has't something on mine visage?”

I shook my head, and gave her a hug. “No, you’re fine… and I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” It was then that I found that I only had one foreleg again, and the hug was more me pushing my chest into hers. “If I didn’t take Turnip with me… if I’d just gone on my own.”

Mayall pushed me off of her. “Don’t taketh responsibility for mine subjects, those gents art mine, and mine responsibility. His actions art mine to shoulder, and to grieve.” She held herself firm, but tears formed from her eyes, and ran down her purple chitin. It was like a dam had burst, yet she held firm. “that gent kneweth what he wast doing, he always knew what to do to keep me safe.”

The Sparkle-Lurker princess collapsed into me, though smaller, she was decently heavier than me. All I could do was hold her as she kept crying, I didn’t know how to console the grieving, so offering a lap to cry into was all I could do. I myself couldn’t help but cry a little as well, but my connection to Turnip was not as strong or old as hers was, though losing him still hit me hard.

We stayed like this for a few minutes, though it felt like it was a lot longer. Mayall’s sobbing slowly stopped, and she just laid there in my lap for a bit longer. After some time, she got up and straightened herself out. “My apologies, the last few days have been… Stressful.

I chuckled. “You and me both. You would not believe how much of an ungood time I had.” Pain hit my cheek, making a loud smacking noise.

Mayall had slapped me, her face looking serious. “Don’t use such degraded words, it only limits your ability to think, and prevents you from questioning authority.” I stared at her blankly, and she frowned, well tried to as she scrunched up her face. “It’s from an old book by Boxer Orange, called Era forty two. It’s a fictional book about a pony living in a dictatorship that is pretending to be a democracy. One of the tools that the fictional government uses is betterspeek, which just removed words to the point that a pony could not express themselves. Some of the words their society reinforced was plusgood and ungood, so don’t use them!”

Sighing, I once again chuckled. “Ya, this place has been a real head-trip for me. I’m even seeing some black mare with golden eyes everywhere. So ya, it’s just shoot me in the head, bad for me right now.” Stretching out my back a little more, I now just noticed that I was in a cell, iron bars on one side, and concrete walls covering everywhere else. Checking myself, along with the pipleg, the rest of the talismans were gone, and I was naked, even striped of my underwear. “Great… I hope they give us some cloths soon.”

Mayall groaned. “I hope they give us some real food soon. I can’t eat that pink slime they give me. It has some kind of chem in it.”

“Chem?” I had to ask.

She nodded. “Like the kind made from punga trees. Chill I think. The amount is small, but I can still taste it.”

Finding a nice spot in the cell, one without a stain on it, I laid down. “So, you’re allergic to it or something?”

Shaking her head Mayall sat next to me. “No, it’s more that we just don’t like the flavor of the sap. We can eat the fruit, but the sap is no good. Mother says that we were born of an old punga tree, so eating the sap is like drinking the blood of our kin. That is why it tastes bad to us.”

It sounded like an old mare's tale, but I was willing to entertain the idea. “So you’re born from a tree?”

Mayall flicked her rubbery tail. “No, we are born from eggs. I am born from mother, making me a princess.”

“Wait, so most lurkers are born from eggs. But your mother carried you in her womb?”

“Yes” she nodded. “Mother says that it makes us stronger, and smarter. Other lurkers do the same, not all live after new lurker is born, so most just lay eggs.”

With a loud clack, our attention was drawn to the door to the room we were in as it opened. Out trotted the leader of the ponies of this establishment, still with her too thick glasses on. Two ponies stood at her side, one of which was Uilleann, who luckily no longer affected me. The mare stepped up to the cell we were in, close to the bars, and looked down at me.

With a sigh, she spoke up. “Why the fuck are you working with the Ministry of Awesome Miss Vibraphone?”

I raised a hoof to answer, but suddenly felt dumbstruck. “You know who I am?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was there at the fucking gun show, over at Ironshod Firearms.”

I face hoofed, only now remembering her face. “Ya, I recognize your face,”

“Good” she huffed. “Now tell me why you’re with the M.o.A.?”

“Long or short story?” I asked.

“Make it short, time is not a comfort we have right now.” The mare responded.

Taking a deep breath, I went over the events that led me here, keeping to more simplified explanations. Starting with how my mission to the radio tower blew up in my face, and eventually ended up among the equalists. I didn’t need to go over in detail about my time with Clarinet. What interested the mare the most was my search for Quena, and her later death, Uilleann didn’t respond, but the mare did show some sorrow on her face over the news.

“Thanks for sharing, it’s troubling that they have developed such talisman’s, we will have to develop a counter for them soon.” The mare motioned to Uilleann, and he opened up the cell door, it making a grinding noise as it slid open. “Both of you out. We need to take you somewhere safe. Longer we’re here, the worse things will be.”

Mayall stepped out with me, not looking all that happy. “So fake ponies now treat me with respect. I should feel so blessed.” Her head was held high, but the pompous attitude was soon ruined by a gurgling noise coming from her stomach.

I face hoofed. “I got some snacks in my saddle bag, you can eat them.”

My heart skipped a beat when we entered the next room. In an open box was all my stuff that I thought was lost after being found by the equalists. My scarf and hat were still in good condition, and my guns were safe inside their gun case. The Fire Bug was even still here to my amazement. It just filled me with hope, not just that I can get home, but to stay sane as well.

My pipleg was there as well, oh fuck ya my pipleg was here. “That better be in good condition!” I said, pointing at the leg.

The leader nodded. “We had to check it for any tracking devices. We didn’t find any, so take it and go.”

With a wobbly skip to my step, I picked up the leg and shoved it into my side. Bracing myself for the feeling, I concentrated my magic into it, it flowing through me like warm water, into the empty space that the leg was attached too. Opening my eyes, the hud display was back, only appearing for a few seconds before fading away until I needed it. “Minerva, do a quick diagnostic.”

The pipleg beeped, and some data scrolled in my vision for a second. “Bioscan shows that you have trace amounts of chems in your system, and are at risk of minor addiction. Several hairline fractures in your skull, which have healed. You are advised to still seek proper medical attention at your earliest convenience. That is all.” Better than I thought it would be, but still not all that good.

Moving the leg around until I felt satisfied that it was working properly, I then turned my attention to my other stuff. Sadly, there was one big problem. By having all this stuff on me, I’d stick out like a loose nail anywhere I went. I was still going to have to keep it all hidden until I was out of here, or risk finding myself executed for espionage. With a heavy sigh, I pushed it all away and threw on my gray jumpsuit and the overalls I had gotten from Clarinet. I was going to least keep one thing on me, and that was my Lunar Eclipse. Putting it under the denim overalls it would stay fairly unnoticed. Placing the two cartridge holders next to it as well gave me eighteen bullets to use if this ever turned ugly.

I let Mayall hold onto the rest of my stuff. Though she had been less than happy about it at first, after shoving a supplement bar into her mouth, she was a lot more compliant. The next problem was passing the Sparkle-Lurker off as a pony. Pineapple Island may not have cared about Turnip all that much, but here in equalist territory that was going to be a problem. Luckily, it was not too hard of a problem with all the clothes Clarinet had gotten for me. The thigh high socks, a turtle neck shirt in the bunch along with some pants, along with a jacket over all of it, now she could pass for a pony. An odd looking pony, sure, but still a pony at the very least.

Her fin like mane and tail had a slight glow to them, but they could pass off for a normal mane and tail as long as nopony took a closer look at them. However her eyes, they also had the red glow, and would probably be a problem. Luckily, the ponies here had a pair of welding goggles which fit nicely around her head.

“How do you feel, Mayall?” I asked in a polite tone.

“Overly dressed. Why do you ponies wear so many clothes?” She threw a question back at me.

I had to think about it for a moment. Knowing our history, clothing was never such a big thing before the great war, and a lot of old picture’s showed ponies wearing not much more than a hat and a scrap of cloth. “Tradition mostly.” I said with a shrug. “But it does separate us from the more savage ponies.”

“I see. Back at the nest, back home, I let others use clothes to help separate ourselves.” Mayall said with a bit of a quiver in her voice. “It’s not that we can’t tell who is who, even if most of us look the same, we still know how to tell each other apart. But, I want everyone to be their own, to express themselves and not all be just the same.”

“Let me guess, your sister does not think so?” Remembering what Turnip had told me, the older sister was a tyrant, so it would make sense.

Mayall nodded. “Yes, she sees that individuality only weakens the nest, but mother lets it happen. They argue about it regularly, and mother has been slowly giving up ground.” Sounded like a bad situation. No wonder Mayall had ran away, the writing was on the wall for the Sparkle-Lurker’s.

“I guess your only option is to split off then.” I thought out loud. “And take anypony who would follow you with you.”

Mayall huffed as we stuffed the rest of my stuff into the gun case. Luckily my more important items didn’t take too much room, and everything else would not be all that suspicious for her to have. To top it off, her having the firebug on her out in the open might just keep ponies from getting too close. “But where would I go? Home is the only place I know.”

Thinking about it for a second, I remembered something important. “Turnip did mention that he and a few other Lurkers were fixing up an old submarine, if you can find it, you could go to what’s left of Equestria.”

Mayall looked dumbstruck by my statement. The Sparkle-Lurker was frozen in place, I even waved a hoof in front of her, but got no response. Before I could get her to move, a pony galloped in, sliding on the floor, and colliding with a locker. “We’ve got to go right now. Security is conducting a raid!”

“Let me guess, Blaster Beam is with them.” The pony looked at me a bit confused. “The pony with guns for wings and a gun for a tail.” The pony nodded franticly.

Another pony trotted in calmly, the leader of the group. “This could not be any more of a disaster then it could be.” She pointed at the pony who had ran in. “You, go get that monster pony to the extraction point, I’ll take miss Vibraphone with me.”

Mayall stomped her hoof like leg. “I’m no monster!”

The leader rolled her eyes, “Whatever you are, I’d rather the republic not to get a hold of you, so get moving!” The other pony lead Mayall away, closing a blast door behind them. “Now for you, we need to put on a show. Come with me.”

Putting on my gray saddlebags, I followed the leader to another room. “A show? I hope you don’t intend for me to sing, it’s not really a talent of mine...”

She sighed. “If only. No, sadly I have to have you play the good M.o.A. agent. Keep up the charade you’ve been doing. You understand, right miss Chime Catbell?” The mare pulled out my E.C.S. Passcard, and hoofed it to me.

I nodded. “Playing along is my only way out of here, unless of course, you have a way?”

She shook her head. “Normally, yes. However, it would be too dangerous right now, and the routes we use would be too difficult for a normal pony to pass through.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And what, you’re not a normal pony?”

She nodded, and was engulfed in a flash of silvery flames. Before me stood something closer to what Mayall was, but completely different. The not-a-pony was mostly brown with black dots and circles. She actually looked a lot like a moth with a fluffy chest, she had large brown wings that looked like they had eyes on it along with a white stripe going through it, and solid blue eyes. On the top of her head were two horn like things, which almost look like antenna’s. I was as in awe as I was shocked.

The not-a-pony sighed. “I am... we are known as changelings, though we call ourselves Ascalapha. As you have seen, and as the name implies, we were shapeshifters and can fly. So the places we can go, you cannot. My name is Sorrow Witch.”

“I… I… What?” I said with a nervous chuckle. “I’m sorry, but this is a bit much.”

Sorrow sighed. “Well, get it together because I need you to do something terrible.”

Something cold trickled down my spine. “what do you mean?”

She trotted over to the side of the room and hit a button, it opened a window that had a few ponies waiting in it, guns at the ready. “You’re going to need to kill a few of us in front of the security team that’s coming.”

I froze, trying to process what she had just told me, but it was just not clicking in my head.

“You’re going to stage your own escape, but to make it believable, some of us need to die.” Sorrow open up a box, and hoofed out a magical energy musket. “Don’t worry about us, we’ve sadly had to do this before. The plan is to have them see you before we start blowing the supports, this will force them to retreat, but keep you in good with the M.o.A. so that you can join back with them later.”

Taking the musket into my hooves, I couldn't help but feel uncertain. “Are you sure this will work?”

Sorrow nodded. “The republic of today is about collective thought, not independent inquiry. Even their brightest are easily taken in by a flashy show. Good for keeping order, not so much for the making of a smart citizen.”

“But killing one of your own?” It just felt wrong that she was ordering me to do such a thing. “Is there another way?”

The moth like changeling simply shook her head. “Not without more time. So just sit tight, I’ll be in the next room. If it all goes well, then we may both be of help to each other.”

Holding onto the musket, and checking to see if everything was in the right place. Though bit crude looking, a lot of care went into these guns. “So anything else I need to know; like anything I should say?”

Sorrow nodded. “Just tell them to get you out of there, if they inquire more, tell them that you got away, but trapped yourself in this room. After that is when you need to use that musket.” With that she backed out of the room, and closed the door.

Alone now, I figured that I should test the musket out first, and focused my magic into it. The musket was simple just four parts, with the rigging, the focus lens, the generator, and beam case. The rigging was the simple part, holding it together, my hooves on the shaft and trigger. The generator took in the magical energy I was sending through it, converting it for weaponized use. Aiming the musket at the window, I pulled the trigger. In a second, the energy from the generator flowed into the beam case, powering the beam talismans inside. Busting out of the case, hitting the focus lens, keeping the beam from simply dispersing after a short distance. With the musket having two lenses, it would have a good distance, but still not the best accuracy. So with a twangy sound, the beam hit the blast window, leaving a blackened dent in the heavy glass.

The musket was powerful enough, easily disintegrating most ponies it hit. but it’s power relied on the generator, and the beam case, so rarely were there any small enough to be a side arm like my revolver. They existed, I knew that much, but they were considerably expensive. It had to do with higher quality talisman’s, and parts to make a small generator. The full muskets on the other hoof were cheap, and easily mass produced, so they were almost as common as the air guns. Air guns were just more popular due to how quiet they were.

My attention was drawn away by the sound of an explosion. Muffled, but it was definitely a boom. Focusing my magic into the musket, I inched toward the window, where I saw the door to the other room open up. Two ponies jumped out from a cloud of smoke, but one was hit by a beam and turned to ash before she hit the ground. The other fell into a defensive position at the side of the door, firing back with a digger gun from cover.

Her attempts to hide from return fire proved useless. Blaster Beam dashed out from the smoke, and as she skidded to a stop, she spun around and fired a pink beam from her foreleg, turning the second pony to ash. Her wings flicked around, one spotting me and fired. The glass protected me, but the sudden burst of light right at me was enough to startle me back onto my flank.

“Fucking shit Blaster, you could have killed me!” I shouted at her.

Blaster Beam turned her head to me, and smiled. “So there you are!” Stepping up to the glass, she pressed her face up on it. “What are you doing in there, Chime?”

Remembering what Sorrow had said, It wasn’t going to be hard to form a simple lie. So with a sigh, I opened my mouth. “To make a long story short, your plan sucked. I was marked as soon as I got here. Luckily this raid gave me an opening to get away, but I only managed to trap myself in here. Any chance you can get me out, I already tried on my end.”

She backed off from the window. “Impressive that you’re still alive.” Her eyes drifted to the blackened spot. “Must be blast proof glass, we would need a circular saw to get you out.” Two security ponies stepped out from the smoky doorway, and saluted Blaster Beam. “Looks like you’re just going to have to just sit there and be pretty. We will have to clear out this place first.”

There was a small tremor, flakes of concrete fell from the ceiling, and the lights flickered. “I don’t like the looks of that.” I commented. “You think you can work fast?”

Blaster Beam had a look of pure annoyance on her face. “No it doesn’t. I guess it just means that we have to work fast.”

The room shook again, and a crack formed on the ceiling. That’s when the door to my room opened up and Uilleann ran out. “You!” he shouted. For a moment I could see the look of fear on his face, but he quickly forced it to that of anger. “You murderer. I’ll kill you for what you did to Quena!” It did look like he was forcing the anger, yet it seemed that there was some hate in his voice.

I lifted the musket at him. “Sorry.” He charged, and with one blast, I turned him to ash. Even as he disintegrated, he was looking me in the eyes. Fear, Despair, Hate, I think I could feel them all from the look he was giving me.

There was another tremor, bigger than the last. One of the security ponies pressed the lever on the door but it didn’t open. “Mam, it’s locked, or jammed. Don’t know which, but it’s not going to open.”

Blaster Beam rolled her eyes. “It’s just one of those days.” She looked me in the eyes, and motioned to the open door on my side. “Chime, you get moving and save yourself. If you get out alive I’ll be expecting a message on the network, I’ll add you as a contact, now get moving before this place collapses.” There was another tremor. “Now!”

Not feeling like waiting around until this place became my tomb, I ran out the door. There was so much dust in the air now, that it felt like I was back in the big island's tunnels. Luckily, Sorrow was waiting for me in another doorway, throwing me a gas mask when I got close.

“let’s move, we have a few minutes at best.” She told me as she slipped a gas mask over her own face.

Putting on the mask, I followed her down a hallway. “Why cut it so close?”

“Stupid question.” She spat back at me. “We simply have no time to spare, not with that mad mare out there. If we give them any time, they'd kill us all, so stop asking and gallop.” We rounded a corner, and through the next room. The doors were all open, probably to make it easier for others to escape. There were two other ponies ahead of us, hauling two very packed saddlebags, which luckily were not slowing them down.

With another ferocious tremor, the room behind us caved in, spewing a cloud of dust that we now had to outrun.

It was as if the entire facility was now trying to swallow us up. Cracks forming all around like it was breaking itself just so it can move the insides like a mouth, the dust cloud behind us like sick bile being spewed up at us. There was even water bursting through pipes and cracks like saliva, obviously salivating at the idea of eating us alive. The most mane raising thing was the noise the tremors were making, a combination of a groan and a roar. In the short time we ran for our lives, this whole place seemed to come alive like a massive, hungry monster.

With a crash, the two of us managed to make it out and into what looked like a service tunnel. Behind us became nothing more than a wall of rubble with some water seeping through. Trotting up to the mess, my heart pounding with adrenaline, I kicked the rubble. “Didn’t get me, ass hat!” The rubble shifted, and I was startle by it enough that I hopped back. It still had some life to it, the cunning beast.

“You’re gloating at a pile of rubble.” Mayall spoke up, her voice a bit muffled. Turning to see the Sparkle-Lurker, reality finally set back in, and I felt a little embarrassed. “Did you hit your head?”

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath. “I hope not, but I haven’t felt normal for days now.” Looking around, the tunnel we were in looked a bit cruder than the last, but still sturdy. It didn’t have the ancient call signs of Stable-Tec, or Solaris. It didn’t even look like the newer tunnels made by the Republic. “Where are we?”

Sorrow Witch placed a hoof… appendage… whatever it was at the end of her leg that looks like a hoof, but is not a hoof, on the wall. “It is a tunnel dug out by my people. We call it a migration tunnel.”

Looking at it, it was not as wide as most other tunnels, at most three ponies could walk side by side without touching the walls or each other. The ceiling had many supports to help hold it up, made of stone, and looking like it came from castles I’ve seen in old story books. It also had some internal lighting, though it was spread very far apart, with long stretches of darkness in-between.

“Can I get out of the republic through here?” I couldn’t help but ask, just skipping all this bullshit, and going home to a warm shower was well worth every bit I had right now.

Sorrow shook her head. “Sorry, but this tunnel only goes to another republic station. We had one tunnel that connected a free station to a republic station, but recently the station has been annexed by the republic.”

I felt some of the air deflate from me. “Never a lucky break. So where are we going?”

“Fishery station?” She stated. “Not one of the best stations, but the republic’s presence is not as strong there as it is in other stations, so we can relax there for a day or two.”

“Fish!” Mayall spoke up. “I could go for some fish. And here I thought ponies only ate food from a package.”

Sorrow looked a bit confused by the Sparkle-Lurkers response. “Ah… no. No, Fishery station is connected to an old aquarium and oceanic life research station. Simply, it’s for ponies to look at fish, not eat them.”

Mayall looked a bit annoyed. “Of course pones would just look at fish. Actually doing something productive or interesting would be too much for them.”

Feeling a bit irritated now, I put a hoof on Mayall’s flank, and pushed her along. “Let’s just get moving before some mole pony pops up, and we form a merry band of freaks.”

“Mole ponies? Like the kind in the Captain Andromeda comic? Surely they are not real… right?” Mayall sounded a bit concerned.

I just shook my head. “Let’s not tempt fate.”

The two of us followed Sorrow down the tunnel, being the last in what might be a long line of ponies. Though dark, eerie, and cold, I felt a lot more comfortable now. Like, for the first time in days I could let my guard down. Still, we were only trotting along to another equalist station, but for now, I could take in the freedom to be myself.

Strange that freedom came in the form of a long, dark, and narrow tunnel. I must be losing my mind...

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest progression: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship. (80%)

Chapter 21 - Reef Front Property

The tunnel came to a end in another shady looking joint. This one looked like a bar, but with large booths, in which the few ponies that were here sat close to each other. The bar looked like it offered a choice of drinks, but from what they had on the wall, there was at best two kinds of alcohol, and the rest were flavoring. Seeing one of their Daiquiri’s made my mouth water a little.

“Mayall, one moment.” The Sparkle-Lurker dutifully stopped, her head slowly looking around, eyes bouncing from one spot to the next. “I need to recover a few of my bits”

Mayall dropped the gun case on the ground, letting me open it and look through. “Why need the bit’s. Should we get moving?”

“Yes, yes we should. I agreed with her. “But first I need a Daiquiri.” It was good to see that my air rifle was still in good condition, and the knife that went with it was there too. Leaving them alone for now, I rummaged through the packed gun case, the case was fuller than it should ever be. “There we go.” I pulled out a small bag, the bits making a clinking noise as I moved it.

Opening the bag, I pulled out a bunch of bits. They were old standard republic bits, so not worth all that much, but they should get me a Daiquiri or two. Looking back at Mayall, I closed the case. “Hey princess, you want a drink?”

The Sparkle-Lurker looked confused for a moment, and then nodded. “I am thirsty; drink would do nicely.”

I had to give bits to the bartender, so he would make a Daiquiri. The punga fruit rum didn’t sound like it would work, but it did. I was a bit worried when he added an artificial lime juice flavoring to the mix, but I was not going to complain. So the rum, juice, and syrup mixture was poured into the ice filled glass. One for me, and one for Mayall.

After taking the first sip, I wanted to kiss the bartender. but he was not my type, attractive yes, but a bit too prim for me, and the probability that he was probably not a he, or a pony, that did give him a few negative points. But still, i would give him a kiss if it was proper.

“What is this, the taste, not good… not bad?” Mayall’s face was scrunched up, looking at the Daiquiri with an intense stare. The poor dear probably never had alcohol before, if I was back home, I’d treat her to some more drinks, see how drunk I could get a Lurker. “Why?”

Rolling my eyes, I just took another sip of my Daiquiri. “Drink it and find out.” She lifted the glass and sipped it, this time looking less revolted then before. “Good job, Cheers to our health.”

As it turned out, she was a lightweight. The Daiquiri was barely enough to get a buzz going for me, but Mayall, she was not drunk, but she was halfway there. It was funny to see that her face could actually get redder, though it also meant that her face glowed more too.

“What are you two still doing here?” Sorrow trotted by in her mirage pony form, her thick glasses sitting on top of her head. “I’m sorry to sound pushy, but you can’t stay here.”

I sighed, “We’re just enjoying a Daiquiri before getting back out there.” I gave the Sparkle-Lurker a glance before looking back at the changeling. “And I know she should be just fine as long as she doesn’t draw any attention to herself, but you really think it’s okay to send her out there?”

Sorrow took a seat next to me. “Look, it’d be one thing if we were in the heart of the republic, that’d be a death sentence for her. But here ponies have busy lives to live, so they're more likely to just ignore anything that does not involve them. Looking strange, and being suspicious are two different things. As long as this Lurker does not go sneaking around, messing with anypony’s stuff, or throwing off her clothes, then just about everypony is going to ignore her.”

I chuckled a little. “You know what, it was the same thing with Turnip. I think most ponies thought he just had cybernetics done to his face. I mean, when they saw it.”

Nodding, Sorrow gave me a knowing look. “Life is like that, the things that are out of the norm in life get a glance, but rarely does a pony do anything unless it defies their reality, or seems wrong to them. As long as it stays safely in the odd category, nopony bothers with it, and nopony reports it.” She motioned to the door out of here, getting out of her seat. “We're closing this place down, so finish your drink, and I’ll be waiting for you out there.”

I downed the rest of my Daiquiri, and got out of my seat. Mayall on the other hoof moved at a slug's pace. “Is everything okay?” I asked her as she slumped out of her seat.

The Sparkle-Lurker was crying, not so much to be sobbing, but I could clearly see her eyes tearing up, and one side of her face having already let a tear run down her cheek. It was strange to see, as she had no fur to soak it up, so it had just ran down her cheek, clinging onto the edge of her muzzle. “He’s… he’s...”

Fuck me, Celestia just come down and ram me with your horn, I’m an asshole. “I’m sorry.” Was all I could say as I hugged Mayall. She just buried her head into my chest, and let it all out, using me to muffle her sobbing.

We sat like this for about a minute until she let me go, Mayall slowly walking to the exit without saying a word. I felt like she just wanted to move on and talk about it later. Though, it was probably just me, as that was how I felt. I knew Turnip for about a day, she knew him much longer than that. So much longer.

Outside of the bar was another long, dark, run down tunnel connected to Fishery Station. Not much of a station at first glance, but most stations looked the same. Sorrow waited for us next to the door, now having changed into a plain jumpsuit instead of staying in her normal business suit.

“Good. Took you long enough.” She motioned for us to follow her. “I’ve already talked with the rest of my clan, and we all agree that it’s time to move on. Your appearance just showed that we have been getting lazy, so we need you to help keep the Republic off our scent.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How so? When I ended up among them, the first thing they fucking did was scan my memories.” I shook my head in frustration. “I only got out of that alive because something weird happened.”

She gave me a confused look. “You got past a memory scan? That should be impossible. Well not without some tech to counter it.” She sighed, sounding frustrated herself. “If we had the time, I would look into that. Unfortunately, we need to get the gears moving quickly, or we risk the republic starting a purge.”

“A what?” in any context that never sounded good.

“A purge.” Sorrow huffed. “From how the current republic goes on about the revolution, you think that it was popular, and only a few greedy troublemakers had to be thrown out. In truth, whole stations were slaughtered.” She gave me a worried glance. “The opinions of the equalists were actually very unpopular, but they managed to worm their way into power, and get the support of a very vocal minority.” A little chuckle came from Sorrows mouth. “When I read about how it all started, it sounded funny at first, just a bunch of spoiled foals talking about things they know nothing about. But as it turned out, you don’t need to know how the world works to burn it all down.”

We reached the end of the tunnel, and now the sounds of ponies could be faintly heard. “Why have I not heard of any of this?” I had to ask.

With a sigh, Sorrow was engulfed in silvery flames, turning herself into a mirage pony mare with a gray coat and a dusty blue mane. “I’ll tell you more later. First, I need to take you to your room. Even if the ponies here mind their own business, talking openly about the truth will not end well for us.”

We trotted further into the station, which quickly became something different. Much of the structure was the same as other stations at first, but further in it completely threw the sameness out on its head. Fishery Station was not just underground, but it was underwater. The long hallway we trotted down even had a window to the outside.

I had to stop in awe of it all. The window I looked out was clean, besides a few scratches on the inside, but still clean. Some algae patches were on the outside, and a starfish firmly rested on the outer edge of the glass. The water itself was clear, and I could see a school of fish in the distance, and even a shark. It was mesmerizing, if a bit frightening to look out on.

Lowering my gaze, I could see the coral reef that sat along the bottom with us. It was teeming with just as much, if not more life in it than I’d ever seen outside the metro. The Reef was like a jungle of rock’s, with fish swimming from one to the other like birds. Strangely enough, though not seemingly out of place was a group of Lurkers. The oversized crabs simply walking through the coral reef, seemingly unaware of us.

Mayall waved at the Lurker’s, but unsurprisingly they didn’t pay her any mind. “They never wave back.”

“I don’t think they can see you?” I told her.

“They can see us.” Sorrow spoke up. “They just can’t get to us, so they ignore us.”

Mayall looked out the window and sighed. “They never wave back.”

Tapping at the goggles, I got Mayall’s attention back on me. “You should put those on, and get moving.” With a nod, the Sparkle-Lurker lowered the welding goggles over her eyes. Looking out at the ocean one more time, a robot drone flew in, and began to scrub the outside window. “So that’s how it’s so clean...”

______________________________________

The trip to the room Sorrow was having us stay at was as uneventful as we hoped it would be. At most, ponies we passed gave us a glance and moved on, and even the few security ponies around this station didn’t pay us much mind. What did concern me was the higher amount of robots in use here. Though not entirely out of place to see in some stations, they would make it hard to get around undetected.

Mostly I was worried about the old sprite-bots turned into security drones. They follow the security ponies around providing them with extra light, the ability to scan a pony, and probably an extra eye like the one did for Sweet. Though there were fewer security ponies, the sprite-bots would give them an extra edge.

There were other bots around to. Like the ones cleaning the windows from in the water, but this place also had plenty of ponytrons walking around. They all look like they had been reconstructed to do a new job, mostly for cleaning, but there was one other built up with extra armor as it guarded a door.

It didn’t take us long to get to our destination. With how adamant Sorrow was, we didn’t dare slow down to take a closer look at anything. The room itself was remarkable, though still small. It was far bigger than Clarinets place and felt like a real living space, not just some box that we pretended was a living space. Other than the central living space, it had a separate bedroom and bathroom. Most importantly, it had a shower! To top it off, it even had its own window to the outside, mostly clean like all the others. Through it, I could even get a view of the station.

From what I could see, the Fishery Station was half underground and half underwater. It looked like that this station, unlike most others, was made for ponies to live in it. The residential blocks were at most three stories high, with the bottom half submerged into the seafloor. Dotted around the reef, these structures stuck up out of the bottom all over. Over the two hundred years the reef had simply grown over the metal structure, making it hard to see the other blocks in detail. Connected by a large and long pipe was a building that sat on the edge of the ocean shelf, probably even over it too. And along the stone wall, and sticking out of the water was another building. It was all so much to take in.

A hoof rested on my shoulder. “impressive…”

I swatted the hoof away, pushing myself away from the window. My heart beat was moving too fast, my breath shallow. I had to collect myself.

“Are you okay?” Sorrow asked.

I took a moment to bring myself back down. The two just staring at me. “Sorry, I just… I just don’t do wide open water very well.” I looked at the window again, and winced. “just remind me not to look out the window for too long.”

Sorrow let out a long sigh. “Great. You’re going to have problems. I should be able to get some anti-anxiety medication, it’s not all that strong, but it lacks most side-effects.” Her eyes then moved from me and over to Mayall. “And you. Other than the obvious, will you have any problems here?”

Mayall tapped her chin for a moment, and shook her head. “Nothing I can think of.”

“Right, I’ll make an order for our supplies, and then we can talk.” Sorrow turned around and made her way to the terminal. Plugging in a pipbuck she had on her leg into the terminal. At first glance it looked like her legs were cybernetic, but the more I looked at it, the more it was apparent that they were simply covered in a metal bracing. It seemed so simple, yet I didn’t even see it until I took a closer look. It made me a bit worried to what else I was not seeing.

Feeling like it was best to just relax for a bit, I took a seat on the couch in the room. It was of classic Stable-Tec make, though the cushion was likely something more recent. Even if Stable-Tec made things to last, after a hundred years most of their stuff tended to start falling apart without extensive maintenance.

Mayall took a seat on the other side of the couch, letting a foreleg hang off the side as she looked at the window. The Sparkle-Lurker was both easy and hard to read. She was not a pony, and could live underwater, yet she was every bit a mare. The loss of Turnip must have hit her hard, yet she was here.

“You miss him, don’t you?” I asked, and she simply stared at me through the warped reflection on the glass. “If there was anything I could have done, I would have done it. I’m sorry.”

Mayall shook her head. “No, I was at fault. You were simply caught in mine own tragedy.” She took a deep breath, and gave a long sigh. “I dragged him and the others into it, full well knowing mine sister would not approve. Mother may be more tolerable, but she does not get in sisters way. Sees it as stifling her growth as a leader, as next queen.”

“I remember Turnip telling me about that. It sounded terrible.” The idea of Rototom ever hurting me was unthinkable, well not intentionally. “Why would she do that? She is your sister.”

“Berenices hates ponies. No, not that... fears ponies, yes. Ponies made the world we live in, destroyed the world before our creation. The piece’s left behind was what made us.” Mayall shifted her body so to lay down more. “We know this to be true, we are an accident, not meant to be. Berenices fears that ponies will come to understand that, seek to fix the mistake. So from fear, she hates. Feels that it makes her stronger, more right in her actions.”

I was a little confused. “Wait. So she hurts you because she hates and fears ponies?”

Mayall seemed to sink into the couch a little more. “We are young, and have no culture of our own. Mother, our queen, embraces the space captain. I found the old books in a vault, all the old books were from before the great war. My sister, she rejected everything pony, wanted Sparkle-Lurkers to be free from ponies. She could not challenge mother, but she could challenge me.”

I think I was starting to understand. “It was a cultural purge then, so that your sister could maintain her own order.” Mayall simply nodded, not saying anything more.

“All done.” Sorrow called out. “I guess it’s time I told you the plan.”

I sighed. “I just hope it involves getting me out of the republic, the longer I’m here, the harder it will probably get for me.”

Sorrow took a seat on a chair facing the couch we were on. “Will this get you out? No, not yet. But make things easier for you, yes it should. The basic idea is that we need you to throw the republic a red herring. As they follow the false lead you feed them, my clan will relocate to a new safe house. Of course, we will give them a win in the process, otherwise they might just do a purge just to make sure they get something. That’s why you will be leading them to a drug den, and help wipe out the pushers. And just for your information, no, they are not related to us. We may manage the speakeasy’s, but we have no interest in the drug trade.”

It was a bunch to take in, but I managed to understand most of it. “Okay, I got it. But can you explain two things for me? One is how does this help me. And two, a Purge? You think they would jump right to that?”

“How it helps you is that it scores you points with the M.o.A. higher ups. Be sure that as long as you’re on the wrong side of their radar, there is no way for you to get away from them. Not yet, anyhow, so it’s best to stay on their good side.” Sorrow took a long deep breath and slowly exhaled as she relaxed into her puffy seat. “As for the purge, it’s a worst case scenario. But from what my clan has recorded over the existence of the current Republic, it has happened enough to make it a realistic fear. Simply, the republic will wipe out an entire station just to root out any serious decent. To the powers at be, the loss of life is an acceptable loss, and frees up space for new, more loyal citizens.”

“So…” it all sounded bad, really bad. “You want me to simply give them a win, so that they don’t even have the inkling to go crazy looking for you.”

Sorrow nodded. “Putting it simply, yes. We didn’t think that the M.o.A. would simply stumble on us like that, but it seems that we were wrong. So gone are the days when the M.o.A. just did loyalty checks. That Baster Beam is something new. It’s going to force us to change our own approach.”

“So then you really think that I can throw her off your trail?” I wasn’t even sure Blaster Beam trusted me. Worse, if Theremin ever recovered, or that older pony ever saw me, I was royally fucked. “I don’t think I have that kind of pull.”

“You’re their only lead, so they're likely to jump at whatever you point your hoof at. We just need to make sure that you point them at something that will make them satisfied.”

I was still unsure, but at this point, I didn’t have much choice but to follow along. I could turn my back on them, but then what? Get shot and have Blaster Beam turn me to ash? I just wanted to go home, not play this stupid act any longer. When this is all over, I’m going to get drunk, get fucked, and lay in bed for a week. “Fine. Where do I start?”

Sorrow smiled, relaxing a little in her spot. “One of my kin is constructing a letter for you to send, you will just have to fill in the blank spots. The idea being that you were able to tail us to the drug den, and then scampered away. We just need to verify if our information is still up to date, and pick the right timing. So just relax for now.”

That was good enough for me. Looking over to my side, at the Sparkle-Lurker, I had another question. “So what are we to do about her? She can’t move about as simply as you can?”

“Yes, that problem...” Sorrow held onto the last word for an extra second, and waited for a moment before answering. “Well if she’s fine with it, we can just shove her out into the water. This place does have the airlocks to do it.” Mayall frowned, not amused by the changeling’s joshing. “But truthfully, we don’t know. One thing is for sure, we can’t let the republic have her. The ramifications of letting that happen is unknown, and potentially dangerous.”

“Her, Dangerous?”

Sorrow nodded. “Aquatic, a natural protective chitin, and that she does not appear on any magical sensor. If the republic knew of her kind, they would use the sparkle-lurkers as a new, devastating weapon.”

I sat up a little, cocking an eyebrow. “It can’t be that bad.”

She sighed. “No, they may not be. But any sensor that uses magic as more than a power source to work is not going to detect them. We’ve checked. Our pipbucks don’t see her, half our scanners don’t know what it’s looking at, including the ones used for turrets.” She rolled her hoof a little as she talked. “It’s not like we can’t recalibrate our systems to detect her, but with how reliant we are on magical systems, there is still going to be blind spots. The turret systems alone are going to have a delay in their targeting, even with recalibration.”

Checking my E.F.S. I had almost forgotten that the Sparkle-Lurkers never showed up on it. Even now I only got one green bar that pointed at Sorrow. “So then what, just keep her here?”

“Until we have a better plan, yes.” Sorrow answered. “We were already in the middle of figuring that out when you trotted right into our speakeasy. So we’re putting her on ice until the more pressing issue has been dealt with.” She put her head down on the arm of the chair she was on, and closed her eyes. “But right now, let’s just relax.”

Relaxing like she suggested, time went by quickly enough. Mostly with Sorrow sleeping, Mayall looking out the window, and me zoning out. At first my mind was ablaze with thoughts, and worries. But the sheer silence of the room quickly allowed me to focus, and my thoughts slowly drifted to Sweet. Last I saw of my good friend, she was pumped full of painkillers, and seeing through a drone. Getting new eyes was not something that came easy, or fast, so at best she was probably still in the hospital getting her optic nerves set up. I really could use one of her bad jokes about now, maybe even a show of bravado. If she was with me, I knew I would have not have ended up in this situation, we would have been back at home, getting drunk.

A buzz at the door announce the end of our quiet time. Sorrow quickly got out of her seat and trotted to the door with light and quiet steps. Looking through the peep hole in the door, she carefully opened it. Some chatter between her and the pony on the other side was too quiet for me to hear. When it was over, a package was slid through the doorway and she quietly shut the door again.

Trotting back, she placed the package in front of Mayall and I. “Okay you two, I’ve got what you need to survive out there, if only for a few more days.” Not the best way to put it, but I don’t think Sorrow cared about sugarcoating anything with us right now. From the box, she pulled out a holotape. “Here’s the mission report, you just need to copy what it tells you, and send your version to Blaster Beam. I’d advise sticking to what it says as much as possible, we don’t want her misinterpreting anything, and end up killing an innocent family.”

She then pulled out a small bottle, and tossed it to me. “Take this if you’re about to have a panic attack, it’s no cure, but it should help you not freak out as badly as you can.” I looked down at the bottle, it didn’t have a label on it or anything, just a bunch of pills inside, so I cocked my eyebrow at her. Sorrow just rolled her eyes. “It’s a mild form of chill made as pills. Most of you Mirage ponies have some form of phobia or tick, it’s amazing that your race gets anything done at all. If you’re going to do something that involves your trigger, just pop one of those and it should help you relax enough to deal with whatever problem you have.”

She turned her attention to Mayall, pulling out a pipbuck and a E.C.S. passcard. The pipbuck looked like the classic 3000 model, though it was clear that it had a few parts replaced. “With this, you will be able to interact outside of the safe house without drawing any dangerous attention to yourself. Just be sure to keep your mouth shut most of the time, and don’t let anypony get too good of a look at you.”

Mayall picked up the pipbuck, and put it on her wrist, the thing clamping down without a problem. The Sparkle-Lurker spent a moment looking about the room, her eyes looking at things we could not see. It was a little funny to see, though I hoped she had the fade out hud display option so that she didn’t get too distracted.

Looking back to me, Sorrow stretched out and relaxed. “You should go familiarize yourself with the holotape, and maybe practice a few lines before sending the message.”

With nothing better to do, I opened up Minerva, and placed the holotape into the reader. Activating the holographic settings, a screen appeared in my vision as though it was a terminal screen floating in air. The script was pretty basic, but didn’t feel forced. At first I wondered why they don’t just send the text, but then again, having me say it would add to its authenticity. For the most part, all the script was about how I got out alive and trotted down a tunnel, being completely lost. It went on about how I found myself at Fishery station, following the trail of a pony who had been seen in the club. And without drawing attention to myself, tailing the pony to their hideout in the station. I just had to read this all out, and not make it sound like I was reading from a script, simple enough.

I read it over a few times, first in my head, then out loud. The lines had a bit of a stilted report feeling to it, but I think that was the point. I just had to make it sound like it was coming from notes I did myself. After a bit, I felt confident enough to send the message, and trotted over to the terminal. Inserting my E.C.S. pass card, which I luckily still had, the screen scrolled down. It showed the information I had seen before, except my contacts were now at four, and I had two messages. Figuring it would not hurt to read my network mail first, I clicked on the messages button.

:: Where did you go? ::

-Clarinet-

Did you really have to sneak out like that? You made us all worry that something had happened to you. Well we're still worried, but we know you’re in good hooves, but next time you should let us know you’re leaving. Oh, and thanks for the snack bars, they’re doubleplusgood! Not to complain about the normal food I eat, but it does get boring after a bit. But still, send me a message when you get this, I know you're fine, but it be nice if you told me you are.

::end::

I couldn’t blame Clarinet for being worried. She does seem the kind that would, and I did leave without saying goodbye. I scrolled down to the next message on the list, and pressed enter.

::If you’re still alive::

-Blaster Beam-

Just reply to this message, I’ll send somepony to pick you up later.

::end::

Talk about short and sweet, I guess Blaster Beam really did have other things to do. Well that was probably lucky for me. Whoever she sends would have to be less insane than she is. Hitting the reply button, and selecting audio recording I prepared myself to send the message. It made me nervous, enough to shake a little, like I was a young mare asking a stallion if he wanted to go out with me. The difference here was that I was sending the message to a trigger-happy cybernetic mare, who’ favorite things seemed to be her job, her lasers, and killing with said lasers for her job.

Composing myself, I started the massage, keeping some of the nervousness as I felt it would help with its authenticity. It took me three tries before I felt that it was just right, the first time I repeated a few words, and the second time Mayall dropped a glass behind me. Pressing send, I had a strong feeling that this plan was just not going to work out, and that we were all going to die. Nothing ever went to plan, I could only hope that the M.o.A. fails to find me out long enough for me to get away.

I needed to get my mind off of my eventual doom. Scrolling back up to Clarinets letter, it only felt right that I reply to her. Though I wish I could also send one to my sister, or well anyone who could and would help me.

::I’m fine::

Sorry to make you worry. Miss Cranky Lasers didn’t seem like the kind who likes to wait around, and I didn’t want to do the long goodbye. I don’t know if I’ll be around to visit anytime soon, the job ended up being more complicated than I thought. Right now I’m at Fishery Station, if you haven’t been here, you should visit. It has windows here that let you see the ocean. Sadly, I have a thing about open water, and being under it, so the sooner I get to move onto the next station the better.

Tell the others I said hi, and don’t have too much fun. If I pick up anything interesting, I’ll be sure to send it to you.

::end::

Sending the message, I exited out of the program and pulled out my E.C.S. card. Looking at the terminal, I couldn’t help but feel that mine back home probably had a few messages from mom and dad, wondering where I had gone. I probably had one from Sweet too, letting me know about her recovery. Wiping away a tear, I trotted away from the terminal and sat back onto the couch.

“You’re done. Good.” Sorrow stated. “The day’s almost done, so I suggest you either do some shopping, or just turn in for the night. I don’t know how much time you have until the M.o.A. comes about to take down that drug lab, so it’s best to enjoy yourself a little.”

“Shopping? We don’t even have the bits for shopping.” I pointed out.

Sorrow scratched her chin. “Ahh, sorry about that. My kin should be cleared out by this morning, so if you pass me a list of what you would like, I’ll have someone grab a few things. Within reason of course.” She motioned to the door. “Clothing, food, and drink will be fine. But don’t ask for anything that could get you in trouble. I also suggest asking about the dress shop. No we will not buy you a dress, just let the owner know about our leaving.”

Not feeling like I had anything better to do, I popped one of the mellowed chill pills, and trotted out the door, Mayall tagging along behind me.

______________________________________

Now with time to take things easy, Mayall and I slowly made our way to the marketplace. The clean hallways really brought out the stable-tec feel to the place, the only real difference being the windows. It made me wonder how it would work if they built something like this on the surface. Orthrus had built a few structures topside, but nothing on a large scale like the metro. The vegetation, wildlife, and the toxic air made it difficult to build anything bigger than a large shack. It also seemed that the Rad-Boars loved to attack working crews, and some projects were abandoned due to a herd of rad-boars taking up residence at the construction site.

A drop of water on my head brought me out of my thinking. “Should I be surprised that this place is leaking?”

“Seawater hasth a corrosive effect.” Mayall spoke up. “It’s why anything made of metal along the coastline is beyond recovery. Future Land had a few water based attractions, but only rust remained when I started my reconstruction project.”

“Sounds about right, never saw anything standing along the coastline. Well other than the normal lurkers.” I looked over at her, she was definitely a little smaller than me like Turnip was. Yet, their queen seemed much bigger by comparison. “Quick question, how big do Sparkle-Lurkers get?”

Mayall cocked an eyebrow at me. “How tall? Well, I’m average for females. Male’s art a little bit smaller. Mother looks tall, but that’s because she hath platforms on her hooves.”

I had to keep myself from snickering. “Platform hooves. So, what, is she just like any other Sparkle-Lurker?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, taking a deep breath before responding. “Mother is smarter, and more eloquent when talking. The nest followed her at our old home, followed her to our current home. She is what unifies us all. But yes, she is a normal Sparkle-Lurker.”

This was something I had two wrap my brain around. “So your mother was not some monster with dark magical powers or something, she was just a, what… Politician?”

Mayall nodded. “Mother not only follows the laws; she must be the example of us all. If pony trespass on our home, pony must become food. Mother changed law to pony giving us food, after that, ponies started having more food on them when passing through our territory, even leaving it in baskets for us.”

I don’t remember hearing about that. Some stories of Bandits that will leave you be if you leave some food for them, but nothing about giving monsters food. “So then why did my best friend have to be hurt?”

Mayall looked down. “My sister wants to go back to older law, says it protected us better. Other Lurkers agree with her.”

Great, my best friend got maimed because of Xenophobia. “So then what’s your mother's opinion of ponies?”

“She doesn’t like the striped ponies, says they blew up the old world, so she seeks to kill the ones with stripes.” Mayall told me as she trotted along. “As for other ponies, she does not trust them, forbid us from interacting with them. Says that ponies are dangerous, ponies would not understand us.”

“And what is your opinion on ponies?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Was her response. “From the books, ponies are not all the same. Nice ponies may take the time to understand us, but ponies who are not so nice will seek to hurt us, maybe put us in a cage to show us off like a pet.” She shook her head. “I understand why mother and sister wish for us to stay away from ponies, and I agree. But I also understand that if we don’t make friends, we will only have enemies.”

I think I was starting to get what the situation was for the Sparkle-Lurker’s. “So is that why you left?”

She looked at me, a bit confused. “I… maybe. Heard sister fighting with mother, so much yelling. Sister was angry, very angry. Berenices is… not nice to me when angry, so I went outside, thought that she would be less angry after some time had passed. That’s when ponies showed up, something about them was wrong, so I hid. Berenices came for me, with other lurkers, armed with weapons. She saw the ponies, killed them all, so much gunfire. After, she called for me, it made me go cold, so I ran.”

“So, you thought she was going to what, kill you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know, I just wanted to get away from her. I was scared.”

That was understandable. “One last question, how did you end up on Pineapple Island?”

“Later I founded some old pony clothes, though that I could pretend to be pony, hide among ponies.” Mayall stiffened her walk, as though mimicking me a little. “Found somepony who said they were lost, so took pony to pony home. Was going to leave, but other ponies talked about some ponies that came true, said one didn’t take off mask, had a red glow inside.”

“I see, so you followed Turnip then.”

She nodded. “Went to next island, the moving box… the train made me not feel well, but I stayed strong. There, I looked, got hungry, and ate food. Pony said I needed bits for food I ate, made me clean floors to pay back small bit of food. One stupid pony started touching me, so I kicked the pony, pony was angry, called other ponies. I got scared again and ran, a smaller pony helped me, guided me outside. Angry ponies followed, but I get away by hiding in a pond where they could not see me.”

“Well that was an adventure.”

“yes, too much adventure.” Mayall agreed. “I stayed outside till it turned dark, but could not find my way back. It’s where I found a hurt pony, helped her up, came across another pony who told me to stay put. Then you and him showed up. He… Turnip told me I could trust you, you were good pony, you knew good ponies.”

It felt like a stab in the heart to hear that. I didn’t know Turnip for long, but I liked the guy too. I just wish he was around so that I could buy him a drink, goddess knows, he earned it. Looking at the Mayall, she was getting depressed again, and not wanting to go all teary, I pushed for us to get to the market. “You know what you need a pretty dress.”

Pushing her from behind, we picked up our pace and arrived at the market shortly after. Sadly, the market was less than impressive, looking like they only had the scraps of the scraps to sell. There were a few things to look at, but nothing that stood out, at least not from first glance.

Trotting up to one of the merchants, I gave her my best fake smile, and she gave one back. “Hello, I’m looking to cheer up my friend. Is there anything here that would be considered doubleplusgood?”

The fake smile faded from the merchants face. “We got what we got, everything made with equality in mind.”

Super, so everything is made to be equally disappointing. Looking over the products, it was mostly raw supply’s. Gray cloth, thread, a few tools that looked older then my grandmother. I could swear that this whole equality thing was starting to make me go insane. I shook my head. “Sorry, I guess I was not thinking equal enough, I was just hoping for something with a bit more color to it. Know anything about a dress shop?”

The merchant nodded, her mouth formed a small smile. “I don’t know about any dress shop, but there is a rumor about a shop. Can’t say if it’s real though. But let’s just say it’s around the corner, just behind me. It may have what you’re looking for. But don’t go telling anypony I told you about this, it’s bad luck.”

Giving the cloth merchant a nod, I quickly took a glance at the other stalls, all selling basic stuff, nothing that makes a good gift. Figuring it was worth a try, I motioned for Mayall to follow me, and we trotted around the corner.

We had to buzz our way in, but what was inside was interesting to say the least. The pony running the shop was far too well-groomed to be from the republic, her light green coat, complementing the red dress she had on, and her orange mane was accented with a blue cloth flower. The shop itself had a bunch of dresses hanging up, and along the walls were rolls of fabric in different colors. At the front desk was a bunch of jewelry on displays, that glistened and sparkled in the yellow light. “Wow, how do you even make these, much less sell them?”

The shopkeeper smiled. “Trade secret, but let's just say I have a few private buyers. So what interests you? Need a dress for a private dance, some undergarments to impress a special somepony. Or do you just want to look like a pretty mare?”

It all looked so lovely, but then I had to frown. “I don’t think I could wear any of this, much less afford it right now. Not with the M.o.A. coming in to pick me up.”

“What!” The shopkeeper shouted.

Looking over at the shop keeper, I suddenly felt a little bad. “Let me guess, you not equal enough for them.”

She huffed. “I’m as equaled as equality can get. Everything I have here I made myself. The M.o.A. and the I.o.E. their equality means everypony is equally poor, miserable, and unfashionable.”

Thinking for a moment, it hit me. “Are you connected with that bar that sells Daiquiris?”

She laughed. “Dear, I’m friends with anypony who can make a good Daiquiri.”

“Well they are packing up their stuff, and moving. The M.o.A. is onto them.”

She looked shocked for a moment, and then relaxed. “I see, so how long till their gone?”

“The morning.” I answered.

She rubbed her chin. “That should give me the time to pack up, no... more than enough time. Having to being where the business is means having to move out at any moment.” She looked over at me, and Mayall. “I should thank you for the information… I say a more discreet garment would suit the situation, would you be interested in some undergarments as payment.”

Mayall looked confused, and I bet I did a little as well. “I don’t think that’s necessary...”

The seamstress waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh don’t be so nitpicky. A mare’s secret is what makes her more alluring. Just get in the changing booth and I’ll pick a few numbers for you two.”

______________________________________

So we checked out the rest of the market, but found it overall disappointing. Mayall looked a bit uncomfortable for the rest of our little trip, as it seemed that she had never worn underwear before. The Seamstress had managed to get the Sparkle-Lurker into white lace panties, with white stockings and a garter belt. It was a bit funny to see the Lurker be embarrassed, it was also kind of cute too. I on the other hoof, managed to just get a pair of purple panties, which were much less rough on my fur then the standard ones that the republic had.

Before turning back, we decided to check out one last place of interest on the station, the aquatic research biome. I had to take two more pills as we trotted to the facility, as half of the long tunnel looked like it was made of just glass. It made me regret the decision, but the pills of chill mellowed me enough that I could fight through it. Though it didn’t help that I saw no reason to come here, it was Mayall who wanted to take a look.

Finally reaching the inside of the biome, we were met with what looked like a small jungle. Instinctively I reached for my gasmask, finding that I didn’t bring it with me. Closing my eyes, and taking a deep breath, I smelt something a bit off. The air felt… clean, and wet.

“Amazing, it’s like they built a jungle under the water!” Mayall said out loud, trotting onto the dirt filled floor.

“That’s because our ancestors did.” A nasally green Mirage pony mare in a dirty white lab coat spoke up as she trotted over to us. “May I ask to why you are visiting?” Surprisingly, the mare had all her legs. Though, she seemed lacking in other areas; thick glasses, skinny as a rail, and her brown mane, though cut short, was still considerably frizzy.

“Oh, sorry, we're here to just take a look. My friend here wanted to see what this place was before moving off to the next station.”

“I see. Well the forest ground is open to visitors, but you will need supervision to see any of the other areas. We may be a minor priority among the Ministry of Arcane Science, but our work is still important.” She rubbed some dirt off her lab coat, revealing a pin, one that looked similar to the old M.o.A.S. logo. “Do you have any other questions?”

Looking around, I had to say that this place was amazing, even the roof looked like a clear day topside. “How long has the M.o.A.S. been here?”

The lab mare giggled. “From the time of the war, though the records are spotty at best, it clearly states that this was a joint project between the M.o.A.S. and Stable-Tec. Centering around food production, and the possibility of building an underwater stable.”

“Wait, so you ponies have been here for over two hundred years, how did you make it through the revolution?”

Her overall happy demeanor dropped a little. “You know it’s impolite to talk about the revolution like that.” She sighed. “But back then this was an Orthrus controlled station, and shut its doors during the revolution. When the fires died down, Orthrus made a deal with the current republic, giving them the station in exchange for the safe passage of their ponies. Some ponies stayed behind, and joined the republic. And that’s what you see today, loyal members of the republic.” The tone in her voice didn’t hint at any deception, just a mixture of truth with neutrality. The best I could describe it, was if tomorrow, Orthrus toppled the republic and took charge, she would not have a problem with it at all.

The sound of rustling trees drew our attention to the greenery. Hopping out of a bush, Mayall had a big smile on her face. “It feels so nice here!”

The Lab mare laughed a little. “I can second that, I think it’s the trees, it just makes this place so relaxing.”

Trotting over, Mayall had a coy look on her face. “You’re a smart pony, do you have any books I can read?”

This time I chuckled. “Sorry, my friend is quite the bookworm.”

“Well we do have plenty of scientific journals.” The lab mare stated. “And I don’t think it would hurt to open up our library for you, but it’s getting late.”

“Could I borrow a book?” Mayall asked excitedly.

The lab mare though about it for a moment, and then nodded.

We ended up leaving with six books, it seemed that the biome had to get rid of them anyways, and was glad to give them to a pony who would read them. The books were actually two different sets of study, three of the books being about Seaweed and its different uses and health benefits. The other three about the mutations of the marine life over two hundred years. Mayall didn’t seem all that excited about the books, but she also didn’t want to hurt the lab mare’s feelings, so now She had some reading materials to keep her occupied.

The rest of the station was starting to wind down, with far less ponies moving about. The robots were still at their jobs, with a ponytron announcing how long until the curfew. So not wanting to cause problems, we made our way back to our room, not stopping to look at anything else.

______________________________________

Having a bed to myself was the best. No metal hooves in my back, unwanted cuddling, and the ability to stretch out and relax. Though it did feel colder sleeping by myself, not that I mind, but I don’t think I have had a bed to myself since this mess started.

Pushing myself up, I found that my left foreleg was detached, and on the floor. Shaking my head, I leaned down and pick Minerva up with my mouth, placing the pipleg on my lap, and slowly reattaching it. The hud and everything came back into my vision, and slowly faded out, not needed at this time. Now with four legs attached, I hopped off the bed, and stretched my back, getting a few pops.

It was odd entering the living room, with the big window to the outside, a small amount of natural light beamed in, making a rippling effect of light that started on the floor, and went up the ceiling. The room itself was decorated with old world artwork, though being both simple copies, and faded with time, It still gave the room a feeling of culture that seemed to be hard to find in the republic. All I ever remember seeing was propaganda posters, so this was a nice refreshing feeling.

As I took in the good energy of the room, I think I had zoned out for a few minutes. That is, until Mayall stepped in from the other bedroom. She, despite being a crustacean pony, actually looked like she had a bit of the bed head. Her floppy fin like mane wearily stuck up a little, and curled at the end, making it look like she got a bad perm. “Need me to brush your mane, sunshine?”

She shot me a dirty look, and trotted over to our bags. Rummaging through them, she pulled out a bottle of Sparkle-Cola, popped the cap off with her pipbuck, and chugged the drink. “Why you ponies not have any rad? As good as regular sparkle-cola is, it does not have the same kick!”

Great, she’s a caffeine addict. “It’s mostly outlawed in the metro due to it containing Flux as an ingredient. If you need a wake up, try Metro-Cola’s Lurker-Blue. The stuff has more than enough kick to it, to wake you up.”

She rummaged through the saddlebag some more, only pulling out another sparkle-cola bottle. I could only guess that she had collected them in her own journey. “Don’t see any.”

I sighed. “Then I’ll see if I can get a few later, maybe Sorrow could get some for us.” An audible grumbling came from my stomach. “Here, let's see if this place has any food I can cook up.”

Trotting over to the small kitchen setup, I looked through the cupboards. Predictably it was mostly empty. I did find some old world treats that expired over a hundred years ago. Powdered eggs, powdered potatoes, powdered milk, and even powered tomato soup. Just add water, and let the magic happen. Feeling like I could do far worse, I decided to make up a small feast for us, with some extra for Sorrow, whenever she returned. The instructions were simple enough, adding water to the powder, heat and stir it, after a bit of time we would have some food.

I was expecting something limp, and a bit bland looking, what I got was, well, food. I had only ever had eggs twice before in my life, and the powdered stuff looked almost spot on, the potatoes too, looking like thick mashed potatoes. I mixed the powdered milk and tomato soup together so that we would have a creamy sauce. All together I had made scrambled eggs, with mashed potatoes and creamy tomato sauce.

I think making the tomato soup into a creamy sauce was the best idea for the breakfast, as both the eggs and potatoes were a bit bland without it. Mayall looked like she enjoyed herself sipping on her sparkle-cola now and then, I also getting a bottle of the cola to drink. Sadly, the drink had long gone flat, so it didn’t have the same kick as Metro-Cola did, but it still tasted good.

Not long into our meal, Sorrow showed up all dressed up in a mechanic’s jumpsuit and hat. Pausing to look at us, she slowly opened her mouth, and then sighed. “What are you eating?”

Swallowing the eggs and mashed potatoes, then washing it down with some sparkle-cola, I gave her an answer. “over two-hundred-year old powdered food. Would you like some?”

She faced hoofed. “That’s my over two-hundred-year old powdered food.” She lowered her hoof to the floor, and huffed. “Fuck it, I’m hungry.”

The radio played the normal marching band music for a few more minutes, and as it faded out, the DJ spoke up. It was a bit odd how she never told us her name, I could only guess it was an equality thing. “Good morning citizens of the republic, and how fine of a morning it is. We have some good news today, and I am happy to report it to you now. Late yesterday, our good troops raided a nest of capitalist spies, who had been trying to corrupt the local population. And where was this capitalist hiding hole? Well right in that collapsed tunnel that fell apart a few days back. Though not confirmed, it is clear the tunnel collapse was done by the capitalists, probably to separate us from each other. But once more they have underestimated our strength and resolve. And for their misdeeds, security forces have tracked them down, and destroyed their base of operations.”

“Next up, President Garmon Keys is here in the studio right now to talk about the current events. Do you feel lucky? I know I do!” The DJ cleared her voice. “So mister President, what do you think about this latest clash with the capitalists?”

A sigh came from the radio, and Garmon spoke up. “Truly tragic. There were citizens lost this time, ones tricked into believing the lies of the capitalists. I do mourn for them, they were simply misguided, and could have been lead back to us. Now, they are lost to us, so we can only mourn their passing.”

“I see mister president; all our hearts go out to them.” The DJ added. “And about the collapsed tunnel, how soon will it be until it can be used again?”

“I’m sorry to say, but the damage seems to be extensive. Most likely irreversible.” Garmon answered. “From the looks of it, the capitalists made sure that the tunnel may never be used again. I’ve already signed the paperwork to have the tunnel sealed off to prevent any toxins from seeping in.”

“Though it’s sad to hear that we have also lost a tunnel, It’s good to know that your quick response will prevent anypony else from getting hurt.” The DJ’s voice sounded a bit more upbeat. “Another question, if it’s not too much. Do you have any response to this latest incursion by the capitalist’s? Surely they will not get away with this crime?”

A light chuckle came from Garmon. “Worry not, your government is working on a plan to insure the safety of the Republic’s citizens. The capitalists may think they can bring us down, but time and time again we have proven ourselves stronger. As long as we all stand together as one, there is nothing they can do to bring us down.”

Sorrow turned off the radio, looking a little irritated. “Always going on about the capitalists this, the capitalists that. I swear, everything that goes wrong for them, he blames it on capitalism.”

Getting out of my seat, I collected the dirty dishes, and took them to the sink. “I know Orthrus does not give too shits about them. If worse comes to worse, they’ll just seal off the republic for a few more years.”

“Like that worked the last time.” Sorrow huffed. “The equalists feed on isolation, it’s how they got so powerful in the first place. If Orthrus had allowed the revolution to spread out, yes the damage would have been more severe, but the equalists would have crumbled. But no, Orthrus put up their walls, and allowed the equalists to solidify their power, and now we have this cluster fuck of a mess.”

I didn’t have a response to what she had just said, so I just huffed and proceeded to wash the dishes. It was no secret that the methods of Orthrus, though effective at keeping order, never seemed to make things better. But that was never what Orthrus was about, and I think it was something that Orthrus tried to avoid doing. Not that Orthrus didn’t try to help, but it was easy to see that maintaining the peace and order was more important than uplifting civilization.

“So what are we going to be doing today?” Mayall asked, still sitting at her seat.

Sorrow trotted over to the tale with a rag, and started wiping it down. “You are going to come with me. My kin have a rail cart ready on an old line, and we will be taking you somewhere safer than here. Given a few days, an opening should show itself, and we can then smuggle you out of the republic. Your natural stealth versus magic sensors should make it easier for us.” Her attention, then turned to me. “Now for you, miss Echo, you should check if you have any new messages. If there are any from the M.o.A., do as it says. We will try to get in contact with you later, but for now play the part of the good citizen.”

I sighed. “Just don’t take too long. I know two ponies who know who I really am, and they are friends of Blaster Beam.”

Sorrow threw the rag she was using into a basket. “We thought as much, and already sent a pony ahead to M.o.A. HQ. If all goes well, you should sould be safe for a few more days. But it all depends on you playing along.”

“Right, I got it. I just wish I didn’t have such a pendulum over me.”

“Better than a guillotine.” Sorrow responded. “Now I just need to grab a few things before heading out. You to go on ahead, I’ll catch up later.”

Checking the terminal, and sliding in the E.C.S. card, I did have two new messages.

::Lucky!::

-Clarinet-

Fishery Station sounds doubleplusgood, I’d love to visit it one day. It’s good to hear that you’re doing good, and I hope you can stop by soon. My oldest was a little unhappy to not see you there yesterday. She wanted to know where the cool mare went, and I had to tell her that you were off working. Just let me know when you can visit, then I can set up a party for you.

::End::

::Report Received::

-M.o.A.-

Miss Chime Catbell. We have reviewed, and processed your mission report. And are now sending the proper response team to deal with the situation. Avoid interfering with operations, and an agent will come to collect you,

::End::

______________________________________

“To all of you my brothers and sisters, I have one clear message for you. We have nothing to lose but our chains! That’s right, the capitalists have once, and will try again to chain us down. They will take everything that is good about us, and denounce it as ungood. Lie to our faces about how the world really is, make us believe that they are the only ones who can be trusted. And when we are enraptured by their words, that’s when they will chain us down and take everything away from us, making us glad to have any of their scraps at all. So I tell you this, we have nothing to lose but our chains!” The pony sat on top of a box, shouting their little speech for everypony to hear. She was young, about around the same age as Harp would be, probably fresh out of school.

Sorrow came trotting up from behind us, joining us as we watched the speaker rant.

The pony on the makeshift podium continued their rant. “We have seen the true face of greed and hate. That’s right, greed and hate. The capitalists greed drives them to take all for themselves, and none for us. For you or you or even you, ma’am, nothing is given. And what do they do with their horde of goods? They sit on it like a dragon, not giving a damn to the damage they do to all around them. No, they do care, but only because they hate us. To them, we deserve to be poor, we deserve to be hungry. To them, we are but pests that must be killed off by their poison. Starve us, shoot us, drop the tunnels onto our head. To them this is not just an acceptable way to treat us, to them it is the right way to treat us. Their greed drives them to take all for themselves, but their hate for the common pony is what truly fuels their bloodlust.”

“That got… Dark.” Mayall pointed out.

Looking over at Sorrow, she looked a little irritated at the pony on stage. “So Sorrow, you seem well informed about the republic's history. How did this all happen in the first place?”

“Bombs fell.” What her answer.

“I know that part.” I retorted.

Sorrow sighed. “The rise of the equalists is just a repeat of how the world ended.” She motioned with her head for us to walk away from the small crowd of ponies who had gathered to hear the rant. “What that pony was saying was not wrong, not right either, but not entirely wrong. Greed and hate was the downfall of the world, both ponies and zebras didn’t stop, even when they knew it would end in fire. The same happened on this island.”

“So ponies are still blowing up each other. Makes my sister sound right.” Mayall commented.

Sorrow and I both gave her a confused look, but Sorrow cleared her throat and continued talking. “No, no bombs this time. What happened was that the corporations didn’t know when to just stop, when to get their fat hooves out of the public's business. By the time the equalists came onto the scene, the corporations had already taken over the government. So when the leader of the equalists ran for the presidency on the platform of restricting the powers of the corporations, they were met with massive resistance.”

“Mess with those in power, don’t be surprised if they use that power against you.” I added.

Sorrow nodded. “And that’s what happened. Except for one problem, the equalists had massive support from the working class ponies. So no matter what the corporations did to denounce and smear the equalist leader, she just stayed on top. It was like fighting a rising tide, and they knew it. So they had her assassinated.”

“Something I don’t remember reading in the history books.” I commented.

“Not surprising.” Sorrow agreed “Well this did quell the rising tide, for a short time. About two years later, a new equalist leader took the stage, a Livenka Fortissimo, who was far more radical than her predecessor. She would lead the Equalists to goad the republic to violence, calming that they were the voice of the public as the republic would attempt to silence them. Eventually Livenka did not just get the public on her side, she had wiped them up into an angry and armed mob. Soon after the revolution happened, and Livenka took control of the republic. The rest is what you see here.”

“So in short, the republic fell because it didn’t let the equalists win?” I asked.

Sighing, Sorrow gave me a little nod. “In a way, yes. The equalists only had the power they had because the working poor felt like they had none. So when the first equalist leader was shot down in the way she was, the ponies of the republic felt like not only didn’t they have power, but that their own government was holding them down. In a way, they were right. The corporations just couldn’t let go of any of their power, and in the end, they turned their customers and employees into their executioners. It was as simple as that.”

What Sorrow was telling me was not hard to understand, and made me glad I grew up under Orthrus. But it was a bit disturbing to know that all this anti-capitalist madness had some truth to it, even if it was used to control the population, not free them.

“Bouzouki!” A somewhat nasally voice shouted from the distance, Stopping Sorrow in her tracks. Looking over at the source, it came from the Lab mare I had talked with yesterday. “Long time no see.” She said wheezing a little. Even though she has galloped a short distance, it seemed a bit too much for the mare. Behind her floated a white painted sprite bot, Its mechanical eyes looking us over.

“It has, hasn’t it Tungso. Still working in the bio labs?” Sorrow calmly responded.

“Ya, we have had a few minor breakthroughs this year, but nothing significant. At least the robot lab pitched in and repurposed me an assistant.” She motioned to the sprite bot, and it beeped in a cheery tone. “Though it still a little disorienting having a floating third eye.”

Sorrow gave out a little sigh. “They really are mechanizing this station aren’t they. Makes me feel that ponies like me will soon be left behind.”

Tungso waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t be that way, even if they do digitize all the books, the I.o.E. will have a place for you, I mean, the bookish ponies are their favorite.” She looked past Sorrow and at us. “I remember you two. So you were here with Bouzouki, that’s wonderful, we should all go to the biome together.”

Sorrow stepped in the way. “Sorry, maybe another time.” She motioned to Mayall. “This one needs to catch a train soon, and the other is getting picked up for ministry business. But maybe another day.”

The Lab mare looked a little disappointed, but then perked up a little. “Well, if it’s just you that’s available, we could meet up for lunch.”

Sorrow nodded. “Yes, let’s.”

Two security ponies galloped past us, their sprite bots following with flashing lights. If I had to guess, they were heading to the biome. “So what’s up with them? Did somepony start saying nice things about capitalism?”

“One, that was unfunny. And two, it’s not our business.” Sorrow said with a serious tone, almost like she was telling me that jokes were a very bad idea.

Tungso looked a little worried. “Oh I hope nothing happened at the lab. Last thing we need is for any of the experiments to get damaged.”

“Move along citizens.” A ponytron came trotting passed us. “This is official police business.”

Tungso looked even more worried, chewing on her hoof. “Oh I really hope it’s nothing.”

Click

The lights went out, leaving the only source of illumination coming from the window to the ocean. Sorrow remained calm, tapping her hoof on the floor to get our attention. “Now nopony panic, this station has backup power, and it should kick in soon.”

“What do you think is the problem?” I asked nopony in particular. “Most of these stations are so old that it could be anything really.”

“Well last time it was because sea water got into the generator room, it might be that.” Tungso answered. “But why would security be running to the biome?”

“Could be lurkers.” Mayall spoke up.

“I don’t think Lurkers would…” Sorrow stopped mid-sentence, looking over at Mayall, who was looking out the window. “Well fuck.”

Trotting to see what they were looking at, the biome was covered in Lurkers. Closer to us were a few more lurkers walking along the reef, and some were on top of the structure, just standing there.

“This is... very unheard of!” Tungso stated. “I know that Lurkers travel in packs, but never of this size. It’s fascinating.”

One of the Lurkers came into view, walking right in front of the window. Popping one of the pills of chill, I took a closer look, something about the large lurker seemingly odd. I didn’t see it at first, but it quickly became apparent, the lurker had leather straps on it. “Mayall, what’s your kin’s relationship with the regular lurkers?”

“We use them to guard the nests, so most ways in and out of our home are through wild lurker nests.” She answered. “But sister likes using them for hunting.”

“Hunting them, or using them to hunt?” Sorrow asked this time.

“Yes.” Not the answer I wanted to here.

A loud crash from behind us made me and the others jump. Looking around, it was too dark to properly see much, the downside of living underground. “What was that?”

“Sounded like something metal hitting the floor.” Sorrow noted. “Light, thin, with an opening, like a small gate, or a-”

“A vent.” I finished. The light from the window was not helping my vision adapt to the dark, so I could not see what it was. At the edge of my vision was Tungso, the mare looking quite scared, and confused. The rules of surviving in the big Island's tunnels kicked in, one of them being to stay close to each other. “Tungso, come here!” I whispered at her.

She just shook her head, quivering. “I… I can’t”

“Yes you can!” I motioned my hoof at her to come over.”

She just shook her head again. “I” with a sudden loud pop, blood bust from Tungso’s eye, sending the spray of gore next to us. Tungso herself stood there for a few more seconds, with a look of shock on her face before falling over, blood pooling onto the ground from her now empty socket.

The emergency lights flickered on, giving us just enough light to see what had just killed Tungso. Standing before us was a pony like figure, holding what looked like a crudely made pistol in its mouth. The figure was dressed in Lurker chitin that covered it all over, and had been dyed a dark gray, all held in place by leather straps. On its side were what looked like a few crude but dangerous looking large knives, their rusted metal giving off little to no light.

We both stared at each other for a long moment, sizing each other up. “Minerva, S.A.T.S.” The attacker dropped its pistol and charged, as I entered into my tactical S.A.T.S. Time came to a near standstill, the attacker now slowly moving at me. I selected to draw my revolver, the act costing one action, the second action I chose to shoot the attacker in the face, it giving me a 86% chance to hit, which was slowly going up. Feeling good with my chances, I accepted the actions, and my body began to move on its own. In one fluid motion, the Lunar Eclipse was drawn into my mouth, and I fired the gun, sending a bullet right into the attacker’s head. The bullet ripped through the attacker’s chitin, and blasted a hole far bigger on the other side then the hole that went in, completely hollowing out the skull. I knew this because I saw it all happen in slow motion, sending a large spray of blue blood and gore off onto the floor and wall behind it.

When time returned to normal, I took a quick look at my gun, remembering the specialty bullets I had gotten before. Armor piercing shredder rounds. Frighteningly effective. Trotting over to the body of the attacker, I didn’t need to check it to know it was a Sparkle-Lurker. The pony shape and blue blood was all I needed to see. But looking at its weapons, crude was an understatement. The pistol was nothing more than a one shot zip gun, and the knives were just sharpened pieces of sheet metal. The only thing of quality on the lurker was its armor, as somehow they had managed to mold the Lurkers chitin to be placed over their own. I expected it to be brittle or flimsy, but the molded chitin was considerably sturdy, probably more than hard leather.

Looking back, Sorrow was standing over Tungso, crying. “She didn’t deserve this, not this.”

A crackling sound filled the room, and an automated message began to play. “Citizens please remain calm, professionals are currently working on the problem, and will have the station back up and running soon. Stay in your homes until an all clear is given, and sorry for the inconvenience. Message repeats. Citizens please remain-” The automated suddenly cut out with a crackling noise, followed by silence.

“Sister Mine! It’s time to stop running and come home sister mine. This game of hide and seek is over sister mine.” Berenices voice reverberated through the room, and the halls. “Maybe we should play a game of seek and kill sister mine.”

I looked over at Mayall, who’s face told me everything we needed to know, fear. This situation was bad, and it was only going to get worse.

______________________________________

Footnote.

Quest completed: The Magic of Equality is not Friendship.

New Quest: They Came From the Deep!

Chapter 22 - Blue Blood

Loud pops could be heard down the halls, followed by the screams and shouting of ponies. I had no doubt that other Sparkle-Lurkers had managed to get into the station and were attacking ponies. Though their weapons were crude, they would be effective enough on a civilian population.

This was not to say that they could not defend themselves, between the robots and security, they should be safe enough. What had me worried was the armor the Sparkle-Lurkers were using, and their natural invisibility to magical sensors. The Armor was both primitive, and extremely impressive. The outer layer was made from that of the regular lurkers, of which were hard to penetrate on a living lurker. It also had a second layer of what was likely hardened Rad-Boar hide, both glued and tied together.

Looking at the damage I had done to the Sparkle-Lurker, it became quite clear that I had killed it due to using the right weapon, and luck. My bullet had penetrated a thin spot on its helmet, and the blast had knocked it off. I was sure if I had gone for center mass, even the AP shredder rounds would fail to be effective, due to their chitin acting as a third layer of armor.

Looking over at Mayall, I was about to ask a question that I knew the answer to. Why was Berenices here. Simple, she was here for her. So now I had a better question to ask. “Mayall, what do you know about your sister’s troops?”

She slowly walked over to me, cringing at the dead Sparkle-Lurker. “Her hunters, unlike mother’s guards, they don’t use pony weapon’s. Or anything made by ponies. They do manage to provide food for the nest, sometimes plants they gathered, or meat they killed.” She rubbed her chin. “They are quite aggressive, like using weapons that look like the claws of the big feathery beast, and spears.”

So no automatic weapons, silver linings and all that. With little trouble I took off an armoire peace from the lurker’s leg, I tried it on, finding it a little too small on me. “Shame, could use the protection.” At this point, I felt it was safe to guess that all the sparkle-lurkers were smaller than ponies, not that it made them any less dangerous.

Sorrow came trotting over, her eyes red and puffy. “Your… you’re not planning on fighting those things, are you?”

I shook my head. “Not if we can avoid it. But as long as Mayall is with us, Berenices is going to hunt us down.” I hoofed the armor piece over to Mayall. “Are you going to be okay, Sorrow?”

She sighed. “I’ll... be fine. I just need another minute or two. It’s just that Tungso was a loving mare, liked to just sit and watch the fish for hours. She was like a sanity break here in the republic, still brainwashed like the rest, but had other interests than just playing the good citizen.” I placed my hoof on her shoulder, not knowing what to say. Everything that popped into my head felt like the wrong answer, and anything I could say would likely not help. Sorrow just rested her head on my hoof for a moment, taking a step back not long after. “Thanks.”

Looking back to Mayall, she had attached the armor piece to her hoof. Trotting over to her, I raised an eyebrow. “You sure that’s wise?”

She nodded. “Sister’s unlikely to stop. Even if I give myself to her, her hunters are already here, already hunting. If I get in a fight, this armor will help.”

“So you're suggesting what, we make her go away?”

Mayall shook her head. “We make her chase me elsewhere. The surface. Up there she is likely to do less damage.”

Sorrow joined us. “You sure we can’t just put her out of our misery.” I rolled my eyes, and Mayall looked unsure. “Sorry, just a little upset. Here, I know a few ways up to the surface from this station, If you can locate your sister, I’ll guide you to the nearest exit.”

I trotted over to the dead Lurker, and began detaching the armor. “So where do you think your sister would be Mayall?”

She trotted over to the window, placing her hoof on the glass. “Likely the biome, I saw that one of the rooms connects out into the water, she and the others could have gotten in from there. It would also make a good place for defense from ponies, and would have an easy way out.”

Sorrow nodded. “Makes sense if your kind can travel underwater. I remember reading about old equestria being worried about such an attack, the log book talked about a submarine that patrolled the waters here to prevent that from happening.” She looked out the window, and smiled. “Also, the biome still has an old research sub, don’t think it can go far, but a simple trip to the surface? That it should be able to do.”

I loudly cleared out my throat. “Not to be the buzz kill here, but I don’t think running right into Berenices hooves is the best idea. Just having some of her hunters see us leaving should send a message.”

Myall shook her head. “Sister is unlikely to be lead away unless personally involved. She will likely stay here and send a hunter pack after us. We need her to be leading the hunt, then rest of the hunters will follow her.”

Damn, so no easy way out. “Why would she even stay?”

“Directing the hunt.” She said flatly. “Like with mother, she would not be able to do as she likes and keep the hunters under her control. So unless directly provoked, she will hold her position until the hunt is over.”

I took two more of the pills Sorrow gave me, being next to the window like this was not doing my mental state any good. “Okay, I get it. To get them to go away, we need personally piss of your sister, and then quickly escape, after that the rest of the Sparkle-Lurkers should follow her lead. So one more question, why can’t we just leave, you know evacuate the station?”

Sorrow spoke up. “I’d be inclined to agree, and let the security forces take care of this. But, this attack will put the republic on high alert, cutting the power automatically locks the doors, and I’m itching for some revenge.”

I face hoofed. “Fan-fucking-tastic. And I have to stick around for a pickup. What about you Mayall, you don’t have to stick around here?”

“No I don’t. But Berenices can’t be allowed to do this.” She shook her head. “She will make ponies know and hate us. She want’s ponies to fear and hate us. It’s wrong, she’s wrong.”

I think I understood what this was about. “You know, if it weren’t for her, Sweet might have gotten to keep her eyes.” I looked at the two of them, and nodded. “First let’s get this armor on you, can’t have you getting hurt before we get to your sister.”

With Sorrow and I attaching the armor, it didn’t take long for Mayall to look, well, impressive. The Lurker armor looked primal, and intimidating, but with her long fin like mane hanging off on the side, she gave it a bit of a noble feel.

Opening up my gun case, I pulled out Lelantos, putting it together, I left the extended barrel off and attached the bayonet. Six steel bolts went inside easily enough, and the rifle hummed to life as I supplied it with magic so it would began compressing the air inside it. Due to the short corridors, I left the scope off, choosing to just use the iron sights.

Mayall, and Sorrow both got their own guns as well. Mayall getting the digger gun, with plenty of ammo. Sorrow on the other hoof got the mouth fired flamethrower I had, it only having one tank of fuel left.

The dark station, only illuminated by red emergency lights felt ominous to me. It was like the station was rapidly decaying, time finally catching up to it. As we trotted along, staying as a close group, the sounds of fighting echoed through the halls. Mostly in short bursts of shouting and gunfire, but nothing ever too prolonged. This made us keep our pace slow, so to not attract unwanted attention.

“Locked” Sorrow stated, as she stood in front of a door blocking our path. “Were going to have to go through the market to get to the biome.”

“No way to force it open, I’ve done it plenty of times before.” I stated.

Sorrow just shook her head. “The blast doors here are made to hold water back; the locking mechanism is pressurized. To get pass it right now, you would need to cut it open.”

“Wouldn’t the market have the same problem?” Mayall chimed in with a good question. “I mean, most of the blast doors are shut now.”

“Luckily for us, no.” Sorrow said with confidence “The market used to be two different show rooms, with a blast door separating them. But a long time ago the rooms were combined to make the market. even if the door to the market is locked, we should be able to bypass it.”

The sound of metallic hooves hitting the concrete floor could be heard coming our way, they were frantic and fast. A half dressed and panicked pony rushed into view, skidding to a stop right before she nearly collided with us. “Oh thank the republic, your armed. We need help, the foals need help!” she had a nasty gash on her side, which had ripped some of her clothes off, and stained her belly red.

“Where at?” I responded, my Orthrus training kicking in.

“In Block C, we managed to seal the foals in the classroom, but I don’t know how long it will keep that maniac out.”

I placed my hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we'll go save them, you just get yourself somewhere safe.” Looking back at the other two, they nodded back at me. “Sorrow lead us to block C”

____________________________________

We had reached Block C fairly quickly, Sorrow leading the way. Greeting us was the dead body of a mare, her throat was slashed, and she had bled to death on the floor. A trail of blood splatter, and bloody hoof prints told me that she had managed to get way after having had been dealt the fatal blow. Another trail of bloody hoof prints continued past her, likely from the other mare who had told us about the emergency.

From what Sorrow had told us, the blocks were simple residential zones for the more equal ponies in the station. So they were less cramped, and held a more important position in the station. It was hard to tell how nice the block was due to it being dark… and splattered with blood.

There were a few other dead bodies lying on the floor, some of the ponies having been gutted, others looked like they had their skulls crushed in. The blood practically coated the floor, leaving few place to walk without stepping in it. I placed my rifle at the ready, the telekinesis from Minerva allowing me to talk with it out and ready to fire. “Now where are you?” I whispered. Checking my E.F.S. there were a bunch of green markers ahead of me. A few by themselves in the different rooms, and one group all bunched together, probably the foals. Not surprisingly I couldn’t see the lurker on the E.F.S. So I had to keep my ears up, and eyes open.

A loud bang came from around the corner, were the foals probably were. It sounded like some pony was kicking a door, the bangs being low and loud. Taking a glance around the corner, I saw our target, one armored Sparkle-Lurker. The hunter was bucking at the door, it having had cracked open, and the hunter getting it a little more open with each kick. Not the best way to open a door, but that was not stopping the lurker.

“Found it, I’ll take it out quietly, then we can move one.” I whispered to the others. Taking Lelantos into my hooves, and getting into a prone position, I carefully aimed at the lurker. It was moving around quite a bit, so I had to make the shot count. The situation was probably similar to shooting at a Rad-Boar, the damned beasts had thick slanted skulls, so scoring a headshot sometimes only pissed them off. One shot, one kill.

“Vibraphone.” Mayall whispered to me.

“Not now.” I whispered back.

“It’s just you might want to look down the other hall.” She whispered. “Soon.”

Taking the shot, the steel bolt flew through the air, and nailed the Sparkle Lurker in the side of the head. Releasing a breath, I was holding, I sat up and looked at the others. “So what is it.” Mayall lifted up a hoof, and pointed down another hall. Looking I spotted another Lurker, making eye contact with it. “Fuck!” the lurker charged, and I fired a bolt at it.

The sparkle-lurker hunter strafed side to side as it charged at me, my first shot missing, and my second just deflecting off its armor. I got a third shot off onto the lurker as it barreled into me. Rolling with the hit, I slid through a puddle of blood before getting back onto my hooves. Looking around Mayall and Sorrow had gotten out of the way in time to not get hit as well. My attacker, had also gotten back on their hooves, having had slipped on the blood as well. Aiming my rifle, I quickly fired another shot, missing its head, and sticking the bolt into its shoulder.

The bolt didn’t even slow the Lurker down as it charged at me again. This time I braced myself, with my rifle low and outstretched like spear. When the lurker made another jump at me, I lifted my rifle up, the blade catching onto the Lurkers underbelly, and lifting the lurker over me. As quickly as I could, I fired the two remaining shots into the lurkers belly, and let it drop behind me.

Rolling over, I was now covered in blood, making me shiver in disgust. To my shock, the lurker I had been fighting was also getting up, two metal spikes poking out the back of its armor. I had unfortunately missed any vital spot on the lurker. Prepared to use my revolver again, we both locked eyes for a moment. I was sure the Lurker was sizing me up, trying to gage my next move.

Staring at the Lurker, the air around its face seemed to wobbled before a loud ringing hit my ear, making me feel like my head was in a vice, and my vision blurred. Losing my balance, I struggled to keep myself from falling over for a second, Mayall caching me first. “The fuck was that” I shouted.

“A Sonic screech, we can do that.” Mayall informed me. “The hunter did it so that we could not follow.”

“What do you mean follow.” My vision came back into focus, and I could see that the Lurker was no longer here. “Fuck, the hunter got away.”

“Just be glad that it didn’t go for a third attack.” Sorrow added. “I’m going to check up on the Foals, you stay there, don’t want you two scaring the poor dears more than they already have been.

The first thing I did was reload, and repower my rifle, the second was to go to a water fountain, and wash some of the blood of my face. Sadly the water was far from good enough to wash the blood off. Taking a look around, though hard to see, I could see that some of the doors to the rooms had been opened, the two lurkers likely going door to door, killing the ponies inside.

Stepping inside one of the rooms, it was no different from what I had stayed at the night before. The living room had plenty of the posters framed up on the walls, there was even the smaller collector posters framed up on the walls. On a dining table was another frame standing up, taking a closer look at it, it was a family photo, a mirage pony mare and a stallion, with a colt between them. Pushing myself away from the photo, I totted over to the sink, where I could dip my head under. The cool water washed the blood away, it all draining down into the sink, into the red just stopped coming from my head.

Trotting out of the room, Sorrow was waiting for me. “Good news, the foals are safe, bad news, I can’t get them out. We will have to send a member of security to go and finish the job.”

I nodded and turned to leave, stepping over a dead mare, who looked a lot like the mare from the family photo. “Let’s drive these fuckers out of the station.”

____________________________________

We arrived at the doors to the market without running into any other sparkle-lurkers, but the dead were starting to pile up. The civilian population was entirely unprepared for this, and so many found themselves slaughtered before they understood the situation.

The sounds of combat could be heard coming from the market, mainly shouting and the twangy sound for the magical energy muskets going off. Also coming from the market was the smell of smoke and burnt flesh, which was never a good sign.

So when I entered the market, I did it alone, having the other two hang back to wait for me to signal them over. First taking some cover, I scanned the situation from a safe position. The security forces had taken up defensible positions behind hastily made barricades, backed up by ponytrons and sprite bots. The lurkers look to be holding their position, two of them firing their zip guns at the security forces. Wondering why security did not just rush them, the answer came charging out of the doorway to the biome, a regular lurker, the kind seen along the beaches on all the islands. It was armored, even covering its face, and with blades attached to its claws. The monster charged at the security forces, brushing off the beams of energy, with its claws held high. An unfortunate security pony who was closest to the monster, managed to fire their rifle at it, the beam avoided the armor, but simply bounced off the chitin. Within a short few seconds the pony was eviscerated by the reinforced sand lurker.

Another security pony near the one who had died, had obviously lost their nerve as the pony began scooting backwards, trying and failing to get up and run. The sand lurker turned to the panicked pony, this time slowly moving to its prey.

Luckily that lined up the large lurker for me to take a shot at its face. A scope would have been nice this time around, but I had no time to run over to Mayall to get it. So I entered S.A.T.S. putting two actions into shooting at the sand lurker, my chance to hit was not the best, but far from being bad. Accepting the action, my body got into firing position, and pulled the trigger. The bolt sored through the air, and at the Lurker. My quick action paid off, and the bolt slid past the armored face mask, and plunged itself into the lurkers soft face. Time returned to normal, and I watched as the lurker reared back in plain, my shot doing some real damage this time.

The Sand lurker was finished off by a ponytron armed with welding tool that shot out bolts of electricity. Jumping out of my safe zone, I rushed over to the panicked security pony, and dragged her back under cover. “I’m Chime Catbell, with the M.o.A. and I’m here to help.”

The security pony looked up at me for a moment, she looking a bit bewildered by what had just happened. “Te…Tenor Cleft, equality inspector. Th… thanks for th… the help. I th… thought I was going to die.” The mare’s eyes were watering, probably ready to cry in fear and relief.

I waved over my two companions to join us, they quickly rushing over to the cover. Tenor saw Mayall, and opened her mouth, making a whimpering cry before I blocked it with my leg. “She’s with us, so don’t panic.” I held my leg in her mouth until she gave me a look and nodded. Lowering my leg, I made sure to talk to the mare calmly. “Can you tell me the situation?”

Tenor nodded. “Th…there was a report of a situation in th…the biome, so th…the security chief and about half of security went to investigate. Th..they never came back. So we came to investigate, but when we got here, Lurkers rushed the market, being led by some armored ponies. We managed to hold them off, but th…there are less th…then half of us now th…then when th…this started.”

Talk about not being prepared for this, the Sparkle-Lurkers had managed to cripple security here far too quickly. Something that would have never happened if Orthrus was here. “That bad… Here I have a job for you, can you run?” Tenor nodded again. “Good, I need you to go to C block, it got attacked by two lurkers, lots dead, but still plenty of survivors. Help them get to a safer part of the station, can you do this?”

“I… I can do th…that.” With that, I pushed her away, and she ran off out of the market.

Some of the other security ponies looked down at us from a more defendable position, looking worried. Waving, I shouted up at them. “Were going to make a push to the Biome, cut the monsters off at the source. There's more of the monsters in the station, if you don’t follow me, then go hunt them down.”

One of the security ponies pulled out of sight for a moment, probably to talk with another pony. Popping their head back out, the pony had a less than confident look on their face. “We can’t spare anypony here, there’s just not enough of us.”

“Another one incoming! No two more!” One of the security ponies shouted. Two sand lurkers scuttled in and were met by energy blasts from the security team. They managed to kill one with enough shots to the shell to disintegrate it, but the other managed to resist the blasts and rush at me. With how it ran with its head low, and claws up over its face, getting a shot at it's soft spot was not possible, so I had to get a little risky. Waiting for the sand lurker to get in close, I entered S.A.T.S. and waited for it to pull back its claws for an attack. With its face exposed, I selected it, and entered for the attack. Before it could bring its claws down onto me, I got two shots into its face, and the sand lurker collapsed. This was why everypony hated fighting sand lurkers. Their hard shells, and the way they ran often forced you to fight up close just to get a shot at a weak spot.

Looking back up at the security ponies in the nicer position, they still didn’t look confident. I could only guess it was because their chain of command had been severed so suddenly. “Hey, which of you is in charge?” I called out to them.

The security ponies looked around nervously. “We… we all are… we're all equal here.”

Fucking great, so no pony was in charge, talk about a breakdown in command. “Is there anypony of authority I can talk to?”

For a moment the security pony pulled out to talk with another security pony before popping back out. “Theirs the mayor, Thavil, she went to restore power with a few of us before the sand lurker attacked. Who are you anyways.”

“Chime Catbell, I’m with the M.o.A.” I called back to them, though it didn’t seem to put them at ease. We could rush the biome, but without the support of the security team, I doubted we would make it far without getting overrun. So getting the mayor was likely the best way to convince these ponies to fight with me. I turned my gaze to Sorrow. “Let’s go get the Mayor.”

The changeling nodded. “I’ll lead the way.”

____________________________________

We entered the less seen backrooms of the station. Unlike the public areas, everything here was far more dark, dirty, and rusted. The constant hum of the machinery, and the whooshing of water through pipes was loud here, and I could even feel the vibration through my metal legs. Ponytrons were far more common here too, providing round the clock maintenance for the plumbing and electronics, stomping past us in the narrow hallways. It all just reminded me how unnatural this all was, how we had to spend so much time just keeping everything from collapsing in on us. If it weren’t for our ability to charge all the old tech and keep it running, it’s hard not to imagine that most stations like this wouldn’t simply become uninhabitable.

Along the way we found the engineer's break room. Looking in we saw a mare sitting at a table, sadly her face was smashed in, blood dripping off the metal table. She likely didn’t see what killed her coming, and had died quickly. Not wanting to see any more, we moved on, the generator room not much further.

“So much needless violence.” Mayall spoke up. “I don’t understand why my sister is doing this if she just wanted me.”

“Clearly she’s sees this as an opportunity to just kill ponies.” Sorrow commented.

Mayall sighed. “I don’t know; this is just too extreme. My sister loathed the idea of ponies knowing of our existence.”

“Maybe she is getting rid of potential witnesses.” I added.

“That might be it.” Sorrow agreed. “A bit savage, but the stations are so easily cut off from each other, that it’s possible to do it.”

“So, this is my fault?” Mayall, asked, sounding depressed.

I shook my head. “No, it’s your sister's fault for being such a cunt. She also sounds like the kind of pony… lurker, that has been waiting to do something like this. She is probably just using you as an excuse. I’ve known ponies like that, just waiting for someone to get out of line just so that they can legally beat the shit out of them. I’ve even know one pony who joined Orthrus so that they could have the opportunity to legally kill another pony.” I stopped for a moment to give Mayall a hug. “It’s not your fault for what others do, remember that. All you really can do is just be a better pony… or a better lurker.”

I let go of the hug, Mayall letting a tear go. Strange, somehow I was surprised that it was a normal tear, I thought it would glow. “Thanks, I think we should continue, I have a bad feeling about what’s ahead.” I nodded in agreement, and continued through the backroom’s.

Reaching the generator room, unsurprisingly it was dark. Mayall, Sorrow, and I turned on our pipbuck lamps, providing us with a small amount of light. What we saw didn’t surprise us, which was sad. Dead ponies were scattered about on the floor, the blood pooling around them. From the look of where the bodies were, they were taken by surprise, some of the security ponies with energy muskets still charged and ready to fire. Among the bodies was what was probably the mayor, the mare had on a nice gray suit, now stained with blood.

Checking the body, the pony had little on her other than her suit. I decided to go straight to what would tell me what I needed to know, and pulled out her E.C.S. pass card, and placed it into Minerva. My pipleg quickly read the information and displayed it for me. Arghul was her name, mayor of Fishery Station, and she had an equality score of 852, still didn’t understand what made a good score, but if she was mayor, that had to be one.

“Found the mayor, looks like this was a bust.” I called out. Mayall and Sorrow were standing at the window to the generator, the sparkle-lurker looking in, as the changeling just stood at the side. I trotted over to them to see what they found, careful to not step on the bodies. “What did you find?”

“Nothing you want to see.” Sorrow said as she avoided eye contact.

Stepping over to Mayall, I looked through the window, and recoiled. Through the faint red light, I could see that countless mirage ponies were strapped in harnesses, lying on shelves as though they were nothing more than parts of a machine. No, that’s exactly what they were, each one with cables coming out of their neck, snakeing onto the floor, becoming on large cable that plugging into the generator. “That’s a...”

“A slave generator, yes it is.” Sorrow stated. “What do you think the republic does with all their undesirables? Criminals, the lame, political opponents, and anypony thought to be a capitalist. If they can’t be reformed, or put to work in the ‘fun’ camps, they end up like this.”

“But why this? Nopony should be treated like a power cell.” It was disgusting, a pony simply reduced to just a piece of a machine.

“What are you talking about?” Mayall spoke up, sounding worried. “What happened to these ponies?”

Sorrow took a deep breath, and sighed, before answering. “Early on when the mirage ponies started to become more common, after it was discovered that they could produce magical energy, there were other ponies who abused that ability. At first it was a practice that started out as simply using mirage ponies as backup power for tools, lights, and charging spark batteries. But it didn’t take long before it devolved into a horrific punishment.”

Stepping over to the window, Sorrow placed her hoof on the thick glass and continued. “The Slave Generator is simply a steam engine that can be powered by the magical energy of a mirage pony with the help of a few heating talismans. It takes a few mirage ponies to get the water boiling, but once the engine starts moving, for each addition mirage pony providing power, the efficiency of the engine greatly increases. But there is one flaw to this setup, the slave generator needs a constant source of power, so unless you have mirage ponies taking shifts, the engine will slow down as the water cools. That is, unless you chain them to the generator, and force them to produce magical energy. And so, some stations started taking mirage pony slaves, mostly criminals at first, but it didn’t take long for stations to start foal napping mirage ponies for their slave generator.”

“Orthrus found the practice abhorrent, and made it their policy to shut down any slave generator in use, and punish the ponies running them.” I added. “I though the practice had died out, why would the republic bring it back?”

“Because it’s for the greater good, you know, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Sorrow said with a disappointed tone.

I shook my head. “If Orthrus found out about this, there may be a war.”

Sorrow then laughed. “Sadly, I doubt that Orthrus would ever admit that this existed here.”

My eyebrow cocked up at her. “What are you talking about?”

She sighed. “This slave generator existed here long before the republic took over. That’s right, this slave generator was once owned, and used by your proud Orthrus. Hypocrisy at its finest, don’t you think?”

I felt sick to my stomach, to know that something like this still existed, and seeing it, it was sickening. “Yeah, I have a few ponies to talk to when I get home.” I know that after the shit I’m going through, getting in contact with a member of the council should be possible. Turning my gaze back to the window. “Mayall, let’s get them out of there.”

“That’s too late for them.” Mayall spoke as she peeled herself off the window. “They’re all dead.”

“What!” Looking closer, I saw what she was talking about. It was faint, but there it was, each of the ponies had a line of blood coming from their neck. Looks like each one of them had been bled out, as though they were strapped down for slaughter. Following the trail from their neck, and down to the floor, I could see a solid red. So many ponies had been killed that it made one big pool of dark red. My stomach recoiled at the sight, and my breakfast came back up to be spilt on the floor, leaving a bile taste in my mouth. “Fucking why? Why all the killing, what is Berenices trying to prove? They posed no threat to them at all!”

Mayall gave me a worried look. “I don’t think she’s going to stop, not unless we drive her away.”

I wiped my mouth, the smell of what I had eaten was now less than appealing. “Yeah, let’s stop messing around and go straight to the bitch.” I took one of the dead security ponies magical energy muskets, and with the one I already had, attached them to a battle saddle. Slipping the battle saddle on, I made sure the straps were on tight, luckily both muskets had the stock cut short, so I just had to push my saddlebags back to my flank to get them out of the way.

We left the generator room, the smell of death thick in the air. Our blood covered hooves leaving a trail behind us, mixing with the grime of the backrooms.

____________________________________

The station had fallen eerily quiet on our way back to the market. I could only guess that the ponies who had avoided getting attacked were now in hiding, the rest dead. This was far too efficient to just be a spur of the moment attack, I had a strong feeling that Berenices had this planned out. From the infiltration, to the assault with the sand-lurkers, I had my doubts that she would even diverge from her move, even if we slapped her in the face.

The three of us trotted through the dark hallway, I couldn’t help but feel that we were being watched. With my EFS being useless at detecting the Sparkle-Lurkers, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they were stalking us. The sight of a dead pony as we trotted past it was just another reminder of the danger we were in, and the sooner we stopped this madness the better.

As we entered the market, cautiously at first, we were greeted by a charging sand-lurker. Entering S.A.T.S. I used both of my fully charged magical energy muskets to shoot at the lurker. Giving me the twang sound in stereo as the two bolts of energy blasted right into the large sand-lurker, turning one of its legs into dust. The beast tumbled to the ground, struggling to get back up. Pulling my air rifle off my back, I put a bolt into its face, killing it.

Carefully going from cover to cover, we made it under one of the defense points of the security team. “You okay up there?” I shouted.

There was a pause for a few seconds, and a coldness in the air. “We fine, not dead yet.” The voice was a bit off, like some stallion was trying to sound like a mare, but failing to sound even like a pony.

I looked at the others, and they both gave me a worried glance back. Looking back up at the defensive nest, I focused my magical charge, letting it flow to my guns. “You’re not a sparkle-lurker are you?”

“We… they prefer Sparkle-lurk, no need to add the -er- at the end” the not a security pony stated at us.

Sighing, I looked back at Mayall. “Is this true?”

She shrugged. “Some do. Mother wanted us to be called the space cadets. I suggested that we should be called the elegant inheritors of the deep. One wanted us to be all called cola-kin, I think my sister killed the lurk for that idea.”

“No remind me.” The not a security pony called out. “Slick Shell never stopped whining, on how different he was, on how nopony understood him. Berenices put him out of our misery.”

“Ok, enough stupidity!” Sorrow yelled. “You up there, come down before we shoot you down!”

The sound of hooves rapidly moving around came from above us, and the head of a sparkle-lurker poked out. “No shoot, I surrender.” The lurker tumbled out of the defensive nest, and scrambled before us. “I here, kindly no shoot.”

The lurker looked a bit like Turnip, but more scratched up, and a small fin on its head painted white. He, like the other lurkers before, had chitin armor on, though this one had seen some combat, scorched with energy bolt marks on its side. Specks of blood dotted the lurkers armor, and on a belt were some rusted knives. The lurker also had a long pipe rifle, which looked like it had a revolver system to it, and a crude bayonet hanging off the end of the barrel.

Clearing my throat, I made sure my voice sounded strong and in command. “You will take us to Berenices!”

“Of course!” the lurker said with a smile. “That’s our plan.”

It took me a moment to process what he had just said. “Shit!” Quickly looking around, Sparkle-Lurkers came out of their hiding spots, armed with zip-guns, old fire axes, pipes turned into maces, and lots of spears.

The Lurker pointed his rifle at me. “Doubt you kill all us. Do as we say, and Berenices will decide what to do with you. Don’t, we kill you. Clear.” His tone was far too jovial for what he was telling me, which only made me more worried about our situation. The lurker then turned his attention to Mayall. “So happy to see the runaway princess safe, though concerned to see you with our armor. You killed for it. Disappointing.”

Mayall glared at the lurker. “And what of thee hunters, this slaughter, how does it keepeth the nest safe, keepeth the workers fed? doth thee seek war with the ponies?”

“You want answer from me?” with a grin, he lifted his head back, and brought it down onto Mayall. The head-butt was enough to make Mayall fall back on her own legs, and as she got back up, a line of blue blood came out of her noise. “Save questions for future queen, or we give more answers.”

As we were herded to the biome, I saw a few more lurkers trot into the market from where we entered. One lurker carried another on their back, a significant amount of blue staining their armor, and the lurker on his back had to thin metal spikes sticking out of their armor, looking quite painful. The rest of the lurkers were stained with red blood, mainly around their hooves, and many were dragging loot.

Going through the passageway to the biome only made me feel worse, the only thing I could do was look down and keep walking. Stripped of our gear, the fucking lurkers had also taken the pills I was using to keep calm, and they were starting to wear off. Luckily I still had Lunar Eclipse, so if it became too much, I could just shoot myself to put me out of my own misery. It also didn’t help that my shitty right front leg was starting to squeak, making me glad I had Minerva back, as if I had the squeaking in stereo, I’d have shot myself by now.

Entering the biome, we were greeted by more lurkers, the miniature forest, a very wet floor, and our pipbucks giving us a tick every few seconds. Sorrow looked quite distressed at this point, but with the prodding of the lurkers, she couldn’t stop and say anything without getting hurt. They continued to push us, taking us to what I could only guess was a meeting room.

Sitting at the end of an oval shaped table was Berenices, looking far more menacing than she had before. She had on the same armor as the rest of the lurkers here, but unlike the others her armor had a tattered red shawl, probably held in place by the pony skull on her shoulder. Sitting on the table next to her was what was likely her helmet, the same as the others, but painted red around the sides, and a fake red fin on the top.

The table had other things on it that made me concerned. Maps were a big thing that worried me, as it looked like she had maps to the valley island metro system, as well as a few stations, including fishery. Other things were explosives, most of wartime vintage, but there were a few metro made fire bombs, and two pipe bombs. There was also a bunch of piplegs, all of which had been ripped apart leaving mostly the pipbuck part.

Berenices pulled out a book, and opened it up before glancing at us, looking more annoyed than anything. The book was red with four bold words on it, “The Art of War” which didn’t surprise me that she was reading a book about war. I could only hope it was a picture book. “It’s good to see you again sister mine.”

Mayall curtsied. “I’m sorry I cannot say the same, sister.”

She flipped through a page of the book. “Do you know how much trouble you caused by leaving like that, leaving a door to the nest open for vile ponies to find, sister mine. Were you trying to get the nest killed, sister mine?”

Mayall’s proud demeanor seemed to slowly crumble under her sister’s words. “I maketh no excuses, but that does not explain why you’re here.”

“I’m here because you are here, sister mine!” Berenices voice was loud and angry. “Gallivanting with ponies like nothing would go wrong, sister mine.” With a growl she looked in my direction. “And this pony, I recognize that face. I should have known that you’d go running into the hooves of one that trespassed onto our land. I should have told mother to take her eyes as well. No, I should have told her to take all of their eyes.”

Mayall glared back at her sister. “How does such violence solve anything?”

“It reminds them that they are not wanted, that there are consequences for trampling on our land!” Berenices snarled back.

“So, then what consequences will you face?” Sorrow spoke up. “This is not your territory Lurker, do you think this will go unpunished?”

Berenices body posture relaxed as she turned her attention to sorrow. “And you are?”

She smiled. “You can call me Sorrow, a representative of my kin.” As she spoke, a silvery flames engulfed her in a wave of magic, revealing the pony disguise she had before. “And this station is our territory, of which you're trampling on.” The silver flames engulfed her once more, her form now that of a Sparkle-Lurker. “Of which we are not pleased with.”

The book slipped from Berenices hooves, falling flat on the table. “Amazing.” Berenices shook her head, and picked up her book. “Not like ponies are you. Maybe we could come to an agreement. We are only here because ponies. What is your… kin, called.

“Changelings, that is what we’re called.” Sorrow responded. “And if were to come to an agreement, we first must ask you to leave this place. The republic may have been caught off guard, but their retaliation will be swift and brutal. Last we need is the republic capturing your kind, and gaining a new weapon.”

Berenices chuckled. “Doubt that is a problem. No, no problem at all.” She flipped through another page. “But rest assured that you will be spared, for now. If your kin, and mine can come to an agreement, you shall remain unharmed.” Her eyes scanned over us, stopping on me. “But you, no guarantee.”

“What do you mean no problem?” I asked calmly, trying to not tip my hoof on how panicked I felt. “If the republic floods this tunnel with their soldiers, there’s no way you can win”

“Noted, an army of ponies in this station.” She said notionally, flipping through another page of the book. “Have you read the chapter about fire, most fascinating.”

“Don’t you care; your hunters will die.” I felt more irritated now, Berenices was too smug to not be mocking me, not unless she had a trick up her sleeves. “What are you planning?”

She smiled. “I do so love this book. Taught me to play to my strengths, and strike at my enemy’s weaknesses.” Berenices closed the book and gently put it on the table. “Know yourself and your enemy, you needn’t fear the results of a hundred battles. Is one of my favorite quotes.”

“I don’t know the quote, but I know the concept.” I still didn’t know what she was getting at, but I was getting a really bad feeling about this. “What are you getting at?”

She clapped her hooves, and two lurkers placed an empty glass, and an opened bottle of sparkle-cola-rad in front of her. The bottle of cola gave off a red glow that made me feel uneasy. “You see, we lurks have a few advantages, and disadvantages to you ponies.” She pounded her own chest. “One is that we're are hard to hurt, so by adding more armor to ourselves, we become harder to kill. Another is that your magical instruments can’t seem to see us, allowing us to move about the shadows unhindered. Because of that, all my hunters are trained to be silent, quick, and hard to see.” She picked up the bottle and slowly poured it into the glass. “Also we can stay underwater for hours, where ponies can only stay for a few fleeting minutes.” She glanced at me, her gaze was devious and wicked.

My heart thumped, as though it knew the answer before it clicked in my mind. “No, you wouldn’t.” Her gaze didn’t falter. “You would wouldn’t you. You’re going to flood the station! Why?”

She chuckled again. “The one who strikes first wins. It’s as simple as that.” Taking a sip of the sparkle-cola-rad, I could see a grin on her face. “It’s why I’ve been studying this place for over a year, finding it’s weak points, and how to most efficiently drown the population without a full on fight happening. I’d call this operation a success, wouldn’t you pony?”

“That’s dreadful!” Mayall spoke up. “War is about armies, territory, and resources. But what you're condoning is murder, it’s genocide!”

Berenices didn’t show any remorse as she sighed. “War is about genocide, sister mine. Why do you think this world is so dead? The first to strike has the advantage of decimating their enemy before they can attack you. I choose to start and end a war within less than a day, far better than what the ponies chose to do with this world. Far better than they deserve.”

“You will fail.” Sorrow spoke up. “Do you know why you will fail?” Berenices eyes glanced over to the changeling, still calm and collective. “Because the ponies of Marewaii have survived worse. You are but one more mad-mare to add to the history books. Another tyrant who will die soon enough.”

“If you think so, that’s fine.” Berenices finished of her drink, and wiped her mouth. “But your history books will prove me right. The evil nature of ponies cannot be contained, they will lash out at the likes of you and I for simply not being like them. The old ponies did it to the mirage, and the mirage did it back to the old ponies. It’s in their nature, and so they must be put down.”

“That’s untrue! Ponies are not as evil as you think!” Mayall argued

But Berenices laughed at her statement. “Not as evil is still evil. Do you hear what you’re saying? You know it to be as true as I do, but you cling to the ponies ideas of romance, and chivalry. Simple excuses to justify doing evil.”

“And what you think what you're doing is not evil, committing murder on such a grand scale.” I shot back at her, more irritated than ever before. “What do you even think to accomplish with this?”

She just looked at me with disgust. “I do what I must to protect my nest, my kin. That is what I seek to accomplish. If ponies must drown, then I shall do it a hundred times until there is nopony able to threaten the nest.”

I don’t know why, but her statement to drown all ponies, it was insane, but also funny to me. Just a week ago it would have been a terrifying though, the possibility all too real. But now, it was an absurd thought, horrifying, but absurd. I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.

“What’s so funny, pony.” Berenices didn’t seem to like how I saw the humor in her words. “Shut up!” She got up onto the table, trotting over and slapping me hard enough that I fell over onto my side. The pain, it hurt enough that that I smelt blood again. “Why you laugh at me! answer me pony?”

I got back up, wiping some blood from my nose. “Simple, there are far more ponies then there are on the island. Drown us all, you’d need to drown the world. But even then you’re not going to get us all. Not even close.” Berenices narrowed her gaze at me, squinting with anger. “You want to know why?”

The lurker snorted at me. “Tell me pony.”

“Because some days ago, I found out that the rest of the world still exists.” It was true, the forlorn hope of us ever leaving the island had been rekindled, and threats like the metro flooding no longer seemed like the end of the world. “Pegasi from a cloud city recently arrived on the islands, looking for a new home. They told us about Equestria, and how it still lives, how ponies have managed to survive the end of the world. And not just them, but there are the pirates too. Marauding and cruel, but diverse and terrifyingly hardy. If you flood the world, they will simply ride the waves.”

Berenices took a step back, looking worried, but then tilted her head up and laughed. “Lies, more lies from lying ponies.” Taking a step forward, she poked me in the chest. “What you talk is but a pipedream. Trying to pretend that you didn’t kill everything, didn’t poison the air, didn’t make the world want to kill you for what you have done.” She turned around and returned to her seat, signaling to the other lurkers. “Take them away, and execute the pony. Also burn their garbage, we need not the ponies cursed tools.”

We were escorted back to the forest area of the biomes, and into a clearing. The area was a pleasant little space with two benches next to each other, and a little low fountain. If it wasn’t for the glass ceiling that I did my best to not look up at, I’d say this place was pleasant. In the distance was another sand-lurker, it had a sparkle-lurker on its back, poking it with a stick. As far as I knew, taming the sand-lurkers was next to impossible, and farming them was more trouble than it was worth, so it was a mystery to me how they were even able to control the monsters.

“What do with the two captives?” one of the lurkers asked out loud, it’s head looking about to the other lurkers. I was starting to tell the little differences, this one being a bit taller than the others, and a more pronounced fin on its head, much like Mayall, so it was probably female.

“We not have place to put them, no strong rooms like nest.” The second lurker a little shorter, with a shorter fin that looked like it had been cut. I was going to guess that it was male.

The other Lurkers shrugged, none of them seemed to know what to do with us. It seemed that we had caught a break, and the group were currently confused to where to put Mayall, and Sorrow. Making eye contact with Sorrow, I lightly tapped my chest, and she gave a faint nod, and smiled.

“How about the sub bay?” Sorrow threw her voice, sounding like one of the other lurkers. The Lurkers all paused to look around, not knowing who just talked.

The female lurker scratched her chin. “Don’t know, big metal pony pod makes me uneasy.”

Sorrow smirked. “We could just shove all three in pod, like stupid canned pony food.” Her voice sounded a little different as she threw it.

The male lurker snickered. “I like that idea, then we can just drag them to base, far from other ponies.” He then kicked one of our saddle bags that another lurker had on. “We burn this; anypony has bomb fire?” They all looked at each other, and shook their head. The lurker looked irritated by the lack of firebombs. “If we not burn it, Berenices well throw a fit.”

“Just stash it with prisoners.” Sorrow was at it again. “One of us can go get bomb fire.”

All the lurkers looked at each other, and shrugged. The one female pony shook her head. “Not good idea, keep prisoners separate from pony stuff. Throw prisoners in pod, keep their stuff outside of pod.” The other lurkers nodded their heads in agreement.

“Wait!” the other male lurker shouted. “What about the pony?”

“In the pod.” Sorrow blurted out, do in her best to keep the lurkers fooled. But seeing how they were looking from one to each other, I doubt she could keep it up.

The lurker snorted. “No, Berenices said execute. I can do that.”

The female nodded. “I will help, two of you go get fire bomb, the rest take prisoners to the pod.”

Fuck, they wised up. I looked over at Sorrow and Mayall, giving them a nod. Unlike them, I was still armed, so it was best to have them go ahead of me. I’d be able to catch up with them soon, I just needed to wait for the lurkers numbers to thin out a bit.

Leading my two new friends away, the number of lurkers around me dropped to two, though I could see that there were a few more just in the area. If I were to guess, I had at least three Sparkle-Lurkers, a sand-lurker, to deal with, give or take two or three Sparkle-Lurkers I’m not seeing. Surprisingly enough, even with their red glow, they were hard to spot.

“Now we to end pony?” The female lurk spoke as she circled me.

“We could just bleed the pony out” The male lurk said, joining with the female as they trotted around me.

“Bullets for the head.” She said with glee. “That would do it.”

The male huffed. “It’s too good for pony, I say we stomp pony.”

“And get dirty again, I just washed up.” The female bemoaned.

“There’s always the wild lurks.” The male said with a mocking tone.

As the female passed in front of me, she had a cruel smile on her lips. “Yes, it can pound pony dead, and eat pony. Like one spear for two fish.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, not at all. I watched as the male lurk ran off to where the sand lurker was, the female keeping a close eye on me. I could make my move now, with only one lurker watching over me, but that be too soon. The four other lurkers were still with my friends, so I had to stall for more time, enough to see that they were safe enough for me to cause some havoc.

Luckily for me, it seemed that the male lurk was having little luck getting the sand-lurker to come over here, and was now arguing with the Sparkle-Lurker on its back. Or at least that’s what it looked like, they were both raising their hooves at each other, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Looking back at the female lurker, she was looking a bit impatient. I figured I’d mess with her a bit before drawing my gun, and buy myself some more time. They were going to kill me, so at this point I didn’t feel bad about being a little cruel. “So you and that other lurker, are you to a thing?”

“Pony should not talk!” She spat at me.

I rolled my eyes. “But are you?”

The lurker actually broke eye contact with me. “Does it look that way?”

“Well you two have good chemistry, I wouldn’t be surprised if you two were a thing.” Mares like to feel loved, I know I did, so she had to have similar feelings at least. Or whatever abominations felt.

The female lurker lightly stomped at the grounds, splashing a little water around. “Well we have been hunting together for some time now.” Well I just learned something new, the Sparkle-Lurkers can blush, though it’s more that the red parts of their faces glow more.

I was now regretting that I went down this line of dialog, as I was going to have to shoot her soon. “Well then you should ask him, I’m sure you’d make a cute couple.” My eyes caught two lurkers coming from where my friends were sent, the two that had our stuff, my stuff. I could only guess they were the ones getting the firebombs to burn my stuff, which meant my opportunity was coming up.

The male lurker trotted over to us, with the sand-lurker slowly stomping behind him with the other Sparkle-Lurker riding it’s back. The sand lurker was partially armored with metal plates, and decorated with cloth and shells. “Got fool to agree to let his lurker execute pony.”

The Sparkle-Lurker on the sand-lurkers back petted the large beast. “Mi-Mi is a delicate girl, I only let her do this because she needs to eat. If she chips her chitin, I will chip yours.”

I was unsure what to say about that, the sand-lurker had a name, and was being cared for like it was a prized cat. If they weren’t going to execute me soon, I’d probably enjoy the spectacle more. If they hadn’t just committed mass murder, and planned on flooding the tunnel, I’d probably not have my stomach churning right now.

I watched as the female lurk trotted over the male, her face still glowing a little brighter. “So um. Chirp, Can I ask you question?”

The male lurk looked at the female lurk. “Yes, ask away.” It was kind of funny how much smaller the male lurker was, not a huge difference, but enough that it just didn’t look right. The female was about the size of a slightly short mare, so the male looked like a runt if he were a stallion.

The female lurker rubbed one of her back legs on the other. “So, was wondering, if you, and I. If you could ever see us as a, well partners?”

The male lurker stood there for a few seconds, probably processing the question. When he came thru, the lurk took a deep breath and sighed. “Sorry, I have mate. Soft Shell, from the nursery, she and I been together for some time.”

The female lurk took a step back, and turned around to look at me. Her face was far redder now, but not in that mare with a crush kind of way, and more of the mare who is going to crush a pony way. “Let’s kill pony.” Ya, now she wanted me dead, not because of some orders out of misguided fear, she was going to take her embarrassment fueled rage out on me, with a sand-lurker.

If I was trying to make peace, or weasel out of this fight, then it would be a catastrophic failure. Luckily all I was doing was stalling, and maybe, rustling a few feathers. As a rule, to fighting that is, is never fight mad, makes you easy to manipulate into mistakes. One mistake was that both male lurkers were now looking at the female a bit perplexed over the outburst. The second mistake was that when nothing had happened, the female turned to the others to angrily glare at them to kill me right now. This meant that the only eyes on me was the sand-lurker, the poor dumb beast wouldn’t understand what was coming.

Carefully and quietly I had Minerva take hold of my revolver, the gun sliding out of it hiding spot on my chest, and I took aim. Straight at the face of the over decorated sand-lurker. The other lurkers saw what I was going, but were too late to stop anything.

-Blam-

The bullet hit the sand-lurkers face, and the beast thrashed in pain, throwing its rider off. As the two other Sparkle-Lurkers pushed to intercept me, I entered S.A.T.S. both were close enough for clear head shots. They didn’t stand a chance. As time returned to normal, and the two lurkers fell to the ground with their heads hollowed out, I trotted to the third lurker.

The lurker slowly got to his hooves, only to find my gun poking into his eye. “Why?” was all he got out as I pulled the trigger.

“Like your leader said, this is war.” I said to the dead lurker. Checking Lunar Eclipse, I had one live round left, with twelve more under my clothes. Unloading the spent cartridges, I reloaded the revolver. I doubted I could get this lucky with normal .357, If I got stuck in a drawn out fight, I’d be dead as soon as I ran out of the bullets.

Not wanting to waste any time, I quickly made my way to wear my new friends were. As I got to the door, I could hear shouting from behind me, meaning that we had to work quickly, or we’d have for too many lurkers to deal with. Stepping through, I saw that my two friends were in the old research submarine, the thing just big enough to fit them comfortably, but probably a tight squeeze if I added myself. The two lurkers who were guarding them, were standing next to our stuff.

“Hey, your supposed to be de…” My revolver interrupted the lurker, the stabilizing levitation talisman in its handle made it so much easier to aim and shoot. The other lurker looked at his partner, and at me. Before I could get the crosshairs properly on him, the lurker dove for the water, and vanished into it. Cowardly or smart, that lurker had avoided his death.

Putting the revolver away, I quickly ran over to my friends, grabbing one of the saddle bags along the way. “Get that damned sub going, we have no time to waste!” I shouted as I threw the saddlebag into the sub.

“Were going to need more time then no time at all.” Sorrow bemoaned.

Skidding along the floor, I picked up the second saddle bag. “How much more time?”

“At least a few minutes, I should be able to figure out how to get this going by then.” She said with a nervous grin on her face.

Hopping onto the sub, Sorrow go a face full of saddle bag. “You suggested this plan without knowing how to pilot this thing!”

The sub hummed to life, all the lights inside began to blink. Mayall was at the controls, with a thick book opened on a stand. The lurker looked up at us and smiled. “Research book they gave me was real detailed. Included how to use their sub.” She flipped a few switches, and the sub jerked, trying to turn in the pool. “Ahh, I think we're still docked. Can’t go anywhere until it’s released.”

Taking a step back, I saw the docking clamp, it looking like a much smaller clamp used for the airship back at Orthris HQ. “I can do that, you to just get ready to go as soon as I’m in.” Hopping off the sub, I rushed over to where the clamp connected to the Biome facility, a terminal sat on a table next to it, so that had to be where the release was. The terminal was locked, needing a authorized ponies ID to get into it. Hoping that the republic actually gave their officials some real power, I popped the mayor's E.C.S. out of Minerva, and into the terminal. Like it was the golden ticket, the terminal unlocked. Quickly looking it over, the terminal had a shit ton of logs, but also the docking clamp release option.

The damned thing was loud, rust and lack of lubrication made it squeak and clunk. But we were good to go, and I’d be home free.

A loud pop signaled a pain in my cheek and the terminal blowing up on me. Luckily I had backed away from it, so I didn’t get a face full of glass and steel, but the explosion was enough to make me stumble. Placing a hoof on my now bleeding check, it was hard to tell how bad it was, but it really stung, and was oozing blood. Looking to see what did this, I saw the Lurker from the market standing in the doorway, his six shooter rifle trained on me.

“You stay right th…there pony.” His stuttering didn’t help make me not want to run, and the sight of the other lurkers behind him only urged me on to get moving. Pushing off the table, I bolted for the walkway to the sub, my metal hooves loudly clanking on the metal flooring. Another shot popped from stutters, and with a loud ping I lost my footing. Attempting to get up as fast as I can, I found that my right foreleg had gone limp, the plate covering the upper part had been blown off, and two steel cables had been snapped. The only silver lining was that the bullet had not gone all the way thru, the led ball rolling about in the leg. “Next shot kills you, pony!”

I had lost the precious time I needed to do this, and with how good stutters was with his rifle, I was a dead mare trotting. Gritting my teeth, I entered S.A.T.S. I selected Lunar Eclipse, and picked an odd option S.A.T.S. normally didn’t have, to throw my gun. I even picked a trajectory to which to throw it at, and luckily for me the accuracy was not bad for the distance. Exiting S.A.T.S. with a magical lock from Minerva, my revolver flew out of its hiding spot, over to and hitting the door to the sub, and falling in. “Find my Sister, she will know what to do!”

I saw Sorrow quickly jump up and grab hold of the hatch, shutting and sealing the sub just in time to prevent a lurker from blocking the hatch. I could see Mayall, she was hitting the glass and shouting something, though all I could hear was a soft thump. I just nodded my head at her, and turned to face Stutters with a grin. “I didn’t mo-“

A sharp left hook hit me in the jaw, sending me to the floor. I was at least glad I didn’t fall into the water, it only inches away from me. “You think they can get away, pony!” Stutters voice was a bit more feminine than I remember, and didn’t have the stutter. Getting up, I found myself face to face with Berenices, whom had her helmet on now. “We’ve seen it used, too slow to get away. For trying to take my sister mine away from me, you only manage to make me angry. Death, the will be too good for you, not a quick one that is.” She chuckled loudly, a fat grin on her face. “I read once in an old book about griffins, and a execution called the blood eagle. You see, it involves opening up the chest while the victim is still alive, and letting their lungs expand until it looks like a pair of bloody wing. Sounds painful, I hope you scream until your throat is raw.”

“How about you try it first, see which one of us can scream louder.” I spat back at her. Bravado aside, I was ready to piss myself. I had no doubt that she would actually do it, and make it slow.

Berenices sighed loudly. “A brave front for such a dead mare. I’ll have fun seeing how long that will last.”

“Wow, that sounds, well doubleplusungood.” An overly chipper voice came out of thin air. “You know what sounds better, a party, well a party with explosives!”

The whole facility shook, and the roof cracked, sending streams of water down all around us. Berenices took a few steps backwards, looking confused and panicked. “Who was that, the fuck just happened!?” Her eyes darted around, not seeing anything. “Show yourself coward!”

A giggle came from the side of me, sounding too happy for the situation. “Coward, that’s silly. All’s fair in the destruction of the republic's enemies.” A stream of water passed by me, it hitting, and revealing an invisible pony. The pony, a mare, had on a jet black wetsuit, that had boldly on the side the symbol of the M.o.A. She was silver in color, and her mane and tail was yellow, and made of braided electric wires. Her artificial eyes were a glowing red, of which she stared at Berenices with an intense Glare. “Be glad that my orders are to recover our new agent, or I’d be your unlife.”

She turned to face me, and smiled. “Hi, I’m Synthesis Harmony, newest reaver of the M.o.A. Glad to meet you.”

I looked back at the sub, seeing it bob underwater. With them out of danger, I turned my attention back to the reaver. “Yes, I was told to expect somepony. Though this is a bit of a bad situation.” The room was taking on water fast, and my heart felt like it pounded harder the higher it crept up my leg. “Could we get out of here?”

“Most certainly.” She was far too perky for the situation. It was a bit unnerving. “It will be just a moment.”

I saw Berenices scowled at us, and point her hoof. “Shoot, stab, I don’t’ care, but kill them now!” Stutters immediately had his rifle at the ready, and fired.

I hit the ground, my legs crumbling beneath me. “There we go, out of danger.” I got back up on my hooves, and looked around. We were no longer at the biome, but at the train station part of the station. With many ponies standing around, some looking torn up.

“What just happened?” I asked, as the other ponies gathered around us.

“Teleport!” Synthesis answered with a smile. “My specially is invisibility and teleportation.” She pulled back the wetsuit on her right leg, revealing a pipleg. “Oh shoot, were at the public tunnel, we should have been sent to the private military tunnel. Just a moment, I’m going to contact the other M.o.A. agents to come pick us up.”

Took me a few seconds to process what she was talking about, and soon I remembered something important. “We need to seal off the station, they’re going to flood it!”

“Wow, thats real ungood of them. Good thing we were going to lock down the station in the first place.” Yellow lights suddenly turned on and spun around, along with a loud and low buzzing noise turned on and off. Blast doors, one by one, closed and separated us from the rest of the station. When the last door closed, making a hiss and a clunk, the lights and buzzing stopped. Synthesis Looked over at me in the red light, and smiled. “There, the republic is all safe now.”

“But the ponies still inside?” It felt cruel to just abandoned them to that fate. “We can’t just leave them there?”

“It’s sad, that’s true.” She expression didn’t change from its look of joy. “But the needs of the republic outway the needs of the few. But we will see that their loss is avenged, I assure you that.” She patted me on the shoulder and trotted to the train tracks. “But more importantly, we need to get you to H.Q. and throw you a party. I’ve asked everypony to join.”

“Everypony, as in everypony in the M.o.A?” I felt a knot in my stomach.

“Oh yes.” She bounced. “After I got the report from Blaster Beam, I sent the invitations out to everyone. I even got a message to relay to you.” She tapped on her pipleg for a few seconds. “Here it is. It says; I’ll be waiting for you, Slayer.”

Yeah, I didn’t like this at all. “Do you know who it’s from?”

She nodded. “It’s from Reaver Theremin. Have you met him before?”

If there was any hope of getting out of this, I didn’t see it. “Yeah, we’ve met.”

____________________________________

Footnote:

Quest completed: They Came from the Deep!

New Quest: The Secret to True Equality

Chapter 24 - Clockwork Apple

So I was feeling numb, which was good, because I didn’t feel well at all. It was like that feeling you get when you’ve had too much to drink, but so much that you were away, just numb to everything. It was a relaxing feeling, so I dared not open my eyes until the feeling had left. But things only got stranger. Sitting in front of me was a purple earth pony stallion bobbing his head to a strange song playing on his pipbuck.

Ouga Chaka ouga! Ouga Chaka ouga! Ouga Chaka ouga! Ouga Chaka ouga!

It kept playing, and he just sat there with his head bobbing to it. His pale blue mane had a green streak in it, it all bouncing with every bob and tilt of his head.

I can't stop this feeling

Deep inside of me.

Girl, you just don't realize

What you do to me.

When you hold me

In your arms so tight,

You let me know,

Everything's alright, ahahah

The stallion held up a sign, a pink sign with blue sparkly letters on it. “It’s going to be fine.”

I'm hooked on a feeling,

I'm high on believing,

That you're in love with me.

Dropping the sign, another was behind it. “It’s always darkest before dawn.”

Lips as sweet as candy.

Their taste stays on my mind.

Girl, you keep me thirsty for another cup of wine.

The second sign dropped, and a third was there. “You’re not alone, you have friends.”

I got it bad for you girl,

But I don't need a cure,

I'll just stay addicted, If I can endure

All the good love, when we're all alone

Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on.

“She wants you to break, so stay strong.”

I'm, Hooked on a feeling.

I'm high on believing that you're in love with me.

All the good love, when we're all alone

Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on.

“They’re on their way, so you must not give up.”

Ahaha I'm hooked on a feeling,

I'm high on believing,

That you're in love with me.

“You’re not the first to be entranced by her, and will not be the last”

I'm hooked on a feeling,

I'm high on believing,

That you're in love with me.

“So when the darkness is at its peak, hold onto the light of hope, and don’t let go.”

I say I'm hooked on a feeling,

And I'm high on believing,

That you're in love with me.

I'm hooked on a feeling.

The music faded, and I began to feel again. Still numb, but the back of my neck and my head felt unnaturally warm, the skin a tad too tight.

______________________________________

“Have you lost your fucking mind!” The voice was of a stallion, old, and authoritative.

“Don’t blow an oil leak, I know what I’m doing. She’s going to be a valuable asset.” The other voice, it was hard to place. Too androgynous to put my hoof down on gender, but it was very familiar.

“She’s going to damage the C.C.N. there’s a reason we only let the most loyal of ponies in it!” The old stallion huffed.

Opening my eyes, blurry at first, but they quickly came into focus.

A silver mare, Theremin, I remember now. “We have plenty of ponies connected to the network, one mare is not going to cause a problem. And if she was too, it’s not like we don’t have ways to disconnect her from the C.C.N.”

“My first option is a bullet in her head.” The old stallion said without hesitation. He was black, with a green mane and tail, some gray could be seen in it. His outfit was a black trench coat, and a black hat. Waterphone was his name, if I was remembering correctly. “Trust me, if she becomes even a small problem in the network, I’m personally removing her from it.” Waterphone stepped out of the room, the doors softly hissing as they closed.

Theremin was sticking his tongue out at the stallion, up until the door closed. Looking over at me, he saw me looking back at him. Still odd because he was in a mare’s body. “Oh good, you’re awake miss Echo, sit up and tell me how you feel.”

Sitting up, I found that I only had a medical gown on, which was enough to cover me, so I didn’t feel that naked. “A little dizzy, a bit bolted, and my neck is stiff. I also had a weird dream.”

Nodding his head, Theremin took a seat next to me. “That’s natural, just a side effect of the sedative we gave you.” He passed me a bottle and smiled. “Take two of these, and you should start feeling better in no time.”

Looking at the bottle, it was for moderate pain relief, and minor anti-anxiety. Chill and Med-X combined in pill form. “Thanks.” Opening the jar, I placed two pills into my right forehoof, and popped them into my mouth. Theremin hoofed over a glass of water, of which I drank it all. “What happened to me?”

“Well…” Theremin fidgeted a little, and sighed. “So we had a data jack installed into your neck, and connected you to the C.C.N. For your own good, trust me on that. Otherwise you have eventually done something reckless, and hurt yourself.”

I stretched back and placed my hoof on the back of my neck, metal hit metal with a soft clank, and I could feel the pressure of something artificial on and under the back of my neck. “Oh.” Pulling my leg back in front of me, I could see that my right fore leg was different. Fully cybernetic, and not like one I’d seen before. I lifted the leg in front of Theremin and raised my eyebrow. “And this?”

He chuckled. “I thought I might as well give you something fun. You know, as a sorry gift for tricking you. It’s one of our new cyber legs, just out of the prototype phase. The LACL-03, aka the light assault combat leg. Sturdy, quick, and can send millions of volts of electricity into anypony you hit with it.”

I concentrated on the leg, and pointed it at Theremin. A small spark of electricity flicked from the hoof, and a message popped up in my E.F.S. hud, telling me that the stun hoof was at 0% charge. “Plusgood.” My thoughts then trailed from the leg, and to my new cybernetic part. “Why the data Jack, and what’s the C.C.N?”

“The jack, that’s so that you can connect with everypony here. Almost all of Persephone Station is hooked up to the network, and requires you to be connected to it just to interact with anything. Not that we don’t have manual switches for things like doors and lights, but by being part of the network, you can access all that and more with just your thoughts.” Theremin leaned back and took a deep breath. “Which leads me to explain the C.C.N. the Collective Consciousness Network. I’m no egghead, as I told you, so I don’t understand the more complex parts of it all, but I do know the more important parts. The C.C.N. is simply the pinnacle of pony and machine combined to bring us into a unified group. We have a super computer the likes nopony has ever seen crunching numbers, as we all act as its eyes and ears, as well as adding our own knowledge to it. Through this, we have created the perfect civilization, no crime, no poverty, and no unhappiness. It’s the ultimate freedom, something I hope we can share with the rest of the metro.”

I sat there, soaking in what he was saying, understanding it all. “And I’m part of it?”

He nodded. “It was a risk, due to you not being properly conditioned, but I pulled a few strings.” Placing his hooves onto mine, Theremin looked into my eyes. “You’re okay with this aren’t you?”

I felt, I should feel violated. Angry at what he had done to me, ready to puke out my guts at the idea of some cables being shoved into my head without my permission. They might as well have just raped me in my sleep, placed a slave collar around my neck, and lobotomized me. But “I feel fine.” Worse than that. “I actually feel happy.” It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t feel wronged, I felt fixed. I knew that this should scare me, but it didn’t, not at all. “Umm, can I get some clothes, I’d like to look around, see more of the station.”

Theremin was more than happy to help me out, trotting off to get my clothes. I used the short time to myself to check Minerva, see what my status was. “Minerva.” Nothing, not even a beep. “Minerva?” my pipleg still didn’t respond. Looking at it, the screen was blank. I pressed and held the reboot button, and the screen came to life. After waiting for a long moment, the pipleg was back to its old self, or so I thought. Minerva had entered lockdown mode, and needed three passwords to unlock all the systems, until I did that, most of my pipbuck was heavily encrypted. The basic systems remained open to me, working like any other standard pipbuck, but all my personal logs, and programs were unavailable to me. Rolling my eyes I entered my three passwords; Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle. The default passwords for most of Orthrus’s pipbucks, and of which I was too lazy to ever change. I had a feeling that this was Rototom’s fault.

Giving up on the pipbuck, I at least still had the basic functions on, so no Biggy. Theremin soon came back into the room with my clothes, and was insistent that he help me get dressed. “Mares like you shouldn’t have to do everything by yourself.” Came out of his mouth. I found myself unable to object, which I thought would worry me, but it didn’t, he was simply helping me, what was wrong with that. With my black suit on, and new leg working wonderfully, I couldn’t help but skip a little as I left the room.

It was, well, if I was impressed by Persephone Station before, I was blown away by it now. It was clear to me that a lot of the beauty of the station was hidden behind the C.C.N. of which was now revealed to me. Every part of the station was lit up in lights, guiding ponies to where they wanted to be, all the posters now had moving parts in them, showing the ponies working together, and not just standing still. Shops, and other places where I can pick up the things I need had interactive menu’s, giving me all the information I need, and then some. We even passed by the theater and restaurant I was at before, yesterday I think, and I could see when the next show was happening, or what was the special I could order from the restaurant.

It was not just that, but somehow I knew everypony here. Their names, their family, and even their friends, I saw a pony and knew who they were like we were old friends passing each other on the street. Theremin too, I knew that she grew up here in Persephone Station as an orphan, her name was Fiscorn at the time, joining up with the republic when she was old enough, and became part of the M.o.A. as an agent. Nothing about her becoming a reaver, but she was able to track down and eliminate a Bandit Raiding band before they could hurt one pony, which we were all grateful for. It seemed that some point a few years ago, she switched to a he, and took on the name Theremin. “So do you know everything about me?” I didn’t feel disturbed by the idea of that, but felt like I should.

“Yep!” Theremin said unabashedly. “There are no secrets among us, all of us. Here, were one big family. Share and share alike, that’s how we formed this perfect society.”

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem right, but I felt content, like I was part of this big family. I know it was all wrong, but couldn’t bear myself to feel wronged by it all, which worried me, which comforted me. “Why has this not been spread to the other stations? I’m sure they’d love to be connected to the C.C.N.”

Theremin nodded. “True, I’m sure they would, but there are others who would be left confused, and thus confuse others. Mental disorders, twisted ideology, and never forget the capitalists, they would take the C.C.S. and pervert it into something that would enslave ponies, not set them free.”

“True, I know a few businesses that got in trouble for running sweatshops.” Nasty business every time they pop up. True as it was that the business’s gave the ponies working their a place to live and eat, but the ponies might as well have been slaves. “You can tell that if slavery could be legal, they’d would do everything they could to support it.”

“Ugly, truly and completely.” He said with a sigh. “It’s why we need to condition ponies into the republic, it keeps the capitalists from sneaking their toxic ideology in. But slowly, and surely, they will lose. Trust me, history will prove us all right.”

It all didn’t sit well with me, but that was probably because it was still all new to me. I was new to it, so it would take time, like with all things.

Theremin looked over at me, concerned, and smiled. “You must be thirsty. Metro-cola, right? Let me go get a few bottles.” He trotted off, and I found a bench to sit at. A drone floated by me, stopping to take a look at me. It was not as advanced as the ones used by Orthrus, it being not much more than an upgraded spirit bot. But still, through the C.C.N. interface augmenting my vision like E.F.S. the spirit bot drone wafted off color, and a screen of text appeared. ‘Vibraphone Echo, is this you?’

Strange, even if everything felt all warm and friendly, I was not about to answer some random drone that happened to pass by, that’s how foals are foalnapped. “Why, yes I am.” Phobetor spoke, she was sitting next to me on the bench “Is this about the letter I sent?”

The sprite bot nodded. ‘Oh it’s good to find you, even with the C.C.N. having us all connected, the white noise can be a problem at times.’ The text screen flickered, and was replaced by an image of an envelope. The envelope opening up and showing us a letter. ‘You are invited to the capitol building for a private party. The Tremolo Sisters performing their famous songs, and a tasting of the newest foods and drinks for the citizens will be given out, along with some of the more popular classics.’

‘Joy’ was all I could think to myself. “What a joyous invite, and with a show to entertain our souls, how could I turn this down. A stallion after my own heart.” Phobetor talked, not at the sprite-bot, but through me at the sprite-bot. It felt chilling that she could do this, like I had lost control over myself, and she was filling in the role.

‘Show starts soon, you can bring one guest, and dress sharp. Everything will be provided at the party, and directions will be sent to your pipbuck.’ The screen on the sprite-bot flickered off, and the bot floated off, bumping into Theremin on its way.

Theremin gave off a confused look as he passed me a metro-cola bottle, popping off the cap first. “What was that about?”

I smiled, or was it Phobetor, or the C.C.N.? I didn’t know anymore. “Looks like we’re going to a party. I know you will love it, the Tremolo Sisters will be there.” He was confused at first, but soon went with it after, a party was a party, and he was a fan of the Tremolo Sisters.

______________________________________

The capitol building was a different kind of impressive, the lights and color of the rest of the station was replaced with a more relaxed tone. There was still the holographic interface all about, but much more tucked out of the way, only coming into view when needed. This allowed me to see the building for it’s more classical appearance, though under the wood and carpet, I knew there was metal and concrete. But still, with the light from the outside, and the warm feeling I had from the inside, it was like I had stepped into the old world, before the time when the air had become poisonous.

The elevator gave off much of the same feeling, playing soft music, the mirrors reflecting my now repaired face. I couldn’t help but take a closer look at myself, the orbital fracture around my eye was almost invisible, same for the scar where my lip was split open. I couldn’t help but feel relieved, though my own looks were not on the top of the list of things that were important to me, it still worried me that I would never look right in a dress if my face was all cut up.

“You look fine. Better then fine, you look beautiful.” Theremins words were comforting, if a bit thick. It made me glad that he had no dick right now, as I was sure the gender confused pony wanted to fuck me.

Looking back in the mirror, Phobetor stared back at me, her golden eyes seemingly glowing next to her black coat. “You should just let the transvestite have his way with you, not like she has the balls to get you pregnant.” I glared at the shadowed reflection. ‘one, that’s never a guarantee with the kind of technology we have, two, he is not my type, end of story.’ Phobetor rolled her eyes. “You ponies have become such prudes, I remember a time when mares gallivanted around, rarely knowing who the father was.” It was a confusing statement. ‘What do you mean, a time?’

“Is everything okay Vibraphone?” Theremin sounded concerned, her… his voice showing some of it synthetic static as he asked. He actually tapped at his own throat, looking a bit confused. “Strange, something maybe I should go get checked out.”

“It’s probably just some security check point we passed through, strong magnets could affect the cybernetics, or even a magical field.” Phobetor spoke through me. ‘Will you stop that, this is my body, you have no right to do this.’ Phobetor laughed, not with my body, inside where nopony but me could see or hear it. “I think you lost all your rights to your own body as soon as you were plugged into this C.C.N. So just let me work, our deal will soon be done.” ‘What are you?’ “That answer is not part of the deal, but it will be revealed soon enough.”

Relaxing, Theremin rubbed his throat. “You might be right, if there is any place that has the best security on this island, it’s here. But it’s never messed with my systems before, strange.”

With a chime and a thump, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. We entered a small waiting room, which had portraits and posters on the walls, the same I’ve seen around the station. At the end of the room the doors were opened and a sign leaned against one of them with an arrow pointing to the party. Leaving the waiting room, the main living room was moderately decorated. Enough colored ribbons to know that this was a party, but not too much to make it overly flashy.

We trotted over to the center of the room where a table held many glasses, and a punch bowl still filled with ice and liquid. “Is this normal Theremin?” though modest in how the party was decorated, still didn’t seem all that equal to me.

Theremin poured himself, and me a drink. “A bit uncommon. Normally we have open celebrations down in the station floor, but private parties are known to happen. It’s mainly a holdover from the old M.o.M. but soon private parties like this will be as open and equal as the C.C.N.

“Ain't that the truth!” a deep and loud voice almost bellowed from behind us. Turning around, I came face to face with an old lavender mirage pony stallion. His mane had long turned gray, along with a big bushy beard on his face. His prosthetics were made to look like normal legs, but came off looking like plastic from a cheap toy “But still there is a case for test groups, and some ponies don’t like large crowds. But once the CCN can go wide through the islands, parties like this can be shared among everypony.” Something about his voice sounded very familiar.

Theremin immediately straightened up, adjusting his tie. “Miss Echo, this here is Garmon Keys, president of the republic. Mister Keys, this here is Vibraphone Echo, our newest member of the M.o.A.”

Garmon chuckled, “Good to finally meet you, Shame that it couldn’t have been sooner, but it’s never too late to change your mind. A pony with your pedigree would do well in the I.o.E.”

I could see Phobetor standing next to him, lifting up a drink and sipping it. It was metro-cola clear, a bit sweeter than the normal stuff, and fizzier too. I could also taste a hint of alcohol in it as well. “As tempting as that may be, I think it would be rude to just abandon a group I’ve just joined.” Phobetor spoke through me. “But nothing stopping the two organizations from working together.”

“All too true.” The stallion agreed. “It’s my hope that one day we will not need the old ministries anymore, and just have the I.o.E. leading the charge. Everypony equal under one banner.”

Theremin cleared his throat, gaining our attention. “Sorry mister president, but I might be a bit ignorant on what’s going on here.”

“Oh sorry about that Synthesis, I may have forgotten to inform the M.o.A. about this.” Garmon said with a chuckle. “I got a message about miss Echo here two days ago. Vibraphone Echo, Dragon Slayer of Charon’s Stop, Friend and savior to the mirage pony princess, and has a heritage that goes all the way back to the second security chief of the R&D Stable. Not to mention having contacts with a few powerful ponies on Pineapple Island, and knows a few Specters on a first name basis.” He gave me a sly look. “You’ve got the kind of connections we can use to help make a more equal metro.”

Theremin sighed. “Sorry to tell you this, but I’m not Synthesis, I’m Theremin. Synthesis died of a brain hemorrhage two weeks ago, I’m just borrowing her body until mine is repaired.” He then glanced at me before looked back at Garmon. “And how do you know all this sir, we have yet to open it to the public?”

“Synthesis, dead? Poor girl. To die so young is a tragedy.” Garmon gave a depressed little sigh. “The last time I saw her; she was helping to distribute new posters.” He poured himself a little to drink, and took a sip. “As for how I know about miss Echo, I have my own agents keeping an eye on things, as you should remember. But two days ago one of my agents caught wind of miss Echo not long after she entered the station, and after some digging, we learned of the kind of connections she has.” Finishing his drink, he motioned for us to follow him. “Come now, let’s meet the others.”

Most of those connections I had were superficial at best, so Garmon’s interest would be with only one pony. “By connections, you’re only interested in Harp Melody, right?”

Garmon laughed. “Sharp as a tack. Not that the others that you're connected too are not important. But yes, Princess Harp Melody does hold a greater interest to the I.o.E. as a pony in her position could significantly help unify the metro. As well as help the poor ponies of the Orphic Kingdom.”

“Or start a war between the Orphic and Orthrus.” I added. Both Theremin and Garmon gave me a confused look. “Council member Phorminx is Harps father. I mean, that’s what Golden Rule told me.”

The old earth pony face hoofed, and shook his head. “Poor girl, just being a Mirage Pony is a political mess for her family, but being related to a member of the Orthrus council, Phorminx no less, that’s a disaster in the making.”

“Isn’t Phorminx the leader of the Specter corps?” Theremin asked.

“From what I know.” I scratched my chin. “He is like a grandfather to most of the specters, or something. That’s how my sister explains it. But for the most part, the specters are run by the whole council, and work independent under them.”

“Well the specters would have been a problem even without the family connection.” Garmon pointed out. “We will just have to factor in them being more aggressive if we ever get close to the princess.”

“A princess? You mean princesses, right papa?” standing before us was one of the Tremolo Sisters, the one with the soft blue mane.

“Maybe he is talking about another pony then us, dear sister?” The other Tremolo Sister with the rose pink mane flanked us.

“Oh my girls, were just taking business.” Garmon had a big smile on his face. “Here let me introduce you to my new acquaintance.” Pointing over at me, I took a sip from my glass. “This here is Vibraphone Echo, also known as the Dragon Slayer. The princess we were talking about is one of her friends, a member of the Orphic royal court.” He then pointed to the Tremolo Sisters. “These are my darling daughters, Lirone and Cello Tremolo Keys.”

Lirone was the one with the pink mane, and Cello with the blue. They both were in somewhat frilly dresses, though gray in color, both dresses had many silver sequins on that it looked like they were shimmering. “I saw you two perform when I first got here, it was very impressive.”

The two mares looked at me, their eyes scanning me over. “Yes, I remember you.” Cello said in a less than friendly tone.

“Yes, she’s the one from a few days ago, the one who didn’t sing along.” Lirone added.

The two sisters circled me, eyeing me up. “You liked the other performers before us, but not us.” Cello sneered. “Everypony loves our music, yet you seemed indifferent.”

Lirone huffed at me. “We know we were not out of tune, or fumbling lines. So what was wrong, what did you not like?”

I was, well confused. I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I didn’t like their music. I remember being there, seeing the others sing along, and me… not. Disconnected, I was disconnected at the time, that was it. “It was because I was not connected to the C.C.N. at the time, I think.”

The two sisters just stared at me, looking less than pleased with my answer. Garmon stepped between me and the two, waving them off. “Now don’t be pest’s girls, I’m sure you can convince her the brilliance of you singing later. But now’s the time for civility. So go, I’m sure their are others who would love to talk with you.” The two turned their noses up at their father and trotted away, mumbling to themselves. Garmon sighed, and gave a little chuckle. “I don’t know what’s more difficult, running a nation, or raising two teenaged mares.”

I finished off my drink and giggled a little. It was actually a bit cute how he shooed them away like that. “I think you’re doing just fine. And if they ever become too much of a problem, you can always send them to Orthrus, they’d straighten them out.”

Garmon laughed. “That’s very true. We may not see eye to eye, but I have to agree that there is no group more disciplined than Orthrus. If only I could convince them about the virtues of equality, gain some kinship.”

I shook my head. “Unlikely. The council are all independent leaders in their own right, with Naqara being an utter dictator half the time. As far as I know, they're more likely to agree to not do anything, then to do, well, anything.”

“I know what you mean.” Garmon added. “Whenever I do get to talk with them, it’s always one showing interest, and the rest voicing suspicion. Strange as it may be, Biwa is always the one most against me, even though we have the most common ground.”

This was a bit above my head, never having met any of the council member personally. “Well you’d know more than me, I was never more than a grunt in Orthrus.”

“Then why don’t we talk to some of my other guests?” Garmon guided us to another group of ponies, a mix of young and old mirage ponies in lab coats, among them was an all-black mare in a Stable-Tec lab coat. We also passed by a few foals as well, all the new kind of mirage ponies, happily chasing each other around, none on prosthetic legs. “I'd like you to meet the leaders of our new generation project.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “New Generation project?”

An older mare cleared her throat. Her lab coat was a pristine white, her natural coat was a pale creamy blue, and her mane was monochrome gray, likely having lost it’s color with age. On her snout were thin framed glasses, that almost seemed to float in place. “Mister Keys, I know you're excited about the project, but not everypony is going to just understand.” She turned her attention from Garmon over to me. “Sorry about that dear, I’m Doctor Shinobue. The other researchers and I have been working on the new generation project for the last thirty years.”

“Thirty years! That’s, what… before the equalist revolution?” I was expecting ten years, or well however old Cello and Lirone were.

Theremin laughed loudly at my confused statement. “A lot of the projects the old republic had been working on were salvaged by our operatives, and repurposed for the benefit of the citizens. The C.C.N. alone was made for military use only, but we found a better use in helping ponies reach a new level of freedom.”

“Yes, freedom.” Doctor Shinobue said with a slight irritated tone in her voice. “But yes, my team started this project under the old rule, and for the most part we didn’t care about who was in charge. Our research was more important than politics.” She eyed me up, looking critically at me. “And you are?”

“Vibraphone Echo, new member of the M.o.A. and probably more well known for my connections with another pony, then anything I’ve done myself.”

Doctor Shinobue sighed. “Typical. You’re just another mare for Garmon to show around.” She glared at the president, and he rolled his eyes. “Well if you want to know more, you're always invited to see our labs. Really, it’s a better place for an explanation than a party. That, and we can always use another volunteer.” That didn’t sound appealing to me.

“I’m always interested in learning more.” My mouth moved on its own as Phobetor gave me a smile, using me like a puppet. “New generation, the C.C.N. they’re both so fascinating, yet hardly seems possible.” No longer in control, I gave Garmon a sly smile. “I’m sure that you know a few ponies who can tell me more about the C.C.N. as well.”

Garmon smiled back at me. “I’m sure I can. Maybe after this party I over, I can show you around the labs.” Yep, Garmon Keys was just another Politician, horndog and all.

“Excuse me, sir.” Theremin spoke up, sounding a little irritated. “I don’t think that would be appropriate, considering how new miss Echo is to the C.C.N.”

Garmon waved his hoof dismissively. “Oh don’t be such a worrier. Every test we’ve done shows that seeing the heart of the C.C.N. actually increases a citizen’s loyalty to it. I doubt Miss Echo will be different. Also, we will be passing through the New Generation labs first, If the foals don’t solidify her opinion on the republic, then nothing will.”

My hoof gave a playful little wave, feeling like a string had tugged on it. “I’m already well impressed by everything. But foals, that would be wonderful to see. In truth, I actually wanted to be a teacher, like my mother. Helping the next generation is something that I always saw as more important than treading mud. Sadly, the world outside the republic is less than fair, so one must take the jobs that are available.”

“Oh I do understand. In my youth, I was just a normal republic soldier. Lived through the whole Knights of Purity mess, almost got cooked alive by a flamer too. Thank goodness Orthrus put an end to that, or it might have devolved in a full scale war.” Garmon chuckled. “It’s why I’ve been trying to repair our relationship with Orthrus for the last few years. Get our groups to work together like they did with the old republic.”

“Personally, I think it’s going to take a change in leadership for Orthrus to start seeing things our way.” Theremin put out.

Doctor Shinobue shook her head. “The world does not work like that, we’re more likely to get a warmonger who would want power over having a revolution.”

“Very true, doctor.” Garmon said, clapping his hooves together. “The current council is more interested in maintaining order, than establishing it. This actually works to or advantage, as we just need to change the minds of the ponies who live under Orthrus. When Orthrus risks Revolution by maintaining their order, they will change their tactics to come more in line with us, and be more willing to come to the table of negotiation.”

I thought about it for a moment, and it all seemed logical. Get the population on the side of equality, and Orthrus would have to change in order to remain in power. But something in the back of my mind was gnawing at me, telling me that it would never work out in the way that they think it would. Not with politics alone. “I don’t know, Orthrus is well over a hundred years old now, something tells me that you would need more then pony power to get them to change. As long as they have their home stations, Orthrus is more likely to just bunker down and chip away at the republic until they can take power again.”

The two intellectual ponies didn’t have a response to what I had just said, simply stopping to think about it. The pony who broke the silence was Theremin, who laughed as he stomped the floor lightly. “She got you there, mister president. This is why she’s M.o.A. not I.o.E. Simply, to take care of the problem that’s Orthrus, were going to have to make a military move and push them out of their own station. Only then will they have to listen to the will of the metro.”

Garmon huffed a bit bitterly. “And going to war with them will only set us on the path of our own destruction. I understand what you’re saying, but until we have the majority of the metro on our side, such actions should be seen as foolish at best, suicidal at worst.” He tipped his head at the doctor, and us before backing away. “Well I have other guests to talk with, if you’re still interested in touring the labs, come talk to me after the party is over. I’m sure it will be very enlightening for you.”

We did just that, good food, drinks, and plenty of ponies who had a lot to talk about, though very little was interesting to listen to. Most of the ponies here were among some of the more important ponies in the republic, though mostly related to the Institution of Equality, them being station mayors, educators, and lab ponies. Theremin made a point to highlight that we were the only ponies from the M.o.A. After about an hour of mingling, I had come to the conclusion that the I.o.E. was just patting itself on the back. Even the few foals running about might as well have been I.o.E. spokesponies, just smaller and more energetic.

Though the company was less than interesting, the food was, moderately good. Drinks too, I guess. I tried out different things, but they all had a similar taste to them, making me wish for just a carrot to chew on. Even that would have had more flavor.

I was a little worried that the Tremolo Sisters would come at me again. Some mares never let even the smallest grudge go, and they seem like the kind to hold a grudge. Luckily for me, they were to perform one of their songs, so I could safely stay away from them. They started with the “our station” song I had heard before, and without the band backing them up, it sounded bland. Not that the two sisters were bad at singing, they were actually quite good at it, able to fill the room without the need of a speaker. The problem was with the song itself, seeming to lack any real originality, like it was just stolen, and reworded to match the station. Wouldn’t be the first time I saw that happen.

Despite my own thoughts about the music, I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Everypony else was too, I could feel it, all of them sending out their positive feelings. It was odd, but I liked it, and probably liked the song because of it, but I didn’t care. The only ponies I could not feel were the Tremolo Sisters, the foals running around, and Garmon Key’s. What I wouldn’t give to feel what the sisters were feeling as they sang, as we watched, feeling each other’s emotions. It was a disturbing, but intoxicating thought.

The mellow party continued for another hour and a half before ponies began to leave. The food was gone, the punch bowl had gone mostly dry, and the more talkative ponies were starting to repeat themselves, running dry on topics to go on about. With so few ponies left, Garmon and Doctor Shinobue were once more the ponies we were talking too. The conversation was nothing all that interesting to me, Garmon going on about his time as a teacher. I think he was trying to impress me, but much of what he said flew over my head. Mostly it was the parts about making schools more efficient. The stories I enjoyed more were about foals getting into and out of trouble, not time tables and studying tips.

“On the topic of foal’s, mister president, I would like to know more about the new generation. The ones like your daughters.” The party was about over, and I wanted to get this over with. Pushing the subject myself felt a lot better than Phobetor taking me over to do just that.

Garmon finished of his drink, placing the empty cup on a nearby coffee table. “Might as well. Just meet me over at the elevator and I’ll show you how the Republic is going to unify the metro.” The old stallion had trotted off, talking with another pony who was likely to be left in charge of the party.

We all met up at the elevator, the good doctor looking ready to go to sleep, and Theremin all too bored. I could understand how they felt, mostly because through the C.C.N. I could feel what they were feeling. Not completely, but enough to know if they were faking or not. It felt like I was missing something important, yet I was numb to it. Shaking off the feeling, I joined the others in the elevator as we watched Garmon trot over to us.

“Mister Keys,” Doctor Shinobue spoke with a yawn. “As soon as this tour is over, I’m retiring to the break room. If you let the foals in while I’m trying to sleep, I will give them lots of sweets and then let them loose in your home.”

“Like you would do with Cello and Lirone when they were younger.” The old stallion chuckled.

She nodded. “Yes, but instead of two hyperactive twins, it will be a whole herd of them.”

“Oh the horror!” Theremin laughed. “I might as well give them all kazoos as well.” I shook my head, imagining the thought.

Garmon pulled out his ECS pass card, and inserted it into a panel on the elevators side. “Alright miss Echo, you're about to see the future of ponykind.”

______________________________________

The elevator had continued to go down, pass the first floor, meaning we were now deep underground. When the doors finally opened, I entered a tunnel that had to be at most fifty years old, if not younger than that. Though a bit smaller, as it was likely not meant for trains to be in here. The strangest thing about the tunnels, was how the reminded me a bit of the tunnels from the big Island, just smaller, and not overtaken by roots.

Entering the lobby, a large map was on one side of the room, displaying how big this facility really was. If I had to guess, it extended as wide as the station itself, with large area devoted to projects. Weapons, Cybernetics, Medicine, Biology, and other military R&D projects looked like they took up nearly half the facility. It also had two large zones. The N.G. labs, and what was just labeled as the C.C.N.

“Impressive.” Was all I could really say about it, having only seen the map.

“It is, isn’t it?” Garmon boosted. “Before the revolution, this place was used to increase to power of the old republic. But now we use it to better the lives of our citizens. Yes, we still have to develop weapons, and other unsavory things, but now resources are diverted to better food production and medicine. With the crowning achievement of this all being the New Generation project.”

Trotting away from the map, I looked at the direction where this New Generation project was. “So, the Republic built all this?”

Doctor Shinobue opened the door ahead of us, using a badge she had pulled out of her coat. “Most of it. Originally this place was a Solarus robotics factory. I don’t know why they built it so far underground, probably trying to out compete Stable-Tec. But once the Republic had a firm hoof on law and order, they began expanding this facility, using it to continue some of the research the old world had started. The Cybernetic connectors originally came from here, as well as the early prosthetics that connect to them.”

“I remember hearing about that in school.” Looking around as I followed the others, I found it surprising how few propaganda posters were on the walls. They were there, but in a less obsessive way. Strangely enough it made me feel uncomfortable not having so many here. “It’s what got Orthrus to ally with the republic. They had the medical staff, and the republic had the tech. It kept the idea of Mirage ponies from being just a dream.”

Nodding, Doctor Shinobue took the lead. “Rightfully so. And without everypony working together, we would be nothing more than a few scattered tribes, along with Stable-Tec overseeing the death of ponykind. Good thing those R&D ponies had the right idea in mind to open their stable to all that needed help. Unlike the ponies in stable 50, closing themselves off, only coming out nearly a hundred years later to establish themselves as new royalty.”

“This is our biggest problem.” Garmon trotted up next to me, the elderly stallion clip clopping on his metal hooves. “Groups like the Orphic kingdom and the Trade Union are dead set at separating themselves from the rest of the metro, dividing us on fool hardy lines. That’s why we need Orthrus to side with the republic once more.” He had a big grin on his face, like he had just scored a win that no pony could take from him. “And the New Generation project is what will do it.”

We reached the end of the wide hallway, and Doctor Shinobue opened one more door. What I saw nearly floored me. Foals, everywhere. It looked as if there were nine of them in each group, all following a lab coated pony, or just sitting in a group. The strangest part is that each group looked like each other. Nine green maned, blue coated fillys, or nine red maned, dark gray coated colts. I saw at least two groups of foals where they were all different, but still had the spotted legs and muzzles like the ones at the party. “What is all this?”

A creamy blue colt with a dark gray mane broke away from his group, running up to us, yelling “Mom!” and ending his short sprint by giving the doctor a hug.

Doctor Shinobue chuckled “Good to see you too.” She lifted the colt onto her back, where he held onto her neck. “As you see, the New Generation project is a lot more literal than what its name suggests. The idea is that we're bringing in a new generation into the metro, healthy, strong, and without the need for cybernetics.”

I looked at a few of the groups that looked the same, and back at the doctor. “This is a lot of foals. And well, some of them look a lot alike?”

The doctor shrugged. “You're already here, and it’s not like the C.C.N. will let you leak any information. We had to take a few shortcuts to get the number of foals up in time, and the republic happens to have experimented with cloning in the past.”

“Wait, so the foals are clones?” The amount of foals I was seeing were like a small army, and there were likely more. Lots more.

“Yes and no.” Doctor Shinobue stated. “Follow me, I’ll show you to the nursery.” We trotted off, the colt still on her back. We passed by a few rooms with big open windows, many of them being classrooms filled with even more foals. There was one room we passed that was nothing but bunk bed cots. Every now and then there was a dining room, which looked like it only served the pink slime they called food.

We eventually arrived at what I could easily guess was the nursery. Here I saw many Mirage pony mares, some of them it was easy to tell that they were pregnant, very pregnant. Others were nursing baby’s, or simply watching over them. Also there were lots and lots of baby’s.

Doctor Shinobue stopped at the window, pointing out to all the mares. “Early in the project, we did use cloning to start our experiments, seeing what combination of genes were more viable. We have long since finished that milestone of experimentation, and moved onto production.” She lifted the foal off her back and presented him to me, the colt smiled and waved at me. “The old cloning technology we used before is now used to help make controlled groups, and have the mares give birth to three at a time, tripling the population growth rate.”

“But weren't there what, nine to each group I saw?”

She nodded. “Like I said, we used the cloning process to make controlled groups. Each group consists of three mares, who act as surrogate mothers. Once born, we keep the foals in family groups, and study their development.” Putting the colt down, she patted him on the head. “As for the other groups you saw, they are part of the uncontrolled groups, where we let the natural process take control, but still aide in the development of triplets. It’s success rate is much lower, but if we can’t have children naturally, this whole project is a failure.” Pulling out a lollipop from her lab coat, she placed it in the colt’s mouth. “This one here is one of mine, as you already clearly know. He and his sister are a mix of much of the staff, with me as their base. Sadly the third foal never fully developed, it happens in rare cases.” I could hear a bit of bitterness as she finished talking about her foals. I could only guess she wanted all three.

“Okay, so I get what you’re doing. It’s like the Orthrus Gene Therapy, but overclocked, and you're popping out three foals instead of one.” Being here was starting to feel weird to me, I could sense the staff, and Theremin, but the foals were not connected to the C.C.N. and so I could only tell if they were there if I was looking at them. It was like trying to keep track of ghosts. “But why so many?”

“Simple, really.” Garmon interjected. “They’re going to lead the second revolution.”

“Revolution.” Something about that word made me feel uneasy, like changing things for the better was not quite right. “So they’re going to unify the metro. But it be what, ten, fifteen years before their old enough to live on their own. Why not unify the metro before they’re of age?”

“That’s what the M.o.A. has been saying.” Theremin cut in. “With the orphic kingdom close to a change in leadership, now’s the time for a second revolution, to cast down the royal court.”

Garmon sighed. “I’ve gone over this with Waterphone already. A revolution now will only end in a bloodbath, and with no guarantee that Orthrus will not step in.” The president turned around heading back to where we had come from. “Come now, I’m sure the good doctor needs her rest.”

Theremin and I followed, passing by another group of foals. “And you think your plan won’t? The capitalists will find any reason to shed blood. It’s happened once, and it will happen again.”

“Now I do agree that they will not yield their power, but if we can pull the foundation of that power from under them, our victory will be assured.” Garmon stopped for a moment, as another group of foals passed by. “We’re not going to break the control the capitalists have over the working ponies by marching troops up to their doorsteps. It’s like using explosives to carve a statue. Yes it’s much faster, but you're likely to destroy you work in one foolish attempt.”

“Is that why you’ve been limiting the resources of the C.C.N.?” Theremin shot back.

Garmon rolled his eyes, and continued on. “Yes, the C.C.N., why don’t we show miss Echo and see what her opinion is on it?”

“Why that would be a splendid idea.” Once more the strings were being pulled, Phobetor next to me, pulling them. “All these foals are just so adorable, but the C.C.N. has been itching my curiosity. A new generation, and the height of technology. The next thing you will tell me is that you have a space program set to go to the moon.”

With a chuckle, Garmon lead us back to the lobby. “The idea has come across my desk, but we would need to reclaim the surface first. Something we plan to do once the metro has been unified. It’s a sad state of affairs really. The only thing keeping full blown war from breaking out, is that everything’s a choke point in the metro. If the surface was open to us, so would the old world style of war.”

Something in the back of my head agreed with him, but it felt like it was not for the same reason. Like I was forgetting an important point, something that was very important up until I had woken up. My thoughts were deterred by the sound of somepony tapping on my leg, looking to my side, and then down, I saw a little filly.

She had a golden blond mane, and peach colored coat. I’d say she looked a lot like me, except for her sapphire blue eyes, that looked like real sapphires. “Are you my mommy?”

I balked. “I ahh… No… sorry.” I took a deep breath. “I’m currently noponies mommy.”

“Can you be? I’d like to have a mommy.” The little filly was… well adorable, but it was not enough to make me just give up on my mission… wait, what mission?

Both Theremin, and Garmon chuckled. The older stallion opening the door out of the N.G.P. and giving me a knowing look. “With you working as a M.o.A. agent, I could arrange for you to adopt the little one. Having the Dragon slayer of Charon’s Stop as a mother, what filly wouldn’t love that?”

The filly bounced, her eyes almost bulging. “Dragon Slayer!? You’ve seen a dragon, and slayed it! That’s so cool, so awesome!”

I had to put my hoof on the filly’s head, to keep her from jumping onto me. “One, it was a paradise dragon, and two, I had my friends with me. If I was alone, I’d never have survived.”

“So you did slay the dragon! So cool!” The filly began bouncing around in circles, her distracted state gave me time to jump through the door, and close it behind me.

Taking another deep breath, I turned to the others to see them both smiling at me. “Hey, I like foals, but that one was just a bit too much.”

“Sure, a little filly is too much for the dragon slayer.” Theremin chuckled.

Garmon trotted over to the larger doors that lead to the C.C.N. “It’s not like we don’t have programs available to help a mare raise a foal on their own. If you want, you can even take part in the N.G.P. have a few foals without the need of a stallion. You get the proper housing to keep them in, a job that gives you the time to look after them, and even extra food rations.”

I shook my head. “I’d say it sounds tempting, but I rather have the foal to have a father along with me as the mother. Also, that sounds like I’m marrying, and breeding with the republic. As great as the republic is, if it was a stallion, he would not be my type.”

The larger doors opened, and a cold wind drifted past us. “That’s a shame.” Garmon trotted in, his metal hoof steps echoing at each clop. “Ponies like you are probably best suited for bringing in a new generation.”

“It’s probably because I had good parents.” I retorted.

The old stallion nodded. “Good and bad parenting is a generational thing, so I have no doubt.”

______________________________________

The walk to the C.C.N. took much longer then to the N.G.P. all the while it was much colder in here. Not to the point that I needed an extra layer of clothing, but enough that I was starting to shiver a little. Another thing was that the tunnel got a bit larger, both in width and height, making this facility feel a lot more imposing.

Theremin trotted up next to me, our sides nearly touching. “This here is what once was the old Solaris Robotics facility, now reconstructed for the Collective Consciousness Network. Home to the greatest supercomputer in the world, or well, what’s left of the world.”

“Hopefully not a Solaris supercomputer. Everything they make ends with ‘kill all ponies’.” I jested.

Theremin chuckled. “Goodness no. Though we may have recycled the robots and other tech, the C.C.N. was built from the ground up by the republic. Not only that, the foundational concept of the C.C.N. is pure republic. No connections to the corruption of the old world at all.”

Garmon huffed. “I still think it needs more time to be tested, not be converted into a tool for war.”

With a roll of his eyes, the cyberpony trotted a bit ahead of me. “You’ve seen the results. Through the C.C.N., the efficiency of mere recruits under an experienced commander is tripled at the lowest. Vibraphone here, if she was in charge of a CCN connected squad, I’m sure they’d become like veteran tunnel crawlers.”

We came to two more large doors, on either side it looked like there was a small barracks for soldiers guarding the doors. Four Republic soldiers aimed their magical energy muskets down at us, the guns looking of far better quality then I had seen before. More soldiers could be seen inside their barracks, looking ready to take their comrades place. Above us were to turrets looking down, the turrets looked like they fired smaller caliber rounds. But in front of us, to the sides, were two AG4 automated turrets. The heavy duty air guns looking ready to clear the floor in sweeping motions. Overall, it be a deathtrap to anypony trying to assault these doors.

Garmon stepped up, and took a deep breath. “I’m President Garmon Keys, here to personally see the current status of the C.C.N. Open the doors.”

A drone floated down from one of the barracks. It looked like a large twittermite with its wings being replaced by two propellers on each side. The drone scanned Garmon, and then scanned the two of us, it lingering on me for a few extra seconds, before scanning me again. “Insufficient Clearance.” The drone said with a mechanical voice.

“I grant Authorization.” Garmon called out.

The drone scanned me for a third time, and beeped. “Sufficient Clearance.”

Before us, the doors opened up, and a thick fog rolled along the floor. The other two trotted in, and I followed, the guards above us never lowering their rifles once.

Inside the C.C.N.’s room, it didn’t look all that different from most super computer rooms, cold to the point of frost, lots of flashing lights, and a few robots walking around. Two big things were different about this room. One it was very large, almost as large as the market place at Fishery station. Two, the supercomputer was missing. Normally there would be rows of circuitry, connected to a few terminals, all humming loudly. Here, there was just a big empty space.

One of the robots rolled over to us, a type I had never seen before. It was like a big can that moved on trends, and had two arms that looked as flexible as a tentacle, ending with claws. It’s head was most surprising, it having a glass dome with a brain inside. “Good day, President Keys.” The robot spoke with a friendly feminine voice. “It’s been too long since your last visit.”

“Good to see you too, Kazoo. How are the others doing?” Garmon greeted the robot with a sense of familiarity.

“All systems are nominal, and efficiency is up by twenty percent.” The robot backed up, the ground fog wafting in her wake. “Would you like to interface with the Collective?” Garmon gave the robot a nod, and she beeped. “It will just be a minute, sir. Please wait.”

I looked over at Theremin, and cocked my eyebrow. “What kind of robot is that?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s a Robobrain. Solaris was developing them here. As it turns out, brains make a far better processor and memory bank then what we could build with our own hooves.”

“That’s not creepy at all. Where did the brains come from?”

“Originally, Zebra POW’s.” Theremin said with a sigh. “Most of the records were torched, but from what we could salvage, it seemed that the Solaris got themselves a sweet deal with the Equestrian Navy, and some of the POW’s found their way here. Some war hero admiral wanted Solaris to make them weapons for the war effort, so they made Robobrains. That’s about all we know.”

“If that’s true, then why are you using them?” There were about six Robobrains that I could see, probably more here. “It doesn't seem ethical.”

Theremin smiled, and looked at Kazoo. “They’re all volunteers, many of them too old or sick to keep going, but still wanted to help, not simply lay in bed and wait to die.” His gaze went on pass the robobrain and into the empty room in general. “Waterphone was worried that we would have to use the unstable zebra brains for this, but at it turned out, we had lots of volunteers.”

A loud humming noise filled the room, and with a ‘wrrr’, a box rose out of the floor in front of Garmon. The box was made of glass, and inside was a brain. “Hello professor, it’s good to see you again. I take it that you have decided to join us, your intellect would be a great addition to the collective.”

“Hello to you too, Livenka.” Garmon spoke, sounding a bit low in his greeting. “And no, I’m just here checking up on the C.C.N. Would you like to know about how your daughters are doing?”

“No need. I know that under your care Cello and Lirone will be just fine. And it’s not like I don’t see them every day.”

“Yes, through the C.C.N.” Garmon sighed, and looked over at me. “Miss Echo, I would like to introduce you to an important pony.” I trotted up to the brain in the jar, it having one cyber eye connected right under its frontal lobe. “This here is Livenka Fortissimo, our glorious leader of the revolution, and now the central intelligence of the C.C.N.”

“The famous Livenka Fortissimo, is a brain in a jar” weird. “And is the central intelligence of the C.C.N.” weirder. “Why?”

The cyber eye connected to the Livenka brain stared at me, it’s synthetic eyelid narrowing its gaze at me, before lazily opening up more, and rolling the eye. “Yes. You are Vibraphone Echo, the new recruit of the M.o.A.” Her synthetic voice seemed to ooze charisma and confidence. “Risky to connect an outsider to the C.C.N. which was no doubt Theremins idea. That mare could never stick to proper protocol, no patience at all.”

Theremin cleared his thought. “Stallion.”

Livenka’s eye glared at Theremin, and he straightened up. “I’m a brain in a jar, just be glad I don’t call you an ‘it’.” The eye relaxed, and returned her gaze at me. “Sorry about that. Our reavers are a new addition to our ranks, and they still have a few quirks to work out. The super egos that control their mechanical bodies tends to have their… obsessions. But it keeps them from mentally degrading, so it’s an acceptable variable.”

“That would answer the lack of discipline they show.” How Theremin quickly fell in line was all the proof I needed to know this brain was in charge. “So, why would you make yourself a brain in a jar?”

“Why indeed.” The eye closed for a moment, as though the brain was thinking to itself. Opening up, Livenka stared at me intensely. “Because, this is the path to true equality. Here we are all equal, here we can continue to serve the greater good. All of us can work to make a more perfect world, starting with uniting the metro.”

“All of… you?”

“Yes, all of us.” A loud humming started up, like from before. More glass boxes rose from the floor, each one with a brain in it. Not just the floor, the walls too, like towers with brains in jars in them. I quickly lost count, as there were so many. “We are the C.C.N. as are you.” Well Garmon and Theremin were right, I was impressed, but something deep down, I could feel it, the feeling of absolute horror.

I opened my mouth to talk, say anything, but found myself stiff… no frozen. My S.A.T.S. had turned on, yet I had no control over it at all. “Magnificent, truly and completely.” Phobetor stepped out from behind Livenka’s brain case. “This has been vexing me for years now, so many sleepers, but none of them dreaming. And the ponies who live here, their minds so clouded that it was like looking at a thick fog. But here it is, their great and powerful secret.”

She placed a hoof on the braincase, sliding it down until it stopped at a panel. “Well look at this, I think this is a port for directly interfacing with the C.C.N. I wonder what it would be like if you plugged yourself in. And how convenient, it comes with its own cable.”

Time returned to normal, and I found myself with five eyes on me, and strings pulling at my body. “Ingenuous, this method must give you a vastly superior processing speed, with the ability to infinitely increase its efficiency!” I wanted to puke, my mind being pulled at from two different directions.

Livenka’s eye softened. “True, the potential of the C.C.N. is nearly infinite. And with all the citizens connected to the network, our reach can potentially extend globally. At the very least, the whole of the metro can be brought under the C.C.N.’s protection.”

My head nodded. “Is there a way for me to experience to full extent of the C.C.N.? I can feel some of it, but not in the way like you do.”

Theremin smiled, but Garmon shook his head. “I don’t think that would be appropriate.”

“Neither do I!” The familiar voice of an older stallion boomed from behind us. Turing to see who it was, Waterphone stood at the entryway, along with two soldiers and four floating drones. They were like the one that scanned me, but armed with two energy pistols each. “An un-indoctrinated pony, plugging directly into the C.C.N.? Such a suggestion should be met with immediate execution, and wiped from all recorders and memories.”

Garmon sighed, and trotted over to Waterphone. “Now, now. No need to get hostile. I understand your concerns, but there is no way this mare can be a danger to the C.C.N. And as you can see, she’s under it’s complete control.”

The strings were being pulled, and my body slowly moved backwards.

Waterphone pressed his hoof onto Garmon’s chest, and glared. “I would more agreeable with that notion if it weren’t for one thing. This mare was able to get through a memory scan, with false memories. A miss Chime Catbell was the name, and with it she was able to stay under our radar up until recently. And now, she is at the heart of the C.C.N.”

“Are you suggesting she is some sort of agent?” Garmon chuckled. “If she was, her connection to the C.C.N. would have rooted out the truth.”

“So would have a memory scan.” The old Reaver said, gritting his teeth. “She’s something new.” Looking passed Garmon he glared at me. “You. I don’t know what you’re up to, but it ends now.” His aggressive stare turned into an eerie smile. “Now be a good comrade and stay put.”

More strings pulled at me. This time holding me in place, as the others pulled me backwards. His words were like… law. I had to follow them, there was no choice in the matter, I was compelled to do as he told me.

Phobetor trotted up next to me, and Waterphone slowly walked up to me, pulling out a small magical energy musket.

Theremin stepped in the way, blocking the much older stallion. “You’re over reacting, Waterphone. She’s under our control.”

“Is that so?” The old mirage pony raised an eyebrow. “Maybe we should test it. kill two birds with one stone as it is said.” The small musket was slid along the floor, stopping at my hooves. “What do you say Livenka, I know you’ve grown tired of playing the good martyr.”

“Now stop this madness Waterphone!” Garmon spoke up, also stepping in the way. “I’ve tolerated your paranoid prattle long enough. I’ve even let Persephone station be the testing grounds for the C.C.N. But you’re now pushing my patience. If you don’t stand down now, I’ll have you arrested!”

Time once more slowed down, my S.A.T.S. activated. “Annoying, but nothing that will interfere with our goals.” Phobetor trotted over to Waterphone, looking back at me with a smile. “You know of the term ‘mission creep’. It’s when a short term goal becomes a long term commitment, like how the securing of resources can become a war of attrition. I once knew of a being, Aries I think its name was, who loved this method of manipulation. Warriors would request power so that they would be successful in what they seek to accomplish. Vengeance, survival, greed, all petty in their reason, and every one of them found themselves in unending conflict, their own souls given up to Aries, never understanding that they were mere puppets.” Phobetor laughed, taking a step back from Waterphone and trotting past me. “I only need to whisper a few words, and the mission creep takes hold. Not that you would understand.”

Time returned to normal, and the four of us stood in silence. I looked at the gun at my hooves.

Theremin slowly backed up. “I don’t think this is the time or place for this.”

“Neither was bringing in an outsider into the C.C.N.” Waterphone shot back. That silenced the younger Reaver. “So Livenka, you think it’s time to test how well the C.C.N. Can override a pony’s self-preservation.”

A long sigh came from Garmon. “Seriously now, Miss Echo has valuable connections we can use. She's the only key we have into the orphic kingdom that would not result in war. We seek a revolution, not a bloodbath.”

“So easy for you to say.” Waterphone smiled, sitting back and crossing his forelegs. “As ponies like I and Livenka spilled our blood, you sat in your office, like the coward you are.”

More strings pulled at me, no longer holding me in place, or pulling me backwards, but now lifting my left foreleg, levitating the pistol, and charging it. A few beeps came from Livenka’s braincase. “It seems like we're at an impasse.” Livenka spoke, her words cutting into the tension like a sharp knife through a pineapple. “Kill the unknown factor, or spare a valuable resource.” The pistol hovered in the air, I controlled it, but was not in control of myself. “But you failed to get my opinion on the matter from the very start.” The pistol scanned over the three ponies in front of me. “Obsession bordering on the edge of madness, that’s how you survived so long Waterphone. We found you so far deep in the darkest cell, only a shell of who your once were, yet you so very much alive.” The older reaver took a step back. “Each of the drones you have, you named them after your old comrades, use them as a dump for your madness, and primal urges. Ingeniously simple in its implication.”

Waterphone took a step forward. “It’s proof of the C.C.N.’s success, everything that is wrong with me, suppressed by a collective, and in its place a more efficient pony, capable of withstanding the stream of data this body demands.”

“Right, and as the first of our reavers, you have served us splendidly.” Livenka spoke with a pleasant tone. “But now it’s time to move on.” The pistol turned on Waterphone, and with a bright pink flash, and a thawing sound, the beam of energy hit him in the chest. Engulfed in pink light, sparks flickered and burst as his skin turned to ash, and flames erupted from his mouth and eyes. It only took a few short seconds, and Waterphone was reduced to a metal husk, covered in ash. The four drones that followed him all fell to the ground, their lights slowly dimming.

Garmon turned about, and angrily stared at Livenka. “Why would you do that!? This violence solved nothing!”

“Why?” Livenka spoke with a chuckle. “Revolution, that’s why. And speaking of such, I think it’s time you retired, let the younger generation take over.”

The old pony took a step back, a look of shock on his face. “You can’t be serious! What’s come over you?”

Two robobrains rolled in, cutting Garmon off. “Once more, old ponies decide the fate of their young. One fearing the loss of their power, the other seeking to gain more. Like a revelation it came to me, that the republic had fallen into its old bad habits. That’s why we have come to a consensus that the next generation must take responsibility for our republic, and let the old take their part in the C.C.N.”

Garmon was grabbed by the Robobrains, the old stallion lacked the strength to resist their hold. “You can’t do this! Such reckless action will only ruin the republic, ruin the revolution!”

“Fear not professor.” Livenka’s voice took on a bit of a mocking tone to it. “You will still guide the republic, but just as part of the collective, where your intellect can do the most good.” I watched as Garmon was dragged away to another doorway, kicking and screaming along the way.

Silence fell upon the room, Livenka’s eye looking at me with a curious stare. Theremin took a step forward, clearing his throat. “So, who’s going to be the next president? If it’s not too much to ask.”

Livenka rolled her cyber eye. “In due time. The lack of a figurehead will do nothing that could hurt the republic.” Her gaze fell back onto me. “Now miss Echo, there is something we must do. A trade, was it? A secret for a secret, a fair deal that would benefit us both.” The cable connected to Livenka’s braincase popped out. “Now plug in, and we can share what we know.”

Strings, so many stings. All pulling at me, forcing me to walk forward, to Livenka. My body offered no resistance, like I had forgotten how to resist, only knowing to comply. The jack in my hooves, I reached back with it, and let my levitation talisman takeover.

*Click*

It was in, and I was connected. Strange, I didn’t feel like anything had happ….

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest completed: The Secret to True Equality

New Quest: I think, Therefore I Am

Chapter 26 - Dragon-Slayers Gambit

So to take stock of my situation, I was flanked by two Reavers, cybernetic super soldiers who had a direct link to a cybernetic brain collective. The C.C.N. as it’s called, seemed to be the answer to avoid going insane due to not having an organic body, and gives them the processing power that allows them to use the complex body. They were the most dangerous threat to me right now.

Next were six republic soldiers. I didn’t know what their combat effectiveness was, but I was sure this time they were not simply recruited civilians. If anything, they at least had basic training, possibly advanced, all I really knew was that they looked far more prepared than other republic troops I had seen. Of the six, three were accompanied by modified sprite bots, the drones having more armor than the average bot, and a heavier energy gun. The biggest danger they posed was their connection to the C.C.N. I could feel it. This meant that they could share information in a blink of an eye, as well as suppress panic and doubt. Even if the six were shit fighters on their own, together, the three with the bots were still more dangerous to say the least.

Last was Blackspot and his cronies. Familiar faces all of them. To the side of the smug pirate was Shamrock and Couteau, and above them was the pegasus, Graceful. Blackspot only had a simple 10mm pistol on him, and a single edged sword. Not as intimidating as everypony else, but he still gave me a bad vibe. The two mares to the side of him were armed with the high caliber SMG’s that one of them had used against me before. The guns looked like shit, but that ammunition it used was more than powerful enough to take down a pony. Graceful hovered above us, holding onto a battle rifle, and having wrapped herself in explosive packs. The rifle looked like a modified version of the others I had seen, having a longer magazine, scope on the side, and longer barrel. From a distance, or up close, Graceful looked like the biggest threat if not taken out first

I also had to take note that the both parties had an annoying aversion to death. With the reavers not having a purely organic body, wounds that would be fatal to anypony, was easily survivable for them. Destroying the brain would be the only way to be sure, but even then that might not be the end to them. The pirates on the other hoof seemed to have some strange magic about them. Able to keep fighting even after taking damage that would disable most ponies. And then there are their eyes, having some way to entrance me, and even Theremin. If I got caught in their stare, it would be all over for me.

As for myself, I still had on the nice black suit, and the shocker leg Theremin gave to me. I might donate it to some needy orphan after I find a way out of this. On my back was a heavy case, it weighed around a similar amount as the gear I tended to take with me to the big island metro, so it didn’t bother me much. Other than that, I had no weapons on me, and my gasmask was tightly affixed to my face.

Blackspot pulled out a pocket watch, and flipped it open. “Now just so you know, we be on a tight schedule. Even if we like a good gun powder debate, I’d rather not be hung off t' mast by hook for tardiness.” He put away the watch and smiled, a bit too wide of a smile. “So, how about we talk less, and you give us t' mare. After that, we go our separate ways.”

Theremin huffed in irritation. “Listen here savage, we are not hoofing over one of our own just so you can do what you want with her.” Stomping forward, Theremin came face to face with Blackspot. “Once you make that critical blow to Orthrus, she is to be returned to us, understand?”

Blackspot did not flinch, instead he put his hoof under Theremins chin. “You’re a pretty mare, you know that.” The smile dropped from his face. “Shame if that would have to change.” Taking a step back, and tuning around, the unicorn slowly trotted away. “Be aye, t' mare be safe with us. No harm will come t' her, and when it’s all over, she can return t' you. Though after spendin' some time with me, I doubt she will want to.”

Laughing, Theremin followed the stallion. “Living with a bunch of seafaring savages, oh that is so much better than with a civilization at the height of technology.” The rest of us joined them, walking on a poorly maintained trail, the light rain making it muddy. “A good example is the drone we are lending out to you, I’m sure it will help prove our point, it’s instructions are with it in the case, just make sure not to have miss Echo haul it around everywhere you go, leave that honor for your pack mules.”

Well I now knew what was in the case, and having my own drone would be very useful, so it would be a good idea to keep it.

The bickering quickly faded as we walked, Theremin and Blackspot obviously not liking each other, but holding back on starting a fight. My guess to why this had not become a blood bath yet, Phobetor. Our trek along the path was slow, but at least this time the rain was not coming down in buckets, and the raincoat and gas mask thankfully did well to keep the radiation and toxins out. The only thing that had me concerned, other than when I should make a break for it, was that Blackspot started humming, and was later joined by his three lackeys.

With three gold pieces and a bottle of rum, I knew she had me good and done.

She came from the coal black waters,

Her name meant victory,

Her name meant prayer.