Broken Horn entered in the inn, not seeing his companions come out. Seeing the dead mercenaries, she realized that the innkeeper had to be a tough nut to crack, and that therefore she shouldn't underestimate it and be faster than him.
If only she could know where he was.

"Ok, don't panic." said the gray pony to Thin Chain and Bone Saw softly, "we just have to leave the room."
"How ?" asked agitated Thin Chain, "There's a fucking alicorn heavily armed out there, and don't seem to have an happy look !"
"Well, there's an exit on the back ?" asked the gray pony.
"It's out there, the back door !" Replied Thin Chain stressed.

The gray pony gave a hoof on his face as if to say "how could you been so stupid !", as he thought of a plan.
Bone Saw, meanwhile, removed the bullet by itself ( so, now, it was enough to pull it out ) and drank a healing potion, so as to close the wound quickly. in the mean time, they could hear Broken Horn approaching with heavy and slow steps .

"I have a plan !" said the gray pony, while his hooves seemed to emit... sparks ?

That noise caught the attention of Broken Horn, who began firing bursts of bullets against the wall plates that separated her from her goals, razing it to the ground. Fortunately, Bone Saw created an energy shield strong enough to stop the bullets.
Broken Horn, now, knew what face had its objectives.

"Well, well, then you two are the ones that have created problems to my boss ." said Broken Horn to Bone Saw and Thin Chain, "which is not a problem for me."
"Who are you ?" asked through clenched teeth Bone Saw, staring at the alicorn with a look of flame.

Broken Horn re-pointed the guns, and now that the magic shield of Bone Saw was gone it was a game for foals to kill him and his sister.
But before she could squeeze the trigger, she was hit by a powerful electrical discharge from the gray pony that had sneaked behind her .
This was enough to stun the reddish alicorn.

"Come on, we gotta go !" Shouted the gray pony.

While they were to leave the inn, something struck on the head of the gray pony, who stopped to see what it was. A Matrix-Disruption Grenade, which exploded and sent him in tilt.
So, Bone Saw had to carry the gray pony on his back.

"... This will... not appeal the boss ..." said, while recovering, Broken Horn.

Later, somewhere in the Fetlock, the disparate trio had taken refuge in the small shack of Bone Saw, a bunch of metal sheets and a few pieces of brick here and there.
The gray pony was still stunned by the MDG , And the other two were thinking for what to do. Partially because going back would be a risk, with that armed beast out there to look for them, but the cabin wasn't the best place to live.
Of course, there was always a cabin not far from there, and the owner didn't show up for some time, but it was better not to go there because it was well protected by laser traps and other serious stuff .
As they thought, the gray pony began to recover, mumbling as if he was in the throes of an hangover. Bone Saw came to speak to him again, as they had been rudely interrupted.

"Uuuuh, my poor metal head... hey, where are we?"
"In a safe place."
" Are you sure ?"
"Of course."
" Sure sure ?"
"Look, if you're trying to irritate me, congratulations, you're doing it !"
"... how touchy ."

Bone Saw gave him a resounding punch on the muzzle of the gray pony, and began to tell him that he could at least thank him for saving his ass . The other, holding a hoof on the muzzle, sarcastically thanked him and asked if there was a radio that could be used to call for help.
Thin Chain, who meanwhile had set up around a bit, he said that the radio was in the kitchen, near the cooler.
The gray pony, after rising heavily and doing some meter staggering, came into the kitchen and turned on the radio.

"Do you think we can trust him ?" asked to his brother Thin Chain.
"I don't know, it reminds me of someone ..." said Bone Saw, "but he saved both our bottom , then we can give him a chance."
Thin Chain sighed and said to his brother that if was fine for him, then it was fine for her.
"Don't worry, Thinny," said Bone Saw after putting his cybernetics leg her around sister, "at most I'll blow his head, if only try to do something."

In the kitchen, the gray pony was trying to tune in a radio station somewhere, cursing the fact of having a good part of its systems fried and couldn't call his assistant with the radio system's mechanism implemented in one of his ears. But finally, after several expletives and interference, he managed to find the signal, and began to call.

"Snow Flank ! Snow Flank, answer me !"
"Shn..ow ?"
"Yes, it's me, Cyber, come and get me !"
"Shno fllaank ...?"
"Follow the radio signal and that's it, Snow. I'm waiting you !"

Once finished talking to his hoarse assistant, Cyber returned from the two, who were monitoring food and weapons.
Bone Saw turned to Cyber and asked what kind of name is, and the latter replied that it was always better then called as an object to amputate limbs. I'll let you imagine what a commotion broke out, between flying fists and firing insults.
Fortunately, Thin Chain calmed the two again enough to get them away from each other.

"If you are interested, my assistant will come soon ." said Cyber while re-adjusting his mane, "Take what you need and get ready to leave."

The two took the indispensable minimum: Bone Saw his black leather jacket, a club created by metal scraps, some healing potion and a large stock of med-x, while Thin Chain all the food and drink that she found.
A half hour later, the three found themselves out of the shack, waiting for Cyber's assistant .

"What did you say his name was ?" asked Bone Saw.
"Who ?" asked airhead Cyber .
"Your assistant !" Shouted against him Bone Saw.
"Stop yelling, you look like my brother !" responded in kind Cyber, "however, he's called Snow Flank."
For a few minutes, silence fell.
"Curious name." Said Thin Chain, trying to have a conversation.
"It's not that took me a lot of imagination to give it to him." He replied Cyber.
"Is your son?" Asked Bone Saw, also trying to speak to him, even though it was felt that he could not care less.
"Oooh, no no no, he isn't ." replied Cyber chuckling, "is only a snowflake."

Bone Saw and Thin Chain looked at each other, a little confused and without understanding what Cyber meant with "Snowflake".
"Presumably, he was still stunned by the MDG of before," surely thought the two.
Thin Chain asked Cyber , however, with what Snow Flank would come and take them, and Cyber replied that it was a surprise.
Soon after, the three felt like a rumble, coming from the clouds above them and, looking up, they saw an blue airship , great about twenty meters, with the initials engraved on the sides C.C.Science .
The ship stopped some meters from the shack, enough to bring down a walkway in front of the three ponies.
Cyber ironically asked what his two "fellow travelers" thought, and they were speechless.

"For Celestia's holly ass, how the heck did you get an airship?"
"Let's just say that I borrowed it. Many years ago ."

So, they boarded on the airship and it took flight toward the southwest, moving away in a hurry from Manehattan.

=-O-=

Melting was enjoying, sitting on his favorite chair, a nice evening in his bedroom, reading an old prewar book , when Broken Horn entered tumbling from the door, knocking it down. After being briefly scolded by her boss, the reddish alicorn told him what had happened to Manehattan. Melting stood up and gave the book he was reading in his face in Broken Horn, making her bend toward the ground.

"How did you fail in a mission so simple !?" he yelled at her.
"I... I'm sorry, boss." said softly Broken Horn.
"you have already disappointed me twice, species of goose with half horn." said angrily Melting , "I remind you that it was me who've find you in the wasteland out there, and I have helped you to get back on track. "
"... breaking my horn." Replied almost growling Broken Horn, only to be hit again from the book of Melting.
"Okay, enough now." said quietly Melting, for then prepare himself to exit, "prepare the Omen Lead, calls all the mercenaries you find and then meet me, understand ?"

Broken Horn said nothing, she just nodded and flew away, to execute the orders of Melting. Now alone, the ghoul could think on what to do.
Finally, the time who he waited for half a century had arrived and if he achieved his goal, a simple shabby innkeeper would no longer be a problem, nor anything else would be.
He just had to solve a ... family matter.

"It's about time that you decided to move from your little mountain, brother." Said to the horizon, in the south-east direction.

=-O-=

Two hours later, on the border with the Everfree forest, Bone Saw and Thin Chain learned that the gray pony was Cyber Cog, the brother of Melting, who survived the great megaspells's bombardment due to his cryogenic technology and the replacement of body parts with mechanical substitutes . The reason, however, Cyber wanted to hire Bone Saw was not yet clear to the two of Manehattan, but the explanation would had come during dinner. In the bridge deck of the C.C.SCIENCE, the trio had settled around a long table of fine wood, ready to receive a hot, delicious and fresh meal , not canned food barely warm or full of radiation.

"Well well, the dinner will be here any moment now ." said cheerfully Cyber, sniffing the air.
"Listen Cyber," began Bone Saw, while giving quick glances to his sister, "can you tell us now why you wanted me ?"
"...You're very repetitive, you know ?" said Cyber annoyed by the insistence of the unicorn.
"Well, you know, this morning a damn alicorn didn't riddled me but instead destroyed a good part of my inn !"
"... Alright, maybe I have to agree with you this time. So I hired for- "

From the door behind Cyber appeared a small colt, looking creepy: sunken and wide eyes, with an almost anorexic physique and with a vague expression on his face.

"Dinner !" Said Cyber smiling, "Thank you Snow Flank !"
"Wait, that thing is ... Snow Flank ?" asked half curiously and half disgusted Thin Chain.

Snow Flank served the dishes based of sauces, soups and roasted radroach.
Although Cyber was used to the sight of his assistant, it couldn't really said the same for the other two. Bone Saw pulled back his iron hoof and drew aside a few centimeters, disgusted and disturbed by Snow Flank, while these poured the soup, slightly drooling .

"Hey ... uh ... look, I can serve myself, okay ?" Asked impressed Bone Saw.
"Sssnoow ..." said Snow Flank staring straight to Bone Saw disturbingly, even doing some guttural verses. At this point, Bone Saw didn't know whether to run before that thing could ate him... or just shoot him in the face, but fortunately he left in time, to serve Thin Chain.

"Beautiful..." said Snow Flank to Thin Chain, looking her with what presumably was a smile.
"... Oh, yes, thank you ... thingummy ." replied quickly Thin Chain.
"Mmooommmyyy... Snooow Flaaank?" asked with his usual calm and ethereal tone Snow Flank to Cyber Cog. The two felt an embarrassment pervade them both, and for a minute there was silence.
Then, Cyber said no to Snow Flank, and the other made a sound of discontent, and went with his head bowed, back in the kitchen.
Now, Cyber was ready to explain why he chose Bone Saw for his ( as yet unspecified ) mission.

"I need to retrieve something, my friend, something very powerful in the south-west, somewhere in the desert of San Palomino."
"What is it?"
"Ah, I do not know."
"How great ..."
"But I just know that it has the same power of something similar I pointed out four years ago in Splendid Valley."
"Hm, from what I know there is only Maripony down there."
"I have to correct you: there was ."

The speech went on for another quarter of an hour, and Cyber explained that the energy source was the same of Maripony, just... more irregular and less powerful, as if something had damaged it. The cyber pony speculated that someone or something had moved it, though he didn't know why. That said, Bone Saw asked just one thing: how much lavish would have been the reward ?
Cyber replied that it would be the highest that the unicorn had ever received.

"Twenty thousand ".

Bone Saw blinked, and faltered the digit for a moment, stunned, while on the face of Thin Chain was forming a broad smile. Once recovered from his astonishment, Bone Saw looked straight into Cyber's eyes, and asked him if he was joking.
In response, Cyber called Snow Flank again, telling him to lead the advance.
Shortly after, the repulsive colt took a big sack, throwing it on the table and doing so pour the content. Bone Saw's eyes sparkled at the sight of all those caps.

"Did I convinced you ?" asked ironically Cyber.
"I... oh, for the Tartarus, yes !" Said Bone Saw wile taking and squeezing the caps at him.

Finally, even if cold, the three began to enjoy their dinner. A half hour later, Bone Saw went on the main deck, admiring the stars.
He hadn't seen a sky so beautiful since when he escaped from Fillydelphia with his sister, during the revolution of Red Eye. They reminded him that moment all the ponies and slaves are waiting to obtain: freedom.

"Suggestive view ?" asked with his metallic voice Cyber.
"Very ." answered him not angrier Bone Saw, "Listen... um... I just wanted to say I'm sorry, you know ? For the matter to the shack . "
"Don't worry, Bone, I and Melting had always fought like that."
" ...can I ask you a question ?"
"Let me guess, why we hate each other ?"
"Exactly."
"Heh, if I could know. Before the war, before... this, he was already competing with me, but I don't know why. "
"Well, you are brothers, it's natural to be in competition."
"Arriving even to sabotage the personal stable of your brother because he'll have ruined your life ?"

The two fell silent, and they began to observe again the night sky.
Cyber was staring it lost in the memories, something that hadn't happened for a long time.

"I look at the stars from before you, Bone." Said Cyber melancholy, "I did it with my wife, long ago."
"Is she dead ?"
"Something similar ."

So, after wiping a few tears, cyber said it was time to sleep.
Finally, Bone Saw and the others could sleep a good night's sleep, relaxing in their comfortable beds. Bone Saw fell asleep quickly, very heavily, while his sister, in the next room, was trying to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, in the room, entered Snow Flank, and that surely wasn't helping.

"Uh ... hello, dude." Said disquieted Thin Chain.
"Ssnooow ..." said the other.
"Yes, well... look, why do not you go to your room... or wherever you sleep in ?"
"Snooww Flaaannk ... shnooow."
"Look, I don't understand what you..."

Snow Flank came up a bit to the bed of Thin Chain, looking distinctly sad. Thin Chain felt a little guilty about how she had treated him. Thus, the mare asked what the colt wanted, and he stood next to the bed of Thin Chain, lying. Apparently, he just wanted to have someone next him with sleep, for once.
Thin Chain putted one of her hoof on one of Snow's shoulder, and Snow Flank took a deep, rattling sigh, and then make a soft verse of happiness. Now, even the two slowly fell asleep.
Too bad that the free ride didn't last long.
A couple of hours later, a loud explosion, coming from outside, woke the four, who rushed out to see what that loud sound was.
Outside, they saw a huge Airship much bigger than their, a Raptor D-class, with the words Omen Lead on its side, with his cannons armed and pointed at them. Looking closer, Cyber recognized a pony he well known and hated.
Melting.

Author's Note

How much quotes to the original Fan fiction you can find ?