“Maybe I should’ve gone with him.” Twilight said uncertainly.

Arnold turned around to grin at her. “What, we ain’t enough for ya? Ya miss yer boyfriend already?”

Twilight glared at him and raised a gently sparking hand for him to see. He snickered good-naturedly and turned back around, knowing enough by now to know that she wasn’t going to hurt him. She rolled her eyes and turned to continue watching the Prius that was struggling to follow them.

They were on their way to the Bailey family’s Cold War bunker, an underground stack of shipping containers converted into a living space which housed all of their ammunition and nonperishable foodstuffs. According to the twins, the Cold War had been a rather lengthy period of time which had held the possibility of nuclear war. Preppers across the nation had built similar bunkers only to find out that not a single missile was to be fired. The Baileys’ bunker had been finished shortly before the “war” ended, and had been repurposed as a warehouse for storing spare parts, tools, extra ammunition, and other miscellaneous items that had no place in the garage.

The bunker was buried in the middle of Death Valley, the massive desert region that lay a few miles away from Las Vegas. She and the twins, who were driving there in Skeeter’s pickup, were making decent progress considering the box trailer they had to drag with them. Allen, who had (strangely enough) insisted on driving the Prius there, was not faring as well, even with Twilight magically parting the tops of the dunes for him.

“How’s he doing back there?” she asked.

“Lemme ask…” Skeeter replied as he picked up the radio sitting on the dashboard. “Hey Al, ya’ll okay back there?”

“Please for the love of our fair lord in heaven tell me we’re almost there.” Allen replied, static making it difficult to understand him.

“We got ‘bout a quarter of a mile left.”

“Thank fucking God! If I never have to drive one of these damn things again, it’ll be too soon!”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Heck yeah it is! This thing hugs the ground so hard, I can barely get it over the top of the dunes even with Twilight helping me! I’ve almost gotten it stuck like twenty times since we left, and once I actually completely lost control of the damn thing and went sliding down the dune!”

“Was that when ya’ll had the button pressed and ya’ll was screamin’ yer fuckin’ head off?”

“How long ago was that?”

“‘Bout half an hour.”

“No. That was something else.”

Twilight reached for the radio, which Skeeter handed her. “Do you want me to make the cuts deeper?”

“Nah. We’re almost there, so things are starting to smooth over.” he replied. “How’re things up there?”

“Oh, you know…Arnold is trying to get me to shock him while Skeeter silently encourages him.” She smiled as both occupants of the front seat stiffened at her words.

“Try to keep from doing so until we get there. Skeeter doesn’t drive well when he’s being electrocuted.”

“Of course.” she said, then handed the radio back to Skeeter.

They continued in silence for the next fifteen minutes, Twilight watching the dunes approach and cutting through them with her magic. The twins didn’t even turn to tease her anymore, obviously afraid that their actions would make her…and by extension Allen…unhappy. It was all in good humor of course, but Allen was famous for his “angry big brother” mode. They had quickly learned not to be in the way of an angry Allen shortly after meeting Logan and hearing about the cruel treatment he’d had to endure at school.

Twilight couldn’t help chuckling slightly at one point when she heard Allen spout a rather impressive string of what she assumed to be swear words, once again not realizing that he had the button on his radio pressed.

“Geez.” Skeeter said in surprise. “Ah thought Ah was bad.”

“I’m quite certain he learned every single one of those from you.” Twilight commented.

“Ah wish, but Ah’m pretty sure ‘bout halfa’ them was in Spanish, and Ah don’t speak Spanish.”

“Oh.” Twilight said, turning her attention back to the front. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed something sticking out of the sand just ahead. “What’s that?”

“That there’s the entrance to the bunker.” Arnold replied.

They drew closer and Twilight was able to make out the weathered metal door of a shipping container, partially covered by sand. They parked next to it and got out, Skeeter moving to unlock the heavy door while Arnold retrieved a metal case from the back seat.

Twilight eyed said case curiously. “What’s in the case?”

Arnold simply grinned at her. “You’ll see.”

She stared at the marine for a moment, then shook her head and walked over to join Skeeter as he finished opening the bunker door. Her eyes widened in surprise at the cavernous tunnel that stretched beneath the sand. “Oh my…”

“Ah heard it took mah great-grandpappy almost forty years to get this thing built.” Skeeter agreed as they began their descent into the dark tunnel. “That’s plannin’, diggin’, placin’, cuttin’, weldin’, wirin’, and buryin’…all done by him and his folks. Almost sucks they never got to put the damn thing to use.”

Twilight looked over at him in surprise. “Didn’t they build this to wait out the aftereffects of a nuclear war?”

“Ah did say almost.” he replied, opening a panel at the other end of the tunnel and flipping a few switches. He smiled as lights all along said tunnel flickered to life, bathing the interior in a soft yellow light. “Beautiful. Just beautiful. Ah’ll tell you what Twi, this here’s gotta be the Bailey family masterpiece. A real testament to our ingenuity. When Baileys build somethin’, we build that sucker to last. With proper maintenance, o’ course.”

“I thought the Mach 1 was your masterpiece?” Twilight teased.

“Yeah. Mah masterpiece. No one else’s.” he said firmly as he opened the door to the inner living area. “Ah take pride in the fact that no one else in mah family could manage the sort of precision n’ love that Ah put into cars. Even mah pops was impressed with me, and he taught me everythin’ Ah know.”

“What happened to him?” Twilight asked before she could stop herself. Skeeter’s smile faded and his shoulders sagged, and she quickly made to cover up her mistake. “I-I’m sorry. Don’t answer that.”

“Nah, nah, it’s fine. It’s a kinda dumb story actually.” he said. “Mah dad died ‘bout two years ago from lung cancer.”

Twilight hung her head in shame, feeling worse by the second. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Eh…what can ya do?” he replied with a sad smile, before walking around the room and rummaging through various boxes and cases. He suddenly straightened up and stared straight ahead, brow furrowed in thought. “Or did Ah leave it downstairs?”

“Sorry?”

“Nothin’. Ah’m jus’ tryin’ to find somethin’.” he said before continuing. “So you know how Ah drink a whole lot? Well, he was the same way, ‘cept he smoked. It caused him a whole ton o’ problems breathin’. Me n’ Arnie tried to get him to stop, but he was convinced he was fine. Thought he breathed in worse every time he worked on cars. The ol’ geezer was jus’ too damn dependent on them damn cigs.

“One day, he started wheezin’ like crazy n’ finally collapsed. We called an ambulance and sped off to a hospital, where we waited for a few hours while they tested n’ stabilized him. Few needles ‘n a few scans later, we all got the diagnosis, and just over two weeks later he passed.” He chuckled slightly before continuing. “Ah uh…Ah asked him if he had any regrets about a week before he died. Ya know what he said?”

“What did he say?”

“‘Only that Ah never made it with that Midler lady.’ That old man was in way over his head.” he said with a grin. At a confused look from Twilight, he explained, “Betty Midler. She’s a singer.”

“That’s adorable.” she said with a giggle.

“Yeeeeaah…” he replied nostalgically, then shook his head and continued searching through boxes. “Where is the damn thing?”

“What are you looking for?”

“It kinda looks like a…oh wait! Here it is!” he proclaimed, holding out a small device for her to see. It looked like a small remote with a lever on the side and an antenna sticking out of the top.

“What’s that for?” she asked.

“You’ll see.” Skeeter said with a grin, turning and walking back out of the bunker.

Twilight stared after him for a moment, then sighed dramatically and followed. Why is it that I can never get a straight answer out of you boys?

((((((*******))))))

“You’re an idiot.”

Arnold just smiled at Allen as he held the open case for him to see.

“Arnold?”

“Yeeees?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Matter o’ perspective, I think.”

“No, it’s a matter of you being an idiot.”

Twilight emerged from the bunker’s cavernous entrance, Skeeter not far behind, and noticed Allen glaring at Arnold. “What’s going on?”

“Arnold’s an idiot.” Allen answered plainly.

“Uh-huh…” she replied, not sure how to respond. She walked over to stand next to him, wondering what was inside the case, and frowned in confusion at the multitude of grayish-green blocks inside. “Umm…what am I looking at?”

“A case full o’ good ol’ fashioned C4!” Arnold said happily.

“Military grade plastic explosives.” Allen said, already sensing her question.

“Wait…Explosives!?” she replied in shock.

“How you managed to get a whole case full of that stuff past airport security is beyond me.”

“It wasn’t easy, Ah’ll tell ya that much.”

Allen facepalmed and turned away groaning. “Oh my God, Arnie. I love you like a brother but you’re such a fucking idiot.”

“So Ah’ve heard.” he replied with an eye-roll.

“You do realize what would’ve happened if you’d gotten caught, right?”

“Yeah, which is why Ah didn’t git caught.”

Allen rubbed his eyes and sighed, then turned to glare accusingly at Skeeter. “You told him to bring explosives?”

“O’ course Ah didn’t!” he replied as he raised his hands in defense, then he grinned mischievously. “Then again, Ah didn’t tell him not to, either.”

Allen looked back at Arnold, who was wearing a similar grin, and sighed again. “Well…might as well use it then. Let’s get the Prius to a safe distance.”

“WOOO! THIS BABY’S GONNA BURN!” Arnold screamed excitedly as he grabbed the detonator from Skeeter and jumped feet-first into the open passenger window.

Allen rolled his eyes and smiled as he climbed in, started the car, and drove it about a hundred yards away from the rest of the group. While Arnold got out to set up the explosives, he opened the leather briefcase still tucked behind his seat and pulled out one of the two folders inside, inspecting its contents to make sure they were his newly-forged records. Satisfied, he shut the case and got out of the car, tucking the folder under his arm as he began the trek back to the bunker.

“So exactly how many laws did he break by bringing that case overseas?” he heard Twilight ask as he made his way towards the pickup.

Skeeter actually began counting on his fingers as he tried to answer her question. Allen shook his head as he approached. “Let’s just say he ripped the law book in half, took a flamethrower to it, and then pissed on the ashes.”

“That was…needlessly graphic.”

“Hey, you asked.” Allen replied as he sat the folder in the backseat.

Twilight shook her head and turned to watch Arnold as he placed the charges, only to find him hurrying back over to the group. “That was fast.” she said, surprised.

“It ain’t hard if ya know how.” the marine replied quickly, before holding the detonator out to Allen. “Now, ‘nough screwin’ around. Let’s light this candle.”

Allen looked at it in confusion. “Don’t you want to blow it?”

“Whose retirement are we celebratin’ here?” he replied, Skeeter getting his phone ready.

“Fair enough.” he said, taking the detonator with a grin. “Countdown?”

The twins took up positions on either side of him, Skeeter grabbing Twilight and dragging her closer. “It’s gonna be jus’ like the ball drop!” he said giddily.

“The what?” Twilight asked.

“Later.” he replied before starting the countdown. “Ten!”

“Nine!” Arnold joined in, almost bouncing on his toes with excitement

“Eight!” Twilight said, grinning nervously as she covered her ears.

“Seven!”

“Six!”

Allen stared intently at the Prius, his fingers curling around the trigger with anticipation. He suddenly felt a hand on each shoulder and looked back to see his friends, no…his family…counting down with as much excitement as he felt. He turned back to the Prius, grinning happily and wishing the moment didn’t have to pass.

“Two!”

“One!”

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!!” Allen screamed as he finally pulled the trigger.

The Prius suddenly jumped several feet in the air, instantly turning pitch-black as it was enveloped by the fiery explosion. The doors, hood, wheels, and windows all exploded outwards and covered the area with a mixture of glass and car parts. All four spectators squinted their eyes at the sheer brightness of the blast, and were left with an uncomfortable ringing in their ears when it finally subsided.

They stood there for a mere fraction of a second to appreciate the smoldering wreck before them, then Arnold ran towards it screaming and jumping as if he’d just won the lottery. Skeeter quickly saved the picture, then ran to join his brother in dancing around the falling scraps of burning rubber and upholstery. Even Twilight started bouncing up and down, half laughing and half cheering.

Allen turned back to the metal husk which now housed the blackened remains of his former life and stared for a moment. He then leaned back, raised his fists to the heavens, and screamed to let the whole world know he was now a free man.

((((((*******))))))

It didn’t take long for the shouting to die down and the twins to finally settle, and soon they all began milling about to set up the bonfire. Arnold went to the back of the pickup to grab the cooler while Allen and Skeeter searched for decent seats. They ended up rolling two truck tires out of the bunker, Skeeter having brought his lawn chair and Arnold content to sit on the cooler. The seats were placed around the still-flaming hybrid, drinks were passed out (soda for Twilight, who insisted that she didn’t drink), and all present seated themselves to talk the night away.

“So then he lights the fuse, drops the damn thing right in front o’ the poor bastard’s snout, and later wonders why it chased him all the way back home.” Skeeter finished.

“That’s an animal rights case if I’ve ever heard one.” Twilight said, shaking her head.

“No kidding.” Allen agreed. “Exactly how drunk do you have to be to pull something like that?”

Skeeter scratched his head as he tried to remember. “Let’s see…Ah think it was three beers and a long island. Mighta’ been more, Ah ain’t too sure. Was a while ago.”

“Friggin’ dumbass…” Arnold muttered as he took a sip of his own beer.

“Speaking of dumbasses,…” Allen began, turning to Arnold.

“Ah thought Ah was an idiot?” The marine replied with mock confusion.

“…how much C4 did you rig that thing with?”

“Three bricks.” he replied. “Any more, and we might’ve had to worry about shrapnel.”

Twilight looked over at Arnold for a moment, slightly surprised at his matter-of-fact tone of voice. She hadn’t taken him as the type of person to be skilled at anything besides joking around. She suddenly realized how very little she actually knew about Skeeter’s twin.

“Hey Arnold? Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself?”

He quickly swallowed his beer and raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. “Me? Why? Ah ain’t no one special.”

“Well I know Allen’s story, and I know Skeeter’s been working towards being a mechanic for most of his life, but I don’t know anything about you. You just sort of…” She trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“Dropped in?” he finished, earning a nod from her. He leaned back and stretched, his back emitting a few satisfying pops, before continuing. “Well, there really ain’t much to tell. Actually, mine and Skeets’ stories are pretty much the same ‘til about two years ago, when pops died. Before that, we were barely managin’ to keep the garage in the black, seein’ as how a whole bunch o’ these other customs shops was openin’ up in the north ‘n east districts.

"The one thing we had goin’ for us was pops’ reputation as debatably the best grease monkey in Vegas. When he finally kicked the bucket, not only was we stuck with the funeral costs, but some o’ the folks we relied on to keep the place afloat stopped comin’. We had a few loyal folks, o’ course; folks like Allen who considered the Bailey’s to be family friends, or at least knew enough about us to know that Skeets can do anything pops could and more.

"Wasn’t enough though. Garage started sinkin’ deeper ‘n deeper into the red, and we was facin’ bankruptcy ‘n foreclosure in just a few weeks. Allen helped in any way he could, but we was runnin’ outta options fast.” He sighed before continuing, disgust evident in his voice. “That was when I decided it was time to suck up mah pride and join the army.”

Knowing the distrust all three men shared for their government, Twilight could understand how difficult that decision must have been. “That was noble of you.”

“Noble, she says…”Arnold repeated with a snicker. “That’s funny. Nah, family comes first is all.”

“Still…” she said quietly.

Arnold took another swig, then turned back to her. “What about you? What’s yer story?”

“My story?” Twilight asked, slightly confused.

Arnold nodded in response. “Ah don’t think no one here but Al knows a damn thing about you. What’s life like on the other side, princess?”

“This’ll be good.” Allen chuckled, earning a glare from Twilight. When Skeeter had explained to Arnold what little he knew about her, he'd forgotten to include the part about her being a pony.

“What?” Arnold asked, looking over at Skeeter, who was trying hard not to laugh.

She took a deep breath and turned back to him. “The first thing you need to know is that I come from a world mainly inhabited by magical talking ponies.”

The marine’s face went blank for a moment as his mind attempted to process what he’d just heard. “Ya’ll serious?”

“Yes.” she said simply.

He continued staring at her for a moment, then shrugged. “Alright, go on.”

Now it was everyone else’s turn to stare blankly at him. Allen was the first to speak up. “That’s it? No headaches? No questioning your sanity? Nothing?”

“Ah’ll grant it sounds like bullshit, but so does some young gal with the ability to lift cars and electrocute people with her mind. Yet lookie what we got here.”

Allen traded a look with Skeeter, then shrugged and took another swig of his beer.

Arnold gestured to Twilight, who nodded as she continued. “My life isn’t as…interesting…as yours. In fact, it’s quite boring by comparison. I live with my parents in Canterlot, our country’s capital, where I study magic, magical theory, magical history, and a whole list of other subjects. My brother’s the captain of the royal guard, and that’s…really all there is to tell.”

“Royal guard?” Skeeter repeated. “Ya’ll got a monarchy over there?”

“It used to be a diarchy, but something happened to one of the rulers a long time ago.” Twilight replied, her brow furrowing as she tried to remember what exactly had happened. “I actually can’t remember what it was. I know I read about it somewhere, but…”

“Just worry ‘bout it when ya git home.” Arnold suggested. “Ain’t that big a deal.”

“I guess…” she said distantly.

They waited for her to say something else, but she remained silent. Looking for some way to break the empty silence, Arnold turned to Allen. “So what’d Robocop have to say?”

“I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone about the conversation, and I’m going to stand by that promise, but let’s just say that the last three years make a lot more sense now.”

“Uh-huh.” Skeeter said, wishing for more but knowing better than to ask. “So what’s next on the retirement plan?”

“A job.” he replied simply. “A real job, mind you. Maybe I’ll try resurrecting my career as a detective. I might have a very specific skill set, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do some good with it, right?”

“Seems like ya’lls been doin’ a lotta good lately. Rescuin’ pretty gals from the local thugs, takin’ out corrupt government officials, rescuin’ those same pretty gals from feds…ya’ll been busy lately.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that, actually.” Twilight said, attention returning to the group. “Do you remember when you stopped to rescue me even though the authorities were looking for you?”

“Yes…” Allen answered, already having an idea of where this was going.

“Why didn’t you just leave me for the authorities? I’m sure they would’ve taken me to a hospital.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, just curious.” she answered with a shrug.

“The problem with cops is that they like to be thorough.” he explained. “They check every street, every alleyway, sometimes even buildings. That takes time, and you didn’t have a whole lot if the swelling on your head was any indication. You needed help then, not half an hour later.”

“Listen to him.” Skeeter said with a grin. “So chivalrous.”

“Oh bite me.” Allen replied. Accepting his status as a murderer was one thing, but calling him a hero just felt wrong.

“It does kind of sound like something from a story book.” Twilight agreed with a smirk.

“Right…the psychopath turned vigilante saving a random stranger from the local police and then assassinating the mayor not one week later. I’m a real Prince Charming.” he replied sarcastically. “You can tell all your friends and family about my noble acts of selflessness when you get home. As for right now, let’s drop it.”

She nodded and turned to stare silently into the fire. Allen stared at her for a moment, then looked past her at Skeeter, who was staring at her in confusion. He gave Allen a look, then turned to Arnold.

“Hey Arnie, wouldja mind helpin’ me with the spares for Beauty?”

“Sure thing.” he replied, not even questioning why Allen stayed behind as he got up to help his brother.

They disappeared inside the bunker to grab the spare parts they would need to fix the Mach 1, leaving Allen and Twilight by the bonfire. The two were silent for a long time, Allen drawing his coat tighter around him to ward off the cold night air as he waited for Twilight to say something. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned to look at her.

“Twi, what’s wrong?”

Twilight looked back at him and smiled. “Hm? Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m fine, really-”

“You keep drifting out of the conversation every time someone mentions you going home. What, you don’t want to go now?”

“Of course I do! I miss my family and my friends, and this place gives me anxiety every time I hear about how brutal it is! I can’t wait to go home, but…what if they still haven’t figured out how to open the gate?”

“You don’t think they can?”

“Of course not! I know they can as long as they follow my notes, but…”

“You took an extreme amount of notes?”

“There’s no such thing.” she replied firmly before sulking again. “I just hope they figure it out before this lunar cycle passes. I don’t think I can last another two weeks with the government trying so hard to capture me.” Her head snapped sharply to the left as she heard Allen chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

“You know what your problem is?” he asked. “You don’t have enough faith in us to get you through this. Everyone back home is doing everything they can to get that portal open and bring you home safe and sound. If they’re as smart as you’ve made them out to be, I’m pretty sure the only thing keeping them from rescuing you right now is the full moon. As for the feds, forget them. They wouldn’t risk entering the southern district when they don‘t know where I live. Remember, the surveillance is still off.”

“True…” Twilight quietly agreed.

“And even if they do, they won’t stand a chance against the four of us.”

“The four of us?” she repeated. “You’re counting the twins?”

“I know them. They’ll enlist themselves even if I tell them not to.”

“Wow. That stubborn, huh?”

“I prefer ‘dependable’.” Allen replied with a chuckle. “So don’t worry about it, alright? Whatever happens, we’ve got your back.”

“Thank you for that.” she said with a grateful smile.

“My pleasure. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go help-”

He was interrupted as his phone started ringing. Twilight watched as he slid it out of his pocket. “Who is it?”

“Admin.” he replied, slightly surprised.

“I thought the two of you were done talking.” she said.

“I’m done taking jobs from him, but we still have each other’s numbers. Be right back.”

He walked away, answering the call as he did so. “What’s up?”

“The feds, what else?” replied the artificially deepened voice he was so familiar with.

“What are they up to now?” Allen asked irritably. Not three days had gone by and the feds were already back to harassing them.

“Nothing.” Cyrus replied, to his surprise. “That’s what’s bothering me. They’ve set up at Nellis Air Force base and are just sitting on their hands. Plus, some big wheel showed up in a chopper earlier today. I don’t know who he is or what he’s here for yet, as I’m still waiting on a report from my guy on the inside...but I feel like something big is happening.”

“And you’re just telling me this now?”

“I didn’t know about it until I got back from our meeting.”

“Alright, well…it’s probably just their boss. He’s probably pissed that they can’t catch Twi.”

“But why’s he making an appearance about it? It doesn’t add up.”

“I don’t know.” Allen replied, watching the twins gently slide a wax paper-covered hood into the back of the trailer. “All I know is you won’t find out by asking me.”

“Yeah…alright. I’ll let you know if I find anything out.”

“I appreciate it. Bye.”

“Good bye.”

Allen slid the phone back into his pocket and walked back over to where Twilight sat waiting. She turned to look at him as he approached. “What was that about?”

“Nothing really.” he replied, sitting back down. She raised an eyebrow at him, a subtle reminder that she didn’t like being left in the dark, so he elaborated. “The feds have set up shop at a military base just outside of Vegas and I think their department head is taking over command.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently he’s not happy that they can’t seem to hold you for more than a few hours at a time.”

“I can imagine. Should we be worried?”

“No. This doesn’t change anything, except that now we know where they’re stationed. They still can’t see us, so we still have the upper hand. In a few days, you’ll go home, they’ll give up, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

“If you say so.” Twilight said, still not totally convinced. Seeing this, Allen gave her a light elbow in the arm, making her look at him in confusion.

“What’s rule number two?” he asked with a smirk.

Twilight stared at him for a moment, wondering what he could be talking about. Then the realization hit her and she rolled her eyes. “Allen is always right.”

“Damn straight.”

She shook her head and turned to face him. “But what if-”

“What’s rule number three?” he asked with a grin.

Twilight sighed dramatically, then smiled at him. “See rule number two.”

“And what’s rule number two again?” he asked, the grin somehow getting bigger.

“I’m not doing this.” she said with a chuckle as she got up to grab another soda.

“I’m always right.” he answered for her.

Twilight shook her head as she sat back down, still snickering.

Allen smiled reassuringly at her and stood up. “Don’t worry, okay? You’re gonna be just fine.”

“Whatever you say.” she replied, taking a sip of her soda as he turned to go help the twins.

Author's Note

I'm sorry I made you guys wait so long for this chapter, but I've said it before: I suck at idle chapters. This was probably a pretty garbage chapter, too. I'm sorry about that, but you can't do step two without step one right?
On the off chance that you did enjoy this chapter, be sure to give me a thumbs-up and leave a comment with your thoughts.
Peace.