Fallout: Oxygen

Chapters

My Kind of Lazy Day
Stable 28
Family Ties
Help on a Misson
Preparation
A Daring Dash
Strangers' Company

My Kind of Lazy Day

I awake to my caretaker nudging me with her fleshy hoof, and I peer up at her, confused. She holds up a board that reads, "I need you to get out more often." It’s already noon and there’s no point in complaining, so I get up off my mattresses (I use three for extra comfort). Across the room is an open window (really, it's just a square that was cut out of the metal) and under it Enclave armor and my favorite sweater are folded neatly. I trot over, slip on my sweater, sparing the armor nothing but a glance, then dash out the room with a "See ya Derps, love you, be back later!"

I sleep and live in a train cart behind Ditzy Doo's store. Growing up, the ghoul has been my mother and caretaker and like a mother to me. This is because of my biological mom’s absence. the absence of my biological mom. Apparently I was told that, I was dropped off because the Enclave was planning on killing me, on account that I wasn't a pegasus. Mom gave Derpy her armor, battle saddle, and saddlebags. Inside the saddlebags was a PipBuck and tools to take it off and on. It had been was Mom's PipBuck– before she became a soldier of the Enclave and didn't need it because of the power armor making more use anyway.There are journal entries dating until she gave me up, which means that she always carried it around her and used it despite having armor to do the same thing. I haven't read the entries, personally- But Ditzy has, and she’s somewhat translated and told me about them in her own synopsis. I'm unsure about it. Her PipBuck's on my leg now. It makes me feel closer to her. And I want her to know I'm not mad; that I understand she did what she had to and I agree with her choice. She did the right thing.

Trotting straight out of town, I’m ready to explore. Shutting my eyes, I spin in a circle for a full minute- A fine way to start off the day, if you ask me. When I stop, I fall down, laughing, dizzying bubbles in my stomach flipping my vision. Once recovered, I check my PipBuck for anything out of the ordinary. There was a new signal that I hadn't noticed. Tuning in, the PipBuck plays the message. "-us. Please... Message Repeats. Raiders came after me and my wife," a mare is crying in the background, most likely the female spouse of the speaking buck. "We hid in a cellar, and they've decided to just wait it out. We need help. Anypony, come rescue us. Please... Message Repeats." I turn off the radio. A cellar, huh? It would be a lot better if they had given more of a hint to their whereabouts, but I was pretty sure of their location. They better not be dead already. Ponies just don’t watch their backs like they should anymore. I look around. That-a-way! I trot off South. Anypony would think that I’m strange, doing what I do, but I've memorized the whole Wasteland, I have nothing else to do really. I can get home with my eyes closed; that's how well I know it, and that's pretty damn well.

I spot a little shack, with raiders all around it. That's the place. As I get closer, the raiders start to see me, but none of them attack. One of them screams in my ear though. I muster up the patience and will to control my reaction to it and the raiders get confused by my stale expression. I look as no threat, but still not too pathetic. Eyes Forward Sparkle labels one of the raiders with an actual name, Slash-Tastic. This raider, a unicorn stallion, stares at me. The large stallion has a dirty dark green coat, a messy dark red mohawk, and eyes like clear, clean pre-war rivers. The left side of the shack has a cellar door. And Slash-Tastic is standing right by it. "Slash-Tastic?" I ask. It's good to say their name when you've never seen them before; it spooks them.

He has a mad frown. "What do you want?" I smile. Most ponies get some curse words with talking to raiders, but they don't do that with me. I look useless, but not helpless. I nod at him, and he slowly nods back. Playfully, I stick my tongue out at him. His face drops all anger. The smallest of smiles appears on his face. I turn away. The rusty metal handle was cold in my mouth. I pulled on it but something was stopping the door from opening.

I let go and sit down in front of the door. I speak gently, "excuse me?" I pause. "I got your message- the radio signal."

A raider screams. "A RADIO SIGNAL? WHAT THE FUCK!"

My voice lowers more. The tone was soft, like a mother's, "You can come out now. You'll be safe. I promise." A minute of silence later, I hear something metal sliding smoothly against more rusty steel. The door slowly creaks open to a hesitant male earth pony and a scared female unicorn with dried tears on her face. The earth pony has a lime green coat, a mane and tail made up of two shades of brown, and brown eyes. The mare behind him has a light pink coat, a long mane and tail of dark blue and yellow, and light green eyes. "C'mon," I say, turning and walking away. I glance back and see the couple frozen as there were about thirty raiders staring menacingly at them. "Follow me. You're going to be alright." The earth pony slowly stalks out of the cellar with wife behind him. The two pass Slash-Tastic untouched.

The other raiders get upset. "What are you doing?!" They yell. "Get them!"

Slash steps forward, and the husband noticing the movement, dashes between his wife and the raider, growling loudly. Slash-Tastic raises his head, "You touch them, you DIE!" He uses his levitation to raise about ten guns, ranging from sub-machine guns to rocket launchers. All of the raiders back up away from the new threat.

I face Slash-Tastic and we make eye contact. "Thank you," I whisper. A smile grows wide on his face and he starts laughing like mad. The raiders see that Slash-Tastic isn't himself and run for their lives. The couple pull up beside me as I continue trotting.

Once far enough away from the commotion, the couple’s shoulders relax. "Thank you so much. We'd be dead without you," cheers the stallion. "How'd you do that? It was amazing!" His eyes light up despite him being extremely confused.

I laugh. "I don't know how. I probably got it from my Mom or Dad. And about saving you, it was no problem." Honestly, the only reason I think ponies and other creatures don't attack me, is because they know I'm not planning on doing anything bad, otherwise I would have probably brought a weapon with me. I mean, I don't even carry saddlebags with me, so it's not like I'm there to take anything. I'm harmless unless provoked, and I like it that way.

The green stallion shakes his head. "Thank Celestia you came."

I laugh again, "No. Thank my guardian. I would have just stayed home if she didn't make me do something productive."

The mare speaks up, "There's no way to repay you for what you've done." She rubs her stomach in a circular motion. She's pregnant? Wow. "I had the a nurse check. We've got a baby on the way." A soft smile found it's way to her lips.

Apparently the father didn't know. He freezes, eyes wide. "We... we're gonna have a foal...?" His wife nods. Suddenly Mr. I'm Gonna Be A Father had the pink mare in his arms. Tears were streaming down his face. Happy tears. "Oh Mel!"

"How about we get somewhere safe?" I gently propose.

The stallion let go of his wife (and child) and hid her (them) behind him. "How do we know you aren't leading us somewhere bad?"

I stare at him blankly. "Whatever. I'm offering an escort to New Appleloosa." He was thinking, when I continue. "You know what? You don't have a choice." He takes it as a threat and backs up. "You have a foal with you." No reaction. "You all are terrible ponies if you would risk your child's safety." I start trotting. "I know my mom would never do that." I turn briefly. "My mom died to give me a chance in life, and here you are," I spat it the ground. "Here you are, making the wrong choice." And I continue on my way home.

The soon-to-be mother, called Mel by the stallion, starts trotting with me and her spouse follows close behind. My words got to him and he’s visibly feeling lousy. "Hey," said Mel. "What happened to your mom? She died giving birth to you?"

I look up and smile. "Not even close." Confusion blossoms on her face. I laugh for a second, then it dies with my smile. "My mom, she was part of the Enclave." The mare gasps and the stallion's ears perk. "Yeah... She gave birth to me, and I, being an earth pony, couldn't be allowed to live in the clouds with all the pegasi. So they decided that I wasn’t allowed to live at all. Got to spend one week with Mom. She loved me too much to let me die, so she flew me down her, and gave me to a good home. I'd have to assume she's dead by now."

"What was her name?" asks the stallion behind us. His ears are down. He must have Mom problems too.

"Nitrogen. And I'm Oxygen. She'd call me Oxy though."

He smiles at the talk of nicknames. "I was always called Drum by my Mom. Because she'd always be playing the drums, and I liked to copy her. I changed Drum to my official name after she died."

His wife giggles at her own name, "My Dad'd call me his little Radioactive Gumdrop." We all laugh. "My real name's Melody Lane."

"I like your name," I say, providing a smile. She smiles back.

We arrive in Appleloosa shortly after the conversation ends. "You guys ever been here?" The husband nods. The wife's head shakes. I decide to make it a tour. "Welcome Melody Lane, to our humble establishment and my lovely home." I project each word loudly and because of that many ponies in the town turned towards us. The ones in good spirits, which is everypony today (yay!), smile at the new folks as well as laugh at my silliness. "The first and only stop on this tour is my house and the general store...: Absolutely Everything!" That earns a smile from Melody and Drum as I lead the couple to our destination. We walk into the store. The owner of the store and my trustee is dusting off the merchandise. "Ditzy Doo?" The ghoul turns and smiles at the new ponies. "Melody Lane? Drum? This is Ditzy Doo, my guardian." They wave politely, but you can see a suspicious look in the stallion's eyes. "Ditzy Doo, this is Melody Lane and Drum, they set up a distress signal when they were stuck in a cellar with raiders waiting for them to come out or starve to death."

Derpy's face showed no smile. Then she took a chalkboard and wrote "Well I'm glad you're okay," then showed it to the pair.

"Now! THE TOUR CONTINUES!" I announce dramatically roaring voice. I guide the recently rescued ponies into a door at the end of the store. We enter to my room. The entrance is in the corner, on a the long side of the cart. The middle of the length, the opposite side of the door, is my mattress(es). On the mattress sits five scattered blankets and my teddy bear. The teddy bear was given to me when I was born and it has a little heart with "I love you" is sewn on the right side of it's chest. Across from the mattress is the square hole I call a window. Around the window, I have a couple of posters. The first is “REMEMBER: We are all in this together! Care for one another,” for Fluttershy’s Ministry of Peace. The second is "Reading is Magic" and the third is “Remember what separates Ponies from Zebras. Not stripes. Not cutie marks. But what is inside. THERE IS GOOD IN ALL OF US!” The short, far side has two bookshelves. The left bookshelf is filled with pre-war books of all kinds; books on the brain to books on humans, I have it all. (The Book on Humans by Lyra Heartstrings, I read it. It’s pretty cool.) The right bookshelf isn't a bookshelf as much as a normal shelf. It holds all my stuff, my caps, a functional camera (Mom suggested it I try to fix one), a large stack of (more than three hundred) papers with my drawings on them, clipboards, pencils, and other stuff. "This my room. If you ever need a place to stay, you're welcome to crash here. We have extra beds and food, so it’s never a problem."

Melody smiles. "Thank you so much for everything." She trots up next to me and kisses me on the cheek. I blush like mad, my body frozen from the fading warmth on the side of my face. "Oh, I didn't know you like mares!" She looks embarrassed, slightly blushing too. "That was a friendly kiss," she adds.

Still blushing a lot, I speak shakily, "Oh- I- It- It's alright." Drum stares at me, suspicious as always. "Anyways, would you all like anything? Water? Sparkle-Cola?" Drum was too busy staring at me to answer, so I looked to his wife for an answer.

Still blushing like me, she nods. "Oh. Some water please. Gotta make sure the foal's alright." I nod and walk out into the store. Behind the counter is a mini fridge. I get out two cold purified waters, walk back into the room, and give them to my guests, then walk back to the fridge, grab four apples, and come back into my room. "For de lede," I say through the stems gripped tightly between my teeth. The mare envelops the apples in her magic so I have a free mouth to speak with. "Please, sit," I say, gesturing with my hoof toward the stacked mattresses. She sits down and Drum does too. I take a seat on the floor. "We have plenty of apples, so eat till you're full." Melody passes an apple to her husband, to me, and drops one in her lap, between her legs, leaving one more in her magic. We all take bites into the apples. The apples are fresh and crisp. They take notice. Melody opens her mouth to ask a question, so I decide on answering the question before she asks it. "Ditzy Doo gets fresh apples from Stable Twenty Eight. They give us apples, we give them basic weapons and armor." She nods and smiles because I knew what she was going to ask before she said anything. Finishing my apple, I look at the fourth apple that I brought. Drum places his hoof on his wife's lap. I look up and we lock eyes. He is clearly very pissed and looks as if beating me up would cure Equestria of its radiation.

Okay then.

Note to self: don't look at Melody Lane's private parts or anything that may be near them.

I break the stare, awkwardly get up and walk out. I sigh as I fetch two more apples out of the mini fridge. Is he seriously going to do this?

When I turn around, I see Derpy holding up a chalkboard. "You okay Sweetie?"

I smile and hug Derpy Hooves's squishy body. "Yeh. Wuv ou Ders."

She smiles back at me and writes on her board "Love you too Oxy."

Reaching the door, I see Drum attempting to kiss Melody Lane. She turns away as his face approaches hers. No. I’m not going to eavesdrop. I lift up my hoof and knock on the wall, making a loud clank. I clear my throat as I walk in. I prance in, trying not to be awkward, and failing. Drum had taken the fourth apple, so I approach Melody with my trip’s haul. "Ahul?"

She smiles weakly, a tear rolling down her face as she takes an apple from my mouth. I frown with my apple in my mouth. She bites hers. I shoot a glare at Drum for upsetting Melody and he turns away from me. I place my apple on my shelf for later. "You all have a place to go?" No response comes from the grumpy stallion, but the mare shakes her head to give me an answer. "Well then," I say as I trot to the window. "Hey Crane! I need six mattresses up here!"

"Hey, is Little Miss Day Dreamer finally getting laid?" replies the stallion with a chuckle. I laugh. "Here you are Ox." Six mattresses float in through the window, one at a time, kinda rolled up so they could fit. Once through the window, Crane flattens them out on top of the other. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Crane. Thanks for your help." I turn away from the window, get up on my hind legs, push the top three mattresses off the bottom three, then space out the three beds, or three stacks of three mattresses, evenly, so that if Melody and Drum are still being weird, they don't have to be next to each other. The sky is darkening and the two ponies look exhausted. "You two look tired. I think crashing earlier that usual would be a good idea." Most ponies would be up another three hours. Melody Lane and Drum get off my bed. Melody crawls onto the bed to the right of mine, so Drum is stuck the one near the window. I leave the room for a moment and come back with a big turquoise sweater and a smaller light blue sweater. I fold them up and place them on the shelf. "If you need more than this," I say, tossing a blanket to each of the ponies, leaving my bed with only three, "you can take a sweater. The small one's the light blue one, and the bigger one's the dark sweater." I nod, satisfied with my hosting skills.

I take off my sweater, and notice a specific mare watching me do it. Her eyes follow me as I fold it and place it under the window where it was this morning before I left. I yawn and hop into my bed. Pulling my blankets over me, I close my eyes and eventually fall into a light sleep.

Author's Note

Comment your opinions please.

Stable 28

Dirty light flows into the room. I open my eyes to see Melody Lane sitting on her bed, whispering softly to her unborn foal. "How's my little sweetie today?" She’s wearing the sweater I put out for her last night. I smile at her as our eyes met.

"Thought of any names yet?"

She beams. "I've always like the name Evergreen." Her gaze lowers back to her stomach. "That was my grandmother's name."

"I like that name too."

"Ah. Uh. Duhha." Melody's husband rolls around in his bed, back to his old, silly self. He wiggles, eyes still closed. "Baaabe. I just had the most hot dream ever... It was you and that white pony making out and totally fucking." He giggles at his words. My whole face is red and I bury myself back under my covers. Luna please make him stop- "I mean, you two were going at it like it was nothing. But let me tell you, it was something. Something huge." He snuggles up in his blankets a bit more. "I'd like to see that in real life," he groans softly, praying for the occurrence.

Melody can't hold it any longer. She starts laughing like a hyena, falling to the floor without discretion of my mortification. The laughter gets the stallion to open his eyes. My face is exposed from the blanket only covering my mane and body. Our eyes make contact. This time his face is red, a deep scarlet horror of realization. "Oh jeez." His hoof nervously scratches the back of his head. "I- Uh- Sorry about that. I've gotten use to only having Mel with me when I wake up."

It gets eerily awkward. Really awkward. Clearing my throat, I offer breakfast. They both nod. Let's think, deliveries taken place lately... A shipment of carrots should be here... And cider should be here sometime today or tomorrow. "You up for carrots or oats?" We always have oats in the house incase of some emergency. They take a long while to expire. I get my sweater on and crawl out of bed. Needing no real answer, I exit the room anyway. When you live in the Equestrian Wasteland, you'd jump at any chance to get your hooves on some fresh fruit (or in this case, vegetable).

When I leave the room, I trot into Ditzy Doo. The board that was in her mouth falls to the floor. I trot over and read it. Shit. No carrots then. "Caravan is missing." Got it.

"Well then, I guess we're having oats for breakfast!" I call out as I get the cylinder of oats from atop the fridge.

Once I reach the room and trot inside, I give the oats to the pregnant mare. After all, it is more important that she eats. The stallion beside he looks at me helpless. "What happened to the carrrrrots?" He says (well, whined) in a tone that makes him sound like a little colt who getting denied a lollipop.

"The carrots didn't arrive, which means those Stable folk must be in trouble." I nod politely. "If you want, you can stay here, but I need to go and see what's up."

Drum had been eating as well, which I found only slightly rude (if we had a limited amount of oats, his nose would be broken by now), and speaks up with food still in his mouth. "Wha? No no no no. You shooldn't-" He was cut off by Melody shoving her hoof in his mouth. "ah! Ahhhhh! AHHH!" He starts screaming through the hoof. What a weird buck.

Melody Lane removes her hoof from his mouth and he stops screaming. "It would be the right thing to do, yes; but I don't want you to get hurt out there on your own. Drum will go with you."

I shake my head, ladylike as usual, of course. "It's fine, really. I've got luck on my side." I thought for a second. "And look at me- Who could shoot somepony with such a nice flank," I coo silkily, waving my flank in the faces of my guests, though more particularly in the face of Melody Lane. I feel like teasing her... and thoroughly fucking with Drum. Her nervousness comes out in a hesitant giggle, a slight smile on her lips and crimson on her cheeks. I compose myself again and clear my throat. "Feel free to stay as long as you like. And if you need anything, Ditzy Doo is here." I smile and jump out of the square I call a window. Galloping off into a seemingly aimless direction, I head toward Stable 28 along the trading route they use.

After five hours of following the same dusty trail, I come across the wreckage. My PipBuck makes a little sound as it labels the space “Stable 28 Caravan Wreckage.” How original- A broken and burnt wagon. The wagon has a thing sticking out in the front for a pony to pull it and was in fairly good shape before it was blown up. Probably a raider with a rocket launcher, or if luck isn’t on the Stable's side, this might be the work of the infamous Steel Rangers. I look around for evidence. The carrots weren't taken. So this must have happened recently enough that nopony took it. And also, the attackers didn't take it, which means that they were after something else. Raiders would have killed everypony just to kill them, but still would have taken the food. Three dead bodies, all three of them Stable ponies. None of the attackers died. When I approach the bodies, to give them a proper goodbye, I notice something. Their PipBucks are missing. No no no no. Two of the dead ponies' legs were broken. The leg in which the PipBuck would be on. Okay, okay. Dear Princess Luna... PLEASE tell me the Steel Rangers aren't doing this. I hate the Steel Rangers. Ugh. There damn fire power's so bucking annoying. And they’re so damn quick to violence too.

Grabbing the dead Stable ponies by the collars of their stable barding, I line them up, cringing from their corpses so close to my face. "I'll safeguard your home and protect your family with my life." I sit down in front of the ponies and gave them a moment of silence.

The Stable is another day away. So I get to trotting as a rainstorm starts. So much for luck being on my side.

Lightning strikes, tearing apart the sky between me and Stable 28. That must be a sign. Thank you universe for the warning. . . But we all know I’m not gonna just trot away. To my left and right are tents. Steel Ranger tents. Thank Luna for the thunderstorm. Lightning keeps the Rangers indoors because if they aren't they'll get struck, and all that extra electricity doesn’t flow well in their power armor’s circuits. I trot straight up to the Stable door. I knock. "Open the door! I’m here to help you!" My hoof collides with the door. From the inside, there's no way you could hear someone banging on the steel, especially with a thunderstorm in the background, but the Stable has sensors. The Overmare or Overstallion, should be able to see me. Nothing. “The Rangers can’t come out in storms!”

A mechanical whine roars against the thunder as it pulls back into the stable. The Steel Rangers hear it and the ponies stick their heads out of the tents they take shelter in. Under their masks are fear, pure terror- I can feel it. In particular, a scribe's face is visible. It’s a mare. Earth pony, very light green coat. Her mane, made up of a light and dark brown, is in two low ponytails. Eyes of light blue orbs highlight her face. Bewildered is her expression. Priceless. She steps out of the tent. Shit. Shit! SHIT! Scribes! Scribes don't have that metal armor! She takes another step outside of the shelter. Oh no. Another! No no no no. And another... I turn back around and see a yellow unicorn stallion with red warpaint on his face. "Welcome Outsi-" I cut him off by galloping straight past him and into the Stable to reach the controls. The scribe is slowly going faster and faster towards the door. I pull down the lever. Please close! Pleeeeease close. She’s at a full gallop now and her Steel Ranger buddies are yelling for her to "come back" for her life’s sake. The stallion backs up from the door, backpedaling in panic before turning to race to my side. My pleading is in vain; she reaches the door in time to gracefully hop in. Once she gets inside, she stands still while the closing Stable door screeches shut. "SECURITY!" yells the stallion who had come to greet me.

I smile. "It's nice to know you're on our side," I say, trotting up to the scribe, letting out a breath of anxiety I had been unconsciously holding.

The stallion with the warpaint is confused and so is the mare I’m talking to. She responds, not completely behind her words (but I'm sure I'm the only pony who noticed it). "I am not on your side!"

My hoof is out in front of me. "The name's Oxygen, but you can call me Oxy. I enjoy pegasi and hanging out with non-assholes," I grin kindly to her.

She nods, and smiles back. "My name is Zeal. Though most ponies just go with Z." She shakes my hoof. "I enjoy reading and tinkering with various pre-war tech."

"It'll be a pleasure getting to know you." She stares, slightly appalled at my calm reaction and that it’s not a joke, but quickly wipes the expression off her face and replaces it with a gentle smile. Of course she’d think I’m joking- We live in the Equestrian Wasteland.

A bang comes from five security ponies busting into the entrance room. A mare in not so much better, but definitely more defined armor than the other four ponies has a baton in her magic floating in front of the yellow stallion. "Back away from the Overstallion!" Her voice echoes through the metallic room. The Overstallion, huh?

"I appreciate that the Overstallion came to greet me," I say aloud. "My name is Oxygen, but Oxy is what you may call me if you like." I don't mind repeating myself as much as some other ponies do. "And I enjoy pegasi and hanging out with non-assholes." I smile another friendly smile, hoping alliances will be formed between the many of us.

The Head of Security stifles a giggle, to which is an offense to me, then gets serious again. "Overstallion Ledger, please back away from the potential threats."

The stallion now known as Ledger, groans. "Seriously? I didn't get to do my introduction thing, but they did!" He isn't really a whiny stallion, I can tell by the way he carries himself; he’s just teasing the Head of Security. The yellow Overstallion spins away from the security ponies and back towards me and Zeal. "My name is Ledger. I am the Overstallion by birth right, though currently trying to set up elections for the leaders of the Stable. I can’t wait for you to get to know me, and for me to get to know you two." Back in the direction of the security, he starts trotting. "How about I give you all a tour of the Stable before we get down to important business?" We nod and follow him, the rumble of a storm fuming outside dying as we get farther away.

I admit, Stables are pretty difficult to memorize. Having a PipBuck helps, but I refuse to use it for such a situation. My PipBuck or rather, Mom's PipBuck, means too much to me. Zeal trots behind me as we follow Ledger. She seems to already know the placement of the rooms. A slight smile will appear on her face after every next room is announced. There is a new part though, a part of the Stable that was unlike the others. An extra floor. This floor is made up entirely out of rooms, some bigger than others. The Overstallion explains. "As you know, each pony has a special talent. This place is here for each pony to utilize their expertise." I nod. Wow. I gesture to a door; the fifth one on the right. Overstallion Ledger nods. "Go ahead."

The door slides up to open. Inside is a light blue mare with goggles and a dark red bandana around her neck. She has a mechanical bunny in front of her. "Doombunny. Jump." The bunny springs into the air and flips, barely missing the ceiling before landing back on the floor. The mare smiles and laughs excitedly at her creation, clopping her hooves together in joy.

I clear my throat. The noise shocks the mare. Her eyes go wide and she takes the bunny and hides it behind her back as she sits perfectly still where she now sits. "What is that?" I ask as I take a step forward into the room. "How do you know who Doombunny is?" Her body tilts to the left and so she could get a view of the Overstallion. She goes back to her former position, so that her face is blocked by my body. Doombunny is a zebra’s tale.

Only visible by the former Steel Ranger and I, she mouths, "Come back later, I have some questions for you." I nod and give her a smirk.

"See ya later," I call to her when my back is facing toward her direction. Out of the corner of my vision, I see her slowly cocking her head to the side, as if trying to get a different perspective on me. I walk out, following Zeal out the door. It closes behind me with a latch.

"That filly's a strange one," comments the Overstallion as he leads us out. "She's an orphan, has been her entire life." He turns to me. "Her mom died. Radiation… which doesn't make sense, because there's no radiation in the Stable, but..."

"She must have gotten it from leaving then."

"That's the thing though. The Stable only lets three ponies out at a time- It’s always been that way. The most recent group-" He looks around. "We'll continue in my office." Another corridor and stairwell later, I find myself in the Overstallion's office. He gets behind his desk and takes a seat. Zeal and I sit down in front of the desk. "Listen. We're having problems in the Stable. Problems I believe you'd be able to fix."

I nod in agreement. "We're here to help." No resistance came from Zeal. "Oh, and about those ponies..." My head hangs low. "The Steel Rangers got them." My eyes start to tear up. "I- I- I-" I pressed my hooves together. "I hate them. Those selfish, selfish ponies..."

Darkness take over my vision.

It's okay... It's not their fault. They're just a bit blind.

I feel a soft caress against my chin, familiar and loving.

“Make them stop.”

I can’t. But you can. I believe in you Oxy.

I shake my head, a massive headache tearing up my focus. "Ah... I-"

Family Ties

When I come to, the Overstallion is standing over in the corner, talking to the nurse. "Is she okay?"

A shrug comes from the medical mare. "Oxygen had traveled here from New Appleloosa in a thunderstorm and continued to wear a wet sweater even when she wasn't in the rain. She's started the first stages of hypothermia." The stallion sighs and takes a seat in a chair next to Z, who is also sitting. The nurse trots up to me. "Hey there sleepy head." I get up off of the cot despite the nurse trying to make me lie back down. "You need to rest and stay warm."

I look deep into the nurse's eyes. "Don't worry. She's okay." Fear for more than my physical security flares in the mare's eyes, she’s sure something is wrong with me now. I trot out of the room. Zeal and Ledger follow me and notice my strange behavior. Ledger sticks out his hoof in front of me, refraining me from walking down the hall. I feel his hoof on the front of my lower neck. I freeze, then go backpedaling into the wall. MY SWEATER! I run back into the clinic. "Where’s my sweater!?" I panic, tears forming tracks down my face. A quick scan of the room gives me the location of the object of such sentimental value as well as a tag created by Mom's PipBuck prompting me of a new objective, "Find sweater."

The still wet sweater in my mouth, I bolt out the door. "Get to Pinkie Pie's many-times-great granddaughter." Now that was what I call an objective. The mission was labelled "Spectral." I hop off the side of the atrium down to the lower floor. Stable ponies of all kinds move out of the way to avoid a direct course of me colliding with them. Once a safe distance is made between the clinic and I, I slip into a janitors’ closet. When I enter I bump into the colt who cleans around the Stable. You could tell he just got his cutie mark and is totally sad about what his job is for the rest of his Stable life. His eyes meet mine and go wide. I smile shyly and put my PipBuck between him and I. The marker is in the fifth room away from the entrance to a different floor. Her! That pony is related to Pinkie Pie? Woah. I lower my PipBuck and come face-to-face with the tiny janitor. Foals are adorable, aren't they? I raise a hoof. "Boop-" I say through the sweater in my mouth as my hoof pokes the little colt's nose. I put on my moist sweater. The colt looks like a stallion I had read about in one of my pre-war books, a Shady Daze. Looks just like him. "Hey colt? You know who Shady Daze is?" He nods his head.

"Yeah! That's who started my bloodline in the Stable-" He smiles. "How do you know about him?" He looks so adorable, all curious and small.

"I read about him in a book. He was an interesting stallion." He nods a bunch. I give him a kiss on the forehead and he freezes. "You are simply adorable." I position my hoof on the door and say one last thing before I left. "Remember something, I believe in you, and you can accomplish absolutely anything if you put your mind to it."

The door slides open, then closes again as I enter the room. "Heyr?" The machine-wiz I’m looking for is wearing a leather apron and the same bandana as when I saw her before. Her goggles cover her eyes that peer over her shoulder and away from the helmet she seems to be making. She smiles at me and I come over to sit beside her. Her hammer smashes a nail the metal armor piece that she was crafting with visible expertise. "You're related to Pinkie Pie." It was a statement, a comment. I meant for it to be a question, but it didn't come out that way.

She stops her project’s well progress, and pulls off her apron to let it fall on the floor. "Amazing!" Her face is bright. "Now how did you figure that out?" She’s clearly amused.

"I-" I’m a bit confused on her reaction. I didn't exactly expect a different one, but- "My-" I can't bring myself to say that this Stable-Tec device on my foreleg is mine. "My mom's- PipBuck told me." She smiles a sweet smile, probably reminded of her own mother. "You're directly related to Pinkie, but I was wondering... who was Pinkie's- ya know- mate?" I really need to know.

Her smile grew. "Hahaha, no pony knows." My confused face made her laugh even more. "Look. No pony even noticed her being pregnant, but BAM! She's giving birth to her daughter!"

"Okay then, but-"

"WELCOME- Ah HA! You never told me your name. It’s Oxygen, correct?"

I don’t bother confirming in any gestures. "How-"

Her hoof gently taps her chin every two seconds, with a small smile played on her lips. "Nitrogen is your mom, Hydrogen is your sister. And then there's Helium, your aunt, then Carbon, your uncle... And that leaves you to be Oxygen." She barks a chuckle. “If you had some wings, I really woulda thought you were Hydro instead.”

I’m frozen. "I have a- a sister?" I couldn't help but smile, though I quickly dropped it, realizing that she’s probably dead. "Nevermind."

"Nevermind? Is that how you treat family? For Celestia's sake, it's better that she doesn't know you if you're gonna be like that."

"Well she's dead, isn’t she? So it doesn't matter."

Another laugh escapes the mare's mouth. "She's not dead, silly." My eyes widen and begin to water. Ears flatten against my head, I sit in defeat. I knew I wasn't alone in this world.

"Where is she? Who is she? Do you know her?" My head lifts in excitement. "Will you tell me all about her?" I scoot closer and closer.

She smiles kindly. "Anything you want to know." She trots over and sits down in front of me. "I can tell you all about your mom, sister, aunt, and uncle."

"You knew Mom?" It doesn’t make sense, considering Specter is around my age, but afterall- none of this makes any sense whatsoever. I didn't mean to but I had scooted so close to the mare that our faces were an inch apart. I wasn't paying attention, and barely even noticed. For the sake of personal space, I back up a bit. "I wanna know about her- Anything just-"

A comforting grin comes from the mare. Two missions appear on my PipBuck. The first was labelled "Dear Mother" and the second "Family Matters: Family First." The first objective for both required me to learn about my family from a "Spectral Aviator." I look away from my PipBuck and up at the mare an inch away from me. A nervous giggle found it's way out of my mouth as I back up a bit more. "Yeah. I know your Mom. She and I hang out every Saturday."

"WAIT! Hold up! You hang out with her every Saturday!? Today's Friday! Oh my gosh! Could I stay here for the night???" I’m back in her face. It’s weird with her having goggles on. But I don’t find a way to get them off. A request would obviously be the most civil, but… Ya know- fuck it- “Would you mind taking your goggles off?”

Her lips purse and she backs up. "How about you take off your sweater!" She almost yells back. Noticing that her reaction scared me, she hangs her head low. "No. I can't take these goggles off." I was about to ask if she couldn't or wouldn't, but held my tongue. She isn't going to take it off and that is the end of it. Her head lifts up with a weak smile on her face. "So a slumber party it is," she announces, still a bit down about whatever backstory that hides behind her goggles. "So, feel free to ask away."

"Tell me about my mom- and sister- and aunt and uncle. Their whole life, I wanna know it."

"Your mother was born into a family all about war. Her mother and father, your grandparents, were both soldiers in the Enclave. All the females in your family have been strategists in the Grand Pegasus Enclave, most of them receiving the title of Head Tactician. Your mother was one of the ponies who earned such an honor. She also has an older brother and younger sister. Her brother's a big stallion by the name of Carbon and he's in charge of the mechanical engineering and such for all those crazy machines. And your mom's sister is Helium, a teacher for the young pegasi. Your mom met your dad when he fell out of the sky and crashed through the roof of her house. His name is Deadbolt, and your mother loved him dearly. They gave birth to your older sister, Hydrogen after they got married. After two years, they gave birth to a second filly, a Miss Oxygen Deadbolt." I smile at the title. Such a grand title. "After that, well, things got kinda weird. Your family wasn't allowed to see you. Everypony but some nurses and your mom were told you were a stillborn. Your mom, having a high position in the Enclave, got a week with you before you were to be disposed of." You could see a frown forming on my face. I knew what came next. "Not that she needed that long to decide on what she did. You two spent the week together, mother and daughter." One tear tracked down my cheek from my right eye. Me and my momma, in the good ol’ days- when we still had a relationship. "The last day of the week was crazy. Your mother blocked the door into the hospital room and flew out the window, you in a blanket tightly pressed to her chest. The family was told the plan. Everyone was heartbroken, but Hydrogen was hurt the most. She was losing her mother." Guilt trip? Possibly. And believe me when I tell you I fell, hard. I took Mom away from everypony. Dear Luna- "The PipBuck on your foreleg was then removed from hers. She had everything she needed, and left with 'Family matters. Family first.' I suppose you know the rest." I nod. Not really, but whatever.

"Well what's Hydro like?"

Aviator laughs. "You're already giving her nicknames, huh?" I smile, realizing what I had done. "Hydrogen had a tough time in the Enclave. Not only because of her mother though. She likes fighting without the use of her wings, something the Enclave doesn't do. She was put in charge of land combat, mostly as a joke. And she came up as an ambassador of sorts for the Wasteland. When the Enclave wants to shoot something up, they send her first." Head hung low, I felt rotten. I ruined my sister's life.

"What about my aunt and uncle? Mom's siblings?"

"Carbon and Helium. What a great pair they are. They never fight. Ever. They're best friends. It's adorable. Carbon's a big stallion and Helium's a small mare. Carbon's not a big flyer and Helium's favorite thing is being in the sky. They're so different, but dear Celestia, I've never seen two ponies get along so well." Wow. "Anyways, any more questions?"

"No, I don't think so." A chime sounds. PipBuck up to my face, I checked my objectives so far. The box next to the first goal was checked for both missions. "Dear Mother" now has "Meet with Mom." And "Family Matters: Family First" had a goal of "Rescue the family." Rescue-? Oh shit. I. Am. Screwed. Seriously, like what the fuck?

"Hello. This is Overstallion Ledger." Over the loudspeaker plays Ledger's strong voice. "A mare is needed in my office immediately." Okay, okay, as long nopony knows what I look like- "This mare identifies as Oxy, a white earth pony with a curly mane and tail. Her cutie mark is nine bubbles. She isn't wearing Stable gear either. She is instead dressed in a brown sweater. A PipBuck can be located on her left foreleg. Contact a near by guard and they will restrain her. Thank you." Fuck me.

The mare I’m spending the night with, Aviator, looks at me. "Well then. Looks like we're going to have to get you some Stable gear." I hug my body, or more specifically the sweater on my body with tensed forelegs. Her hoof reaches out and comforts my shoulder. "It's okay. Sleepover 101, makeovers." I weakly nod, and largely grin. Don't worry Oxygen. It's just a makeover. And a slumber party! I giggle and stand with Aviator. I take the chance to examine the room more. It hold the demeanor of a workplace, yeah, but it looks a lot like a living room and bedroom too. Dressers and a jukebox stand proud in top physical condition.

"Where's your room? Like, your actual room?" The question makes the mare smile as she peers into a dresser. Her magic lifts out a Stable 28 utility jumpsuit. Utility jumpsuits cover the whole body, only leaving the head exposed. This would allow me to hide my cutie mark and blend in with the other Stable residents. The only real problem now is the issue of my PipBuck. PipBucks are on the right foreleg of Stable 28’s dwellers, but Mom's PipBuck was built for the left foreleg, probably a result of it being of Enclave engineering- I don’t know.

"This is my apartment. Because I live only by myself, it would be a waste to give me a room: rooms having two or more beds- and me enjoying being able to work all night and crash when I feel like it." Seems legitimate. "Anyways, put this on." She passes me the jumpsuit.

Hesitantly, I slip off my sweater. Naked. I am naked in daylight. It feels strange. The cold Stable air chills my sides, but it’s drier than my damp coat. I manage to put on the suit. It doesn't feel the same. My sweater is baggy, and doesn't cover my flanks and hind legs. The utility jumpsuit is fitting on my body. I took a sharp breath. I don't like it. But this is to see Mom.

No! I hate it. Blackness edges into my vision. Ribbons of nothing wrap around my sight, blinding me. Shallow breaths with a quick pace make their way out of my lungs. My knees give out and I fall to the floor. So cold. Sharp breaths were the only sound as somepony uses magic to pull my sweater on over the Stable jumpsuit. I begin weeping. No wonder I was left alone by Mom- I start crying like a yearling every time I need to do something for someone other than me. No wonder she left me alone in darkness.

Darkness clouds my vision to the point of complete black. I can't see. My tears are wiped away by the mare in the room just for my face to be wet again. The door slides open across the room.

"Hey? Ox! We've been looking all around for you!" It was Zeal. When she notices my condition, she comes over. "Ox? You okay?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I scream. No one can call me Ox. The outburst scares her. She flinches. The tears continues to roll down my face. "I need help!" I start to panic, getting up and standing on twitchy hooves. "I can’t see!" A hoof lays on my shoulder and I freeze, completely still. Immediately, a sway takes to my body and exhaustion tugs me to the floor. "Wake me up when we gotta go see Ma-"

"Wake up sleepy head~"

"One more minute Derpy..."

Giggling surrounds me. I open my eyes to see myself in a stable bed. "Your mother should be here in 60 seconds- Hey? You okay?" I nod, feeling better than before, so she continues. "Here." She throws an apple at me and I catch it in my hooves. I’m in my sweater again. Stable barding underneath. "Usually Nitro and I hang out in other places. Most times we just take a stroll through the apple farms." Excitement pumps through my veins. I am finally gonna meet Mom!

"Attention." The Overstallion's voice floods through the room. "The Wanted pony from yesterday is now free to roam the stable. Welcome her with open arms and some of your Stable 28 spirit!" What? I'm good? Nice.

"Zeal talked to the Overstallion." My pupils dilate in alert. "Heh. No worries. All he ‘knows’ is that your Mom is dead and you need some time to collect your thoughts." I nod. Well alright then…

"I brought some food. Apples are getting-" A mare walks into the room. She looks like an older version of me. Her coat white, and mane white and pale blue, I can't help but love her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she tilted her head in confusion. "Oxy?"

Tears slip down my face before she has the chance to cry first. "Mom..." I uncontrollably giggle in my sad happiness. "I-I-" my voice cracks. "I miss-I missed you..."

Mom's eyes are wide. "Oxy? Oxygen? Oxygen... Is that really you?" I nod and nod. Mom's legs wrap me tight in a warm grip that I confide in with everything I have. "I won't let you go again... Never ever again..." All my strength goes into comforting her back with light strokes. Nuzzling into Mom's neck, I cuddle her- instinct forcing me to hold her and never let go. Mom lets go and holds me at her forelegs' length. Her sweet pale blue eyes travel all over me, taking in my every feature. "How you've grown. . ." she whispers to herself.

"Oh Mom- I have so much to tell you!" Slipping through her grip, I bounce around the room. "I've had so many adventures-! I mean, you have no idea! I mean- Just yesterday I rescued a couple from some raiders!" I stop bouncing and dash in front of Mom's amused smile. I slow down, a gentle and shy smile on my lips. "Ditzy's been taking really good care of me too."

Mom's mouth opens to respond, but Aviator responds instead. "Ehem. I believe that now, every one of us being capable of leaving the room, we should head out to the fields."

The white mare I had thought was dead for the entirety of my life frowns at me. "You!" she accuses. "You were the one in trouble with the Overstallion!" Oh that. My ears lower, feeling ashamed. "I am disappointed."

I cower at my mother's disapproving stare. Ditzy couldn't talk, so I’ve never had to hear the harsh tone of her voice.

"How about you tone it down a bit Nitro? It'd be better if you'd ease into the whole ‘motherhood’ thing again..."

Mom notices how harsh she had been, and now she’s the one feeling bad. "I'm sorry honey..."

My ears perk up as millions of questions rush through my head. "Wait-wait-wait! How are you-" My eyes catch nothing on her sides. "Mom... I thought you were a pegasus."

Her own gaze lowers to wingless back. She grins. Leaning up close to me, she whispers, “I am.” My confused stare makes her giggle. “Magic helps.” She winks. “Invisibility helps.” I nodded, smiling at her cleverness. No wonder she roams free in the stable. If she was visible as a pegasus, she’s probably kicked out (everypony being enemies of the Enclave).

“Now what happened to your ear?”

My ear…? Oh! “Turret,” I blush. “They don’t have emotions and tend to shoot no matter what.” I nervously laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Could’ve been worse. Heh. I coulda died in there. Damn automated guns. It’s always the damn turrets.”

“You don’t have a gun… or any weapons...” She looks me over, expecting some kind of deadly device that deals fatal blows. “How are you alive?!” She yells, appalled and pissed. “You don’t have anything on you? Did you get here like this?! With the STEEL RANGERS outside the door?!”

I frowns. “Those ponies just don’t have hearts...” I sadly stare to the floor. “Killed my best pal...”

~ - ~ - ~

“Hey Ox!” The mare of my dreams trots toward me, the biggest grin on her face. “I got you a prrrrrrrrrrresent!” She gallops to me, speeding with excitement. My face lights up. She rushes into me, knocking us both onto the dry, dusty ground. Her head dips into her saddlebags and pulls out a green-ish brown sweater. She struggles to pull it over my head as she stands over me lying on my back. Once on, she grins and I grin back. “I love you.”

I freeze for a second. “I love you too.”

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP!

Her breath catches. She collapses. Immediately, I spring off the ground. Fshhhh.

She is molten pink ash in my hooves.

“No… No! NOOOO! NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!” Tears rampage down my face. On my hooves, in an instant I’m sprinting faster than I had ever before, rushing toward ponies covered completely in armor.

A stallion had fired.

In the blink of an eye, I’m the air, diving for the pony. “YOU WILL PAY!” I screech in pure agony. My hoof collides with the stallion, tearing right through his armor. The others with him reacts. There are five of them. One opens fire, two run for their lives, and two are frozen in place.

Three missiles go right through me and hit the cars that are in the parking lot behind me.

Brilliant, radiation filled explosions whip my mane around. I let out a horrifying scream. The mare in armor that had fired at me drops to the ground as the frozen ponies gallop off with the others.

~ - ~ - ~

“Oxy? Oxy, hon? You alright?”

I wake up with a jolt. “NO!” I scream, the flashback making me relive the memory as it does so often. I bolt out the door. The ponies that were in the room with me gave chase.

“Oxygen! It’s okay! Calm down!” yelled Mom, trying to get me to slow down.

My hooves beat hard against the Stable-Tec flooring.

“Oxygen! I miss you- Please slow down!”

My legs come to a standstill, but my momentum doesn’t dare. I’m hurled forward and tumble onto the solid floor of the stable. It was silent. No noise came from my body slamming onto the surface and no grunt, groan, or whine came from my mouth as I slide across the room toward the entrance room.

“Excuse me. Oxygen?” I look up from my place on the cold floor. Overstallion Ledger stands over me, stress lines on his face. “If you are done with whatever you are doing on the floor- We need to talk. Right now.”

Get up.

My hooves steady themselves under my body. I rise. I’ve got to get up. For her.

“The Steel Rangers are leaving the premises.”

“What??” I almost tip out of my seat in the Overstallion’s office. Mom and Aviator are waiting outside.

“They are packing up like crazy out there. They seem spooked.” I sit awkward in my seat. It couldn’t be that thing that’s got them scared, could it? “Some are making an attempt to stay, but even their superiors are freaked!” His hooves flail in the air for emphasis before he pauses. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“Honesty is the best policy,” I mumbled to myself with a sigh directed to the floor. My head rose and our gaze met. “I think it might be me that they’re scared of.”

“They’re that scared? Of you?”

Nervous, I rub the back of my neck. “I might have killed one of them...”

His eyebrows raise sceptically. “You killed one of them? They’re this scared of you- just killing one of them?”

I nod hesitantly. “I did it without... any weapons too...”

His jaw drops.

“Heheheh… yeah...”

“I love you.” Echoes in my head.

“Damn bastard deserved it,” I growl, scowling, the dam of holding back my hidden emotions cracking under the pressure.

Ledger takes the gentle approach. “Oxygen? Do you want to talk about it?”

He wants to know why I held such a hatred toward the Steel Rangers.

“He killed her.”

Immediately, the Overstallion backs off. After a minute, he dismisses me. “You can go now Oxygen- just know I am always here you.”

My anger clings to me as I attempt to shake off the devastation to enjoy my time with Mom more. Aviator trots beside us, just listening to the conversation.

“So what’s Derpy like?”

I smile at the thought of the sweet mare that had taken care of me all these years, and still does so faithfully. “She’s so awesome Mom!” I leap into the air, momentarily lifting of the grass I had just fanfillied over ten minutes ago when we walked into the underground apple orchard. “She’s really nice. And she always forces me to get up in the morning.” I state the last sentence with a slight frown.

Mom laughs wholeheartedly. “Deadbolt had to pry me out of bed in the morning! And before him it was Carbon and Helium! It took the both of them,” she cackles. Her laughter dies. “Yeah… I miss those ponies back in the clouds.” The lightest shimmer in her eye gives it all away. She wants to go home.

“I’m sorry you had to leave your home in the clouds.”

Mom laughs again, making me confused for the moment. “What? My home’s not in the clouds!” She swung her left foreleg around my neck. “My home’s in the hooves of my family. And I’m doing alright, knowing that we’re all alive.”

The mission in my- Mom’s- PipBuck is itching at me. “Mom- totally theoretical question- but how could you possibly escape the Enclave?”

Mom freezes, staring me in the eyes. Her leg being firmly wrapped around my neck, I stop with her. Aviator stops too. “Why are you asking…?” she asks, alarmingly pissed.

“Just asking!” I quickly say.

A bit too quickly.

“Oxygen Windward Deadbolt don’t you dare try anything!” she yells warningly. Despite the moment, I had to marvel at my full name.

“Mom,” I interrupt. She frowns, stopping the beginning stages of a very ugly rant of disapproval. I’m not gonna lie. “Mom. I want to help them. And I will help them- even if you think I shouldn’t.”

A distant star twinkles in her eye.

“Aviator. Let’s go,” she calls, making haste to a new direction. “Oxygen! Get over here.”

We trot in silence out of the apple orchard and into the halls of the stable. Stable ponies stare at me. I was a dog among cats. A radhog among pigs. A cloud among clear skies. A dragon- “Ah-” I walk straight into Mom.

“Pull it together Ox.” This is what got Mom into the Enclave with the title of Head Tactician. A soft whirl makes my ears twitch as the stable door that Mom stopped at opens, leading to a small living room. I’m assuming, the average living quarters. “Go into the bedroom,” commands Mother Commando. Another soft whirl fills my ears. I took a quick look back to see Commando’s head out in the hall scanning for any and all signs of life. Paranoid much?

“Woah. . .” The bedroom in front of me is barely a bedroom. So much for average quarters. Chemistry sets sit on metal desks, workbenches for making tools, tools- a lot of them. A couch is the only piece of furniture that can be used at a bed. A poster hangs over the couch. It’s an anti-drug poster. Fluttershy looks heartbroken, words printed above her. Wouldn’t a bullet be cheaper? My heart broke with Fluttershy’s. I knew how it felt. All too well, if you ask me.

~ - ~ - ~

She sits in front of the shattered window and slowly inhales two doses of Dash. I stand there for what seems like hours before she notices me.

“Oxy!?”

A tear gently rolls down my right cheek as I turn and make my way out the door.

~ - ~ - ~

I want it.

“Well you’re not gettin’ it,” comments Aviator.

Oh. I said that aloud… Of course…

“I’ve concocted quite the perfect plan to save the family- though it’s success rate is pretty low for one of Nitro’s plans,” Mom states after she enters and the door is securely locked behind her. Great. I facehoof. Now Mother Commando is using thirdpony.

“How about we hear it first?” offers Aviator as she rolls her eyes at Mom’s ridiculousness, acting annoyed though being just as psyched as the pegasus.

“So here it is...”

My hooves trek lightly on the floor, soft clopping sounds making it impossible for me not to be noticed travelling in the hall despite my pointless efforts. “”Mhmm-mmm- how’s it going in Equestria? I’m another world away- but filly- you look so pretty yes you dooo~” I sing softly to myself as I thought over everything.

Mom and Aviator are going to leave the stable in couple of days, and I, today. Aviator needs to make some stuff, and Mom needs to test out that stuff. I’m supposed to go out and get armor, weapons, and medicine for Mom and Aviator. I was told to get armor for myself too, but I’m not so sure if that’ll happen. Plan’s pretty simple- unicorns add some of their magic to my back- I got wings- I go get the family up in the sky. Problem is- the wings don’t work, so Mom’s gonna fly me up there herself. A second unicorn’s going to place a cloud-walking spell on me before I go because of this difficulty. So Mom’s not noticed, she’s going to where the Enclave armor, making her blend into all the other soldiers. She would wait on the edge of the city for me to retrieve the family before she flew me down in her hooves.

Clank! Clank! Clank. “Come in!” I nod and open the stable door. Overstallion Ledger towers over documents and paperwork in front of him on his desk. He takes a second of reading something over before he raises his head. “Oxygen! How are you?” He smiles and comes over around the table to wrap me in a hug.

“Hey Ledger. I’m here regarding my leaving taking place… Like now.” He lets go of me, smile faded. “I’m sorry. But no worries- I’ll be back in no time.”

“Promise you’ll be back?”

I nod.

His face lights up with the fireworks in his heart. “Good! See you later Oxygen!”

I smile and left his office, a skip in my step. “Standing on the world outside~ Caught up in a love landslide~ Stuck still, colour blind~ Hoping for a black and white~~~” My head bobs rhythmically, eyes closed. “Are you gonna be my love?~ Are you gonna be mine?~

I feel it falling from the skies above~ Are you gonna be mine?~” My steps became lighter. I was practically floating in air. “My wave, my shark, my demon in the dark~ The blue tide pulling me under~ Or are you my soul, my heart, pull everything apart?~ Are you gonna, are you gonna be my love?~ Are you gonna, are you gonna be my looooove?~”

“Wow...” whispers a small voice from behind me. That’s when I notice the colt following me, as well as the many ponies who had their gaze glued on me, their ears tuned into my cooes. The colt that was following me was that one from the closet, Shady Daze’s a million-great-grandson. “You… You’re...” He stands mesmerized, by me- my voice.

“Hey Shady Daze,” I ruffle his mane. “How’re you doing?”

His muzzle explodes into a grin, excited that I remember him, before befuddlement drowns his features. “How do you know my name?”

“What?” I snicker. “Shady Daze is your name?” He nods. “Wow.” I can’t help but giggle some more. “I kinda just went off Shady Daze’s name.”

He bounces up. “Seriously?! Oh my gosh!” He pauses. “...This must be destiny or something...” he whispers to himself. “I mean, technically it’s Shady Daze Jr., but that’s super close.”

I laugh. “You are sooo cute!” His face reddens in embarrassment and more cuteness. “Listen- I’d love to hang- but I gotta go.” His face turns to full disappointment that managed to tear apart my heart. “I’ll be back in a couple days.”

“Promise you’ll be back?”

A flashback of Ledger came over me. “Promise you’ll be back?”

I shake it off. “I promise Junior.”

He- he hugs me. “I promise I’ll be waiting for you.” It shakes me to my core. Shady lets go, and with a smile, trots off.

Help on a Misson

“Oh really? Well I guess we should leave then.”

The ticking of chalk coming off and back onto a chalkboard warms me.

“No- no- It was my pleasure. Thank you so much for letting us stay here-”

“Kicking them out already?”

Derpy, Melody Lane, and Drum all look to me, smiling in the doorframe. Melody’s forelegs come up for a hug making Drum pout as Derpy takes to writing something down on the chalkboard. Over Melody’s shoulder I can see what she wrote. “Missed you Oxygen.”

“We didn’t know how long you would be, so we were going to leave. We’re so happy we caught you here.” I smile at Melody’s sweet words. She releases me from her grip.

“Thank you for waiting as long as you did. May I have a second with Derpy? You can stay here, it’s just that I need to discuss the whole caravan thing and my plans for the next while.” Melody nods. I face Derpy. Emotions flooded everything. “I FOUND MOM!” I squeal, hooves coming around the squishy mare. “She was in the stable!” I let go and do a little dance. Suddenly, my body stills. “I’m gonna save the rest of them. The rest of the family.” Derpy’s face drops as the couple’s show confusion. “I’m going up into the clouds for this one Derpy.” Everyone was taken by surprise. “My dad, sister, aunt, and uncle… they’re all up there...”

Derpy nods, and lowers herself for another written message. “I understand, but you need to be safe. They have energy weapons.” She had to squeeze the last words in because of a lack of space.

“I’ll be careful,” I nod. My hooves carry me to the fridge behind the counter. Staring at the fridge, I realized how hungry I am. I grab a whole cylinder containing oats, and carry it into my room, Melody and Drum in my hoofsteps.

“Are you seriously going above the clouds?” asks Drum, a hint of worry in his voice. I must say I appreciate it. “Like, where all the evil pegasi live? Ya know? The ones that kill everypony that can't fly like them?” Now that- I do not appreciate that.

“Not all pegasi are evil,” I sna. That brief surge of anger fades in an instant, leading way to a slight depression. “There are good pegasi up there. And I’m gonna save them.”

Melody wraps me in another warm hug. “Be safe. And come back, okay?”

I squeeze back, holding her tight and close to my body. “I promise.” Three promises to come back, and counting. We clutch each other like that for a minute or two. Melody is praying to the goddesses that I hold true to my word. “I am coming back. No matter what.”

The mare lets go slowly, then stares me in the eyes. “I trust you.”

Drum comes up to me. “I don’t like you that much. But I hope with everything in my heart that you stay here in the realm of the living.” I nod. “And if you need any help, you contact us?” I smile. Guess he isn’t too bad.

“Actually, I do- have something I need assistance with.”

“Love you Derpy,” I say with a hug.

“Love you too,” she replies.

“Thank you so much for letting us stay Ditzy Doo,” thanks Melody.

“Thank you Ditzy Doo,” contributes Drum.

“Your welcome anytime. Be safe,” she writes.

We trot out into the dusty Wasteland. “This way,” I call to the couple trotting behind me. “And, thanks for doing this.”

Melody trots up next to me. “It’s the least we can do for you saving our lives.”

“And letting us crash at your place,” adds Drum.

Melody nods. “Carrying some supplies to Stable 28 is nothing compared to what you’ve done for us.”

I smile. Derpy had let me take various healing elixirs and bandages, as well as some nice weapons for the mission. Drum hold the heavier stuff, including the large battle saddle on his back and the Enclave armor in his saddlebags. Melody holds the medical supplies, that I want to carry on top of the guns I had, though she insisted on helping.

The guns I have in my saddlebags are an automatic rifle and a needler pistol. Both are for Aviator, one incase she needs to kill a soldier, and one incase anypony who didn’t need to die got involved. Of course she’ll be on the ground so it won’t matter much, but I brought them anyway.

A snort comes from behind me, and I spin around. A radhog. Normally, I won’t have any problems with the beasts. The conflict stems from my new friends. fffzzzZZZZ. Electricity filled the air. “Drum! Don’t shoot!” The stallion had already fully charged the weapon. SHHHZZZZZZZ. The irritated creature, not having any armor or any sense, doesn’t dodge and takes the full blow of the overpowered guns and turns to a sickly green ash. “Dammit Drum!” I trot up to the ash. “May you rest now, poor soul.”

“He was gonna charge!” he yells in defense. “He’s just an animal anyway.” I shoot him a cold stare before starting off again on the trail to the stable.

SSSSSSCCCCCCCCCCCCREEEEEEE...!

Stable 28’s door makes us all cringe as it opens with the deafening sound of metal on metal.

“Oxygen!” yells Ledger. “Four days? And I thought you weren’t coming back for decades! Come on in.” I smile and trot in, my companions by my side. “Who are your friends?”

“Melody Lane and Drum.”

“Melody Lane,” the mare beside me repeats, raising her hoof.

Ledger takes it in his own and shakes it. “Overstallion Ledger. Nice to meet you Melody Lane,” he nods to the stallion by her side. “Drum.”

He nods back. “Ledger.”

A smile warmer than ever lights up the Overstallion’s features. “Come in! Come in!” He leads us into the stable. “Welcome to Stable 28! Would you all like a tour?”

“How about you show them around Ledger? And you can end the tour at Sea Salt’s Bar.” He agrees and takes off, Drum and Melody behind him.

I split off, heading down a series of stairs and entering a door labelled Stable 28 Living Quarters. I nearly run into a pony. Well, technically, I did. It is a pretty light greyish green mare with a rusty brown and orange mane. She was levitating papers with her an orange glow that matches her eyes. When I bumped into her, she broke her concentration, dropping the papers in her magical grip and scattering them all over the floor. A brown hat that sat proudly on her head fell to the floor too. “Oh jeez! I-I-I’m so so so so sorry!” I stammer, gathering the papers with my hooves to avoid them getting wet in my mouth.

She snickers, gathering the papers and her hat with her telekinesis. “It’s alright. Calm yourself.” Her hat back on her head, and papers in a stack, floating beside her, she smiles. “I’ve got to go. See ya later new pony.”

I can’t help but smile dumbly at the mare as she trots away. “See ya...” I mumbled. What an a-maz-ing flank.

“Oxygen!” My head pulls away from the door in which the pretty mare had left, and looks down the hall. Aviator is poking her head out the door I have as my destination. “Come on!” I nod and come over, entering the living room of Mom’s dwelling.

“You got the armor and weapons?” asks Mom as I trot in beside Aviator into the bedroom.

“Mhm. Medical supplies too.”

“Good.” She finishes working on a magical project that kinda looks like a glowing green grenade. Mom grins at her creation. “Perfect...” Then she turns to me. “Where’s the stuff?”

I facehoof. “Sea Salt’s Bar.”

“Wha- Whatever. Go get it. We don’t have time for fooling around when it comes to these things.”

When it comes to family… “Got it Mom. Be right back.” Immediately I’m out the door and in an instant I’m in the bar. “Melody? Drum?” I call. No reply. Of course they wouldn’t be here yet. Grumpy ponies glare at me for my yelling. “Heh, heh. Sorry.” I exit through darkly tinted glass door, and run into another pony. “Shit. Sorry.”

I look up. It was Ledger. “Hey Oxygen.”

“Hey Ledger. Thanks for touring them around here.” I turn to the couple. “Follow me.”

“What is that?” asks Drum as he stares at the glowing green grenades Mom is loading into a thick leather bag. “They don’t look safe,” he comments.

“They aren’t,” replies Mom, making Melody flinch.

Once all the grenades are packed, Mom stands up, composed, wings apparent again. Aviator levitates the Enclave armor over to Mom. “Thought I’d never suit up again...” Slowly, she slips into the power armor. The black armor makes Mom look so badass. Her white and blue mane becomes spiked with the helmet on, and her piercing blue eyes are completely invisible through the insectoid orange goggles. “Well… how do I look?”

We’re all speechless and even more so, when Aviator places the one-of-a-kind battle saddle onto Mom’s back. Aviator raises up a mirror in front of Mom.

“Wow. Just the same as when I first wore it.” She buffs out her chest, proud of herself. “Lets do this.”

Aviator nods and leaves for a moment, then comes back with the mare I had bumped into earlier. The mare notices me from the incident too. “Hey Scatterbrain,” she smirks.

I blush and shift under her gaze.

“Cast the spell,” Mom orders. The pretty green mare gives me a sexy look, and lets her gaze drip down my body. She was checking me out?! Standing awkwardly is all I can seem to do. Her eyes leave me and came back to Mom.

“You got it Commander Nitrous.” Mom smirks, revisiting the earlier years stored in her memories. The gorgeous green mare’s horn glows orange, and Mom’s whole body does the same. In an instant, she’s gone. “It’s only gonna last an hour, so I suggest you get going.” Her horn light up once again, casting another spell. The cloud-walking spell. Then it glows once more. An overglow surrounds it, showing the difficulty of the spell. Then blam. I have wings.

“C’mon,” beckons Mom. The door opens with a whirl. “You coming?” I nod to the invisible mare.

“I’ll see you both later.” I’m sad to be leaving the couple to live in the Wastes alone.

“We’ll be fine,” defensively states Drum.

“Thanks to you,” adds Melody with another hug.

“I’m just glad I could have helped.” And with that, we exit the stable. Melody and Drum going one direction, and Aviator, invisible Mom, and I going in another.

Author's Note

Please leave a comment for switching tenses! The story was originally written in past tense, and I may have missed editing some of them to present tense.

Preparation

“Ready?” asks the now-visible mare in full black power armor.

Aviator smiles at me.

I take a steady breath, then smile back. I can't believe I’m gonna meet the family. I squee. “I’m so totally ready.” I admit, I’m parched and a bit famished, but that’s what you feel after walking for hours.

Mom nods and flies up above me. Her strong forelegs come down around me and interlock with each other under mine. “You need to find Deadbolt, Hydrogen, Carbon, and Helium.” I nod. Mom’s wings begin to beat, raising us into the sky. The hot day is chilling now as we soar through the air, approaching the cloud cover. “Prepare your eyes,” cautions Mom as we enter the damp layered clouds, still rising.

The most beautiful sight. The white fluffy clouds light up like dancing gold feathers with the sun to be setting in an hour. Clear blue skies are up here. No wonder the pegasi like their cloud cities so much better.

We approach a cloud city that is separated from the cloud cover, on a large island made of clouds. Their cloud houses are amazing, and quite something for architecture, if you ask me. Coming closer to a large cloud-made building, Mom briefs me again. “Use your Pipbuck-” my Pipbuck… “to go over the names of each pony. You’re looking for a Deadbolt, Hydrogen, Carbon, and Helium.”

“I got it,” I say, nodding. Mom places me behind the building. My hooves sink a bit in the white fluff under me. “Meet you back here later.”

Mom nods and sits down close to the wall, trying her best not to be seen. “Save ‘em Oxygen.”

With another nod, I trot off.

Walking on clouds is like walking in loose sand at the beach, your hooves sink in with each step. Weird.

So many buildings… All cloud-buildings. I smile. Awesome. “Woo!” My ears twitch at the sound. I follow a crowd of everyday pegasi to the edge of the cloud island, our attention drawn by the whooping.

Mom had dived off the inhabited island, ten pegasi on her tail. She flies faster than them, though they keep up pretty nicely. “WOOOO!!!” cheers Mom, enjoying the wind in her mane.

I need to finish this quickly! SATS comes up. Everypony here does not have a name of Deadbolt, or anything chemical related. Time to move on. I trot through the city. Okay, okay. I need to ask for directions. A Lieutenant Cruise Control sits peacefully, bathing in the sunlight, eyes shut. “Excuse me? Sir?” His eyes open gently, revealing soft emerald green orbs.

“Yes ma’am?” He has a gentle voice that matchs his gentle appearance. His coat was a light grey and his mane and tail a dark grey.

“Are you part of the Enclave?”

Cruise Control’s eyes closed again. A smile covers his face. “Yeah. Why?”

“How exactly do the hours works?”

His left eye opens, eyeing me with suspicion. “Depends if you got day or night shifts.” His eye closes.

“Oh. Okay.” Not like I would know which shifts anypony I was looking for had. “Do you know where the suburban areas are?”

Smiling, he gives me the slightest nod. “Yeah. You new here?”

I giggle. “Yeah.”

His eyes open and he gets up, stretching. He flaps his wings. “I’m going on a stroll there. Join me?”

Was he hitting on me? No no no. Impossible. I nod. “I’d love to, but could we walk there?”

He shot a smirk my way. “You got it, filly.” A shiver runs down my spine. Boy, is it chilly up here. Cruise Control glides over to my side and wraps his right wing around me, giving me a squeeze before just holding me to him.

“Oh!” I squeak.

“Shall we go Mystery Mare?”

I smile, nodding.

Our hoofsteps are synced as we stroll slowly through the neighborhood. “Got a certain pony that you’re visiting? A coltfriend?” His way of asking if I was single. Smooth.

“I don’t have a coltfriend,” I reply snarkily. “I’m here to visit family. Problem is, I don’t know which house is theirs. You wouldn’t happen to know a family here with their names consisting of different elements...?” I was trying not to say their actual names.

“Oh! You mean like Hydrogen and Helium?” I nod. “Yeah I know them. Hydrogen’s my best friend. And Helium’s my little brother’s teacher. There’s Carbon too, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s them! You know where they stay?”

He chuckles, “I’m supposed to be heading there now. I hang over there most every afternoon.”

The luck I must have.

“Hydro!” calls Cruise Control from the side of the “Chem” residence. “Hydrogen! Get the buck up!” Nothing. The stallion takes to the skies and peers into the window he had been yelling at. “H-H-Hydro!” he stammers.

“GET OUT!”

The stallion drops from the air and falls beside me in the cloud. He looks completely stunned, jaw open and everything.

A white pegasus with a jet black and rose red mane takes off from the window. A white mare comes out a second later, this time through the front door of the house. And she looks sooo pissed. “Seriously Cruise!?” She looks like Mom and I. Her coat is white like ours, and her mane and tail wavy like ours, except with a different coloring scheme. Her whole mane was a pale blue and her eyes were a light blue. “You are such a-”

Her anger disappears dramatically as she sees me. “Hey… Hydrogen?” Did she know me?

“Who… who are you?” She notices the resemblance too.

I smile gently. “I’m Oxygen.”

Her heart breaks. “No. No no no no.” She backpedals quickly before turning and running into the house. “Auntie! Helium! Carbon!” she yells, panicking terribly. “Dad! DAD!!!”

Three pegasi gather around the mare and I stand looking in from the door. “What is it, dear?” asks a sweet white mare with Mom, Hydro, and my wavy mane made up of a light gray and pale blue. She shares the same piercing light blue eyes as Mom, but somehow hers hold more of a caring nature. Two stallions are there too. A large dark grey stallion with a spiked electric blue mane and tail. He has black goggles around his neck that would serve to cover his piercing blue eyes as he flew. The second stallion wasn’t as huge. He’s brown with a dark brown, almost black, mane and tail. His eyes a dark grey-green.

“You alright Hydro?” asks the smaller stallion.

Hydrogen raises a hoof and points at me. “Her!”

Their collective gaze leaves my sister and glues themselves onto me. They each freeze. When Mom had run away with me, Deadbolt, Carbon, and Helium and all been old enough to memorize my face. They know who I am.

The smaller stallion rushes up to me, and drowns me in a hug. “Oxygen!” he yells in joy. “It’s me. Your dad...” Deadbolt. Dad. I smile.

That leaves the other stallion to be Carbon, and the other mare besides Hydrogen, to be Helium. Easy. Fuck you, SATS.

Helium rushes me too, toppling Dad and I over. “I can't believe it’s actually you!”

I look past the family members ontop of me from my place in the soft cloud. Other pegasi are poking their heads out of their windows to see what all the fuss is about. “Shhh!” I lower my voice to the smallest whisper, making it unable for further ponies to hear me, including neighbors, Carbon, and Hydrogen. “We need to talk. Privately. Now.” Deadbolt rolls off of me and gets up, trotting into the house. Helium clings to me. I make an attempt to get up. Surprisingly, it takes little to no effort than usual to get up. She’s as light as helium, possibly even making me lighter than usual. She’s on my back as I enter the house. Cruise Control comes in too, shutting the door behind him.

Carbon know what’s up. “Cruise Control. This is important. Wait outside will you?” His voice is deeper than most, though nonthreatening the way he gently speaks.

Cruise Control sighs. “Whatever,” he says, trotting back out and closing the cloud-door behind him.

Each family member stares expectantly at me, so I start. “I’m busting you all out of here.”

They were against the whole thing at first, but once they heard Mom came up with the plan, they were packing furiously to see her again. A husband who anxiously awaited his wife’s unlikely return, a daughter who desperately wanted a mother, her mother, to hold her, a sister who dreamt of playing in the clouds with her older sister once more, and a big brother who wanted to care for his lost little sister and make sure she was safe- All panicked to retrieve cherished belongings as to not lose their Nitrogen again.

A knocking comes from the door in the form of the light rumble of thunder. “Carbon? Deadbolt?” My body goes rigid as does the whole family’s. “You alright in there?”

Helium composes herself and trots to the door. Expectantly, she looks at us, telling us to hide. We’re as silent as the night, creeping up the stairs. I follow Hydrogen into her room, splitting from Carbon and Deadbolt who go through a different door across the hall. Through the cloud-constructed walls, the conversation was clear as a pre-apocalyptic day. I hope Cruise Control didn’t hear everything we were saying earlier. “Mr. Crescent?” Cheer gleams in her voice, happy despite the circumstances. “How are you doing today? Enjoying your day off?”

A hearty chuckle from the stallion lights a comforting mood, again, despite the circumstances. “I wish. Enclave’s orders to check your home. May I come in Ma’am?”

She keeps up her sweet tone. “Why, of course! Would you like some coffee while you’re here, sir?”

“I’d love that Ma’am.” Because steps are silent in the cloud floors, only by dialog could I track their location.

Helium knows it too, and keeps him talking. “Well I could have sworn Saturday was your day off.”

“Heh. Nice to know you remember. Yeah- for every week I’ve been in the Enclave, they’ve let me have Saturdays, but now that I’m rising ranks, they’re moving it to Sundays.”

“At least it’s in the weekend.”

“Yep.” They’re under us, in the kitchen. “Where’s Carbon? Rare I ever see you without him.”

“Oh- well I believe he’s upstairs with Deadbolt, staring their eyes out at some damn terminal. Like a couple of fouls, I swear.” The sound of liquid pouring- Helium serving coffee to the stallion.

He chuckles again. “Makes sense. Deadbolt’s always been that way. How about Helium?”

Helium giggles. Her tone is low and teasingly, she explains. “Helium’s got a friend over~”

I couldn’t help but blush. Hydro freaks out. She knows I’m into mares too now. I facehoof.

“Oh really?” The stallion seems amused. “She finally get with Cruise Control?” He sips his coffee.

Hydro’s jaw drops. She. Is. Pissed.

“Nope,” replies Helium as she giggles. “She’s got a mare over.”

My sister is about to explode, either from anger or embarrassment. Now it was a race between which will push her over the edge. I bet a cap on embarrassment.

“Wow. Never knew her barn door swung that way.” He takes another sip. “I need to check upstairs to fulfill my duties here. I apologize for the intrusion, Ma’am.”

“Oh! Nonsense! You’re just doing your job, sweetie.” Helium spurs another question into the air. “So how are you liking your new wing? They got assigned this week, correct?” They’re at the bottom of the stairs.

Wing?

“Oh they’re great. Cruise is in it.” Starting up the stairs.

“Really? That’s so nice. He’s a good colt.” At the top of the staircase.

“Yep, a sloppy flier though. I’m trying to teach him what flying really is. Can barely maneuver through the clear blue sky.” Outside the door.

“I’m glad he’s got you as his superior. The colt needs a bit more supervision than the rest.” They pass our door.

“Yep.” A pause. “Hello gentlecolts.”

“Crescent! How’re you doing, pal?” asks Dad. The interfering stallion is with Dad and Carbon in whatever room they hid in.

“Doing great, Deadbolt. I’m just checking in. Enclave’s orders.”

“Hey! No reason to hide your antagonizing love for me behind the damn Enclave! I understand Moon- I’m madly in love with myself too.”

The two friends warmly laugh together. “Yeah-yeah. Sure buddy- Keep dreaming!” Their chuckles softly die. “Well I’ll be getting out of your mane now.”

“See ya Sergeant.”

“See ya, repair ponies.”

“See you Crescent,” adds Carbon.

They’re all great friends. My heart hurts, knowing that they would never see each other again- or at least not on good terms.

“I’ve gotta check on the filly,” states Crescent. “Unfortunately.”

Hydrogen suddenly dashes over and grabs me, tossing me onto her super comfortable bed. A second later she’s right up against me. Oh dear Luna! Laying ontop of me, her face slowly nears.

Ah! No!

“Oh jeez.” My head turns to the door. Crescent, the intruding sergeant stands awkward in the doorframe. He’s a light orange stallion with soft red-orange eyes and a white-blue mane and tail.

Hydro’s head violently jerked up. “Crescent! Seriously!?”

“Sorrysorrysorry,” he stammers, backing out of the door and into the hallway, shutting it soundly.

I could hear Helium giggling like crazy outside.

“Oh-uh-um- I’ll be going now,” states the stallion now feeling even more awkward in his unwelcome interruption.

Heliums laughter only dies down slightly. “O-haha-okay Cres-ha-Crescent.”

His wings flapped, growing increasingly distant as he left the house until he was finally out of earshot.

“HELIUM! YOU ARE SUCH A DICK!” yells Hydrogen, super embarrassed.

Helium’s giggles only become louder and she comes into the room, walking all funny. “I-m so-so-s-s-sorry!” She collapses in laughter.

I giggle a bit too. I really thought Hydro was actually gonna kiss me. My heart warms with the realization; this is family.

Deadbolt chuckles his way into the room, Carbon by his side with an amused, small smile on his lips.

Carbon’s smile disappears. “Sorry to interrupt, but we should get going. Nitrogen’s waiting.”

“Nitrogen” makes everypony stop laughing to dash away, continuing their packing.

A Daring Dash

Carbon is the first to finish. His black goggles over his eyes did nothing to cover the piercing blue orbs underneath it’s lightly tinted glass. A battle saddle on his back held two shotguns under his large wings, on each side of his torso. His wings are folded tightly over the lethal weapons. Large saddlebags hold his important gear and possessions. He’s wearing an armored repair jumpsuit with “RoBronco” on it.

Helium is next, arriving in the living room wearing a clean pre-war spring dress. She trots lightly over, practically floating as if she was filled with helium. Her small bag of items goes into her big brother’s bags. She holds no weapons or supplies except for a standard medical box from the Ministry of Peace strapped tightly on her back.

Dad comes in. “Sorry. Uploading the files took a bit longer than expected.” He wears a RoBronco jumpsuit too, except his isn’t as armored, though still enhanced. Tools of all kinds were strapped into his belt. He nods to Carbon.

Carbon nods back. “Everypony ready?”

Hydrogen comes from upstairs, full Enclave armor encasing her and an energy rifle battle saddle ready for combat. “Ready,” she claims.

Carbon nods. He trots up the stairs with Dad.

BOOSH CREEeeeeeee...

Carbon and Dad gallop down the stairs. “Let’s go,” instructs the large pegasus. Helium climbs onto his back as he busts through the door. They lead us to the edge off the city. Pegasi begin to notice us, suspicion building. “Jump!” he yells, diving off the cloud. I stop moving, momentum carrying me a few hoofsteps forward before I tilt off the very edge, peering down to the lower cloud cover that had thinned to expose the dirty Equestrian Wasteland below.

My heart stops. “I can’t fly!” I scream to the diving pegasi.

A second later, Dad’s wings catch the wind, halting his descent. Quickly, he soars back up to me. His legs wrap around me protectively. I lift off the fluffy collection of evaporated water.

Dad’s whole body tightens around me and we dive toward Equestria’s surface- my home for so many years. It is admittedly extremely absolutely uncontrollably terrifying. And it got so much worse as Dad began spinning to quicken our descent.

Shots ring out from the space near us. Dad slows his twirls to see. An Enclave pony- no wait!- Mom- shoots energy enhanced buckshot in response to the Enclave’s continuing attack on her.

“Nitro!”

“Nitrous!”

“Nitrogen!”

“Mom!”

The family yells in their excitement. Mom’s wings beat like a hummingbird’s at her family’s love, thrusting her forward. The Enclave deploys more troops.

Dad’s spinning starts going extremely fast, before it stops. We catch up to Hydro, Carbon, and Helium.

Hydrogen is grinning like mad. She separates from the group, rushing toward the approaching soldiers with her rifle battle saddle. She fires a round. One drops and the others are missed and fire their own weapons.

We land the same time as the body, giving us the pleasure of hearing the meaty thud of the collision. I see it and gag. It’s a pegasus pancake.

There were still about 20 pegasi chasing us.

“Buck me,” cusses Hydrogen as she lands next to me with Mom right behind her.

“Everyone’s wings still flapping?” asks Mom.

“You know it Nitro,” states Dad.

“Let’s do this.” Mom’s tone of voice betrays her slumping body. Her right wing’s shot. The hole created by the bullet glows green around the edges. I wince from Mom’s wound.

Carbon comes over, Helium floats off his back, and Mom takes her place. Instead, Helium settles on my back. “Ready,” cooes Helium with a devilish grin hidden behind my mane.

“Ready,” Mom agrees. Her word kickstarts everypony’s wings, including Helium’s.

Carbon launches into the sky, keeping low to the ground as his wings beat hard. Dad keeps right behind him. Hydrogen holds the Enclave at bay, showering the sky in bullets.

My legs begin moving, throwing me forward. The pegasi flying in front of me slow. No. No way am I slowing them down.

Pain numbs my legs as I push hard to show I’m not weak. Helium weighs nothing and helps greatly to propel me forward with her wings buzzing.

The family quickens or I slow. Shit. No! No! I have to prove I’m more than dust on the road! “Oxygen?” I look behind me to my aunt. “You ready?”

“Ready for what?”

Helium’s wings aren’t visible- that’s how hard she’s flapping. No sound resonates from them either. Slowly we rise from the ground, only momentum carrying us forward. “Hydro! Give us a push will you?”

Hydrogen approaches, going at incredible speeds she soars right under us, an inch away. Helium and I get caught in her winds, racing us forward so far that we find ourselves past the family, which had gotten pretty far away.

“Nice one Helium!” calls Mom from Carbon’s back.

“Woooo!” cheers Helium as she races us forward.

FFFFFZzzzzzzzzzzttt.

I make no sound as my body crumbles and falls to the ground about 10 yards.

“Oxy!” screeches Mom.

Dad races toward me, but I hit the ground first.

CRK!

“OXY!”

The family stops, every one of them huddled around me.

This is family.

“Those bastards are gonna pay Oxy. Just give me a second.”

“No. Don’t,” I weakly sputter. Blood in my throat is a second from hurling me into a coughing fit.

She either ignores me or doesn’t hear my quiet and broken voice. Her battle saddle unfolds as she retrieves something from a bag. Mom empties the bag’s contents into an open chamber in her saddle. It closes with a soft shhh. Her whole battle saddle transforms, molding into a new cannon. The new weapon glows a dangerous green. “BACK OFF NOW OR YOU GET WHAT MY YEARS OF SPARE TIME HAS MADE!”

The incoming pegasi continue to rage on in their attack.

Ffft. A glowing green ball launches into the air to meet the oncoming assault. Pegasi begin to change course for a moment to avoid the object before it collapses in on itself, disappearing. They continue normally, charging on their way to kill us.

Helium turns to Mom for a comment. “Not worki-”

Balefire lights the skies like megaspells from the war’s finishing act, erupting from a point in the middle of the Enclave’s barrage. Pure, searing heat races toward us. Helium is on Carbon, Dad is on Helium, Mom’s under me.

We’re sprinting, soaring for our lives.

“This isn’t the end,” whispers a strained voice underneath me. She’s screaming. Doesn’t sound like it.

The sound wave hits us, and I watch my family helplessly as we tumble. I attempt to reach out my limbs, and stop rolling. Everypony is either dead or unconscious. “I gotta help…” I whimper, trying to drag myself toward the hopefully perfectly fine family. My hooves don’t react. And before blackness drowns my vision I get a look at my crooked and bloody legs.

Strangers' Company

My body’s not answering me, but I can still hear… barking? A dog, barking like mad is getting close. Oh Luna, please tell me it’s not rabid. I feel fur against me. Wha? The panting dog wiggles itself underneath me. My hind leg begins to drag, fire igniting and pillaging my body, so it starts to trot, making higher steps.

“Hurry, get them inside the house!” hearty stallion commands. Thank you Wasteland! Not getting eaten alive! Thank you! “Wafer, get the smaller one!”

“You got it, boss,” replies Wafer, a sweet, small, and young sounding voice. We pass, the speaking mare going back toward where I was to most likely get the smallest of us, Helium.

A squeaky door and some shuffling later, I’m on the floor leaning against another unmoving pony, sticky blood between us, and still unable to move myself.

More barking, the dog(?) distances itself again, coming back one more time arriving by my side, panting uncontrollably, and barking lamely.

Darkness overwhelms me once more, numbing all senses.

When I come to, my body’s heavy though respondent to my commands. I stir, and immediately regret it. Nausea seizes my insides and I puke all over myself.

“Woah!” grimaces the stallion who had rescued us. I can barely seem him, my vision faltering every few moments, making me increasingly dizzy. It’s dark too. I give up on trying to get a look at my savior and just keep my eyes shut tight and body completely still.

“My name is Oxygen,” I squeak like a pubescent colt.

A smile in his voice, he gives a light chuckle despite nothing being funny and me being covered in vomit. “I know that already, the rest of your family is already up and at ‘em.” Just the thing to make me feel extra lousy and insecure. “My name’s Waffletart. Welcome to Half-Hazard’s Junkyard, Waffletart Bed & Breakfast, and Paper’s General Store.”

Hmmm! Mm… MHm….

I’m up once more, my head rising from the pillow under me with a thudding headache. I groan in annoyance and pain. At least my chest’s been wiped free of barf. But the stench is still there. I turn to my side. “AH!” I freak from a mare in my room, panting(!). Standing from the shock, it feels like a sledgehammer is raging in my head, hitting the sides and ringing it like a church bell. I groan again, and still myself. Buck me! I fall over, unexpected splints on my legs making me confused. The hard floor coming into contact with my chin makes me scream in agony. The mare panics, barks, whines, and scampers out the door. She just barked… I- I don’t even-

Barking is outside cluttering the airspace. Talking and such in the house proceeds ponies to arrive by my door. Seven ponies crowd around me, or rather, six ponies and a frightful dog. A light kiss is planted on my head by Mom, now fully visible without her armor from the corner of my eye. “How are you feeling, Oxy?”

“Been better, been worse,” I groan with a dull pain in my itchy throat. A strong hoof and pulls me up off my face and onto my stiff and immobilized legs. “Thanks,” I quickly say to the stallion.

“You’ve been out for a full day now, time to get moving. Enclave are not to be trifled with,” he says, sitting down with a grim look in his eyes and a tight smile. “You best be out of here before they come searching for you.” He’s sad about the situation we find ourselves in. Well, I am too, my poor friend.

“What’s the plan?” my throat creaks like the old stairs of a destructed pre-war ministry.

“We’ve got 2 spare Enclave armored suits, so we’re suiting up Deadbolt and Helium.” The voice explaining everything gives me the hint that the stallion talking is the same one from before I passed out last. He’s a moderately sized guy with a pale blue coat and a short dark brown mane, highlighted blonde, curling at its lengths. His kind sunrise red eyes are on my bruised ribcage.

I nod. Okay.

“Everypony with Enclave gear rolls out now. You and Carbon stay until night to dash,” finishes the stallion. He’s Waffletart, I remember.

Mom pulls around the bedside, and the rest of the leaving family members pile in too. “We’re heading out in a minute, but I just wanted to confirm… Ditzy Do would be okay with us staying there for a night or two, right?”

My mouth tears open, roaring like a manticore from sleepiness. “Yeah... Totally.”