Fallout Equestria: Sundown

Chapter 3: Steel Striders

“You’re so loud!” I squeaked in terror back at the giant thing. I doubt he’d understand me but he did say

speak. And I assume it was a he based off of the booming voice and the fact that everypony else seemed

to be calling it a ‘Paladin Copper Wire’. Wait, was that his name? A pony!

“Hah, too frightened to respond. Scribe Hay Hen, take this one to the entrance of Stable 96. We will

gather the other stable dwellers there as well. Report when the entrance is secure.” Paladin Copper

Wire began barking out orders, but I get the sense I wasn’t supposed to hear those since they sounded

like they were echoing inside of his armor. I covered my ears to try and save them from the onslaught of

his battle saddle’s dual minigun setup as I was dragged away from the fighting by who I assume was

Scribe Hay Hen. I didn’t really resist or try to get away like I probably should have, given the

circumstances. I was too busy trying to not having permanent hearing loss and keeping everything on

my person from slipping off and revealing how much of a ‘not a mutant’ I was to the armored monoliths

that were now surrounding me.

I was finally set down in the entrance of the vault, about four more of those giants in metal were there,

with ten more lighter armed ponies carrying what looked like fancy boxes with triggers somewhere I

couldn’t really see. Two of them, scribes I’m guessing based off of how they were responding to the

orders of the paladins, pointed their fancy boxes at my face while my hooves were tied together and I

was left sitting awkwardly on the floor with a guard rail as my back rest.

Roughly ten minutes and a lot of loud noises that I couldn’t stop myself from wincing later, I saw

Gearbox, Lightswitch, Swift Shot and Emerald being dragged back by as many Paladins to the Stable

entrance and plopped next to me. I was going to give them a smile before I remembered that my fangs

would give me away, so I settled with a small squeak when Gearbox looked at me like I had done

something wrong.

“Steel Rangers! You’re with the Steel Rangers and you set us up for an ambush, didn’t you?!” Gearbox

accused directly into my ear, making me fall over trying to scramble away from the volume of his

assault.

What the hay is a Steel Ranger, anyway? Why did they think I set them up? Was it because I left while

they were talking about me, or that I was already here when they came back? I was tied up! How was I

with these Steel Rangers if I was in the same spot they were in?

“Gearbox, calm down. She’s tied up too. I doubt they would hogtie an informant of theirs.”

Lightswitch tried to reassure Gearbox, who was still glaring daggers at me.

I tried to glare back at him, but my tinted goggles only made my look like I was baring my fangs at him

like an angry bloatsprite.

“What the hell? Does that one have fangs?”

Oh no!

I once again too quickly shut my mouth, causing my fangs to dig into my lip and make me squeak in pain

while the scribe that had seen my fangs galloped off to find a Paladin. Now I was royally screwed.

There’s no way that even the average wastelander can look past fangs, let alone these types in their

super armor with a ton of weaponry won’t immediately think I’m some mutant out to drink their blood.

I still don’t know why these four next to me didn’t shoot me on sight the moment they saw me, but now

I was definitely dead.

The scribe later returned with who I assume was Paladin Copper Wire and Scribe Hay Hen.

“Waster, Scribe Steady Trot accuses you of being mutated by the wastelands. What say you?” Paladin

Copper Wire said, looming over me with a few more scribes ready to blast me with their boxes that shot

light.

Oh no, oh no, ohno-no-no-no-no-nononono I don’t want to die! They look like they’re going to kill me!

What do I do?! I took a peek up at them, and there was more than enough firepower aimed at my head

to turn me into a Balefire crater. So I did the only thing I could do in a situation like this. I flopped over

on my side, trying to wiggle away and out of my bindings while crying my eyes out in sheer terror at my

imminent and painful death.

“Don’t hurt her! She’s a Batpony! Goddess Luna smite you if you touch her!” Nurse Swift Shot blurted

out, sealing my fate for all eternity as the most unlucky of Bat ponies in existence.

I balled myself up as best I could, slamming my eyes shut and waited for my painful death. Then nothing

happened. I thought that maybe they were messing with me, so I tried to make myself even smaller

before I noticed my goggles were being pulled at. I tried to stop whoever was pulling at them, but my

hooves were bound and my wiggling was put to a stop by a very heavy and cold metal hoof stepping on

my wings, to which I squeaked out again in pain because he was pressing on me like they weren’t

supposed to be there. The goggles finally came off with small streaks of my panicked tears, and I blinked

them away to clear my vision as the Scribes set about taking off all of my equipment. Normally this

would make me feel exposed and in even greater danger, but considering that I was dead anyway, I

resigned myself to a shaky tremble and squeaky sobbing, the thought of them tearing my wings off

crossing my mind not more than a few times as the Tunic finally slipped off past my roped hooves.

“Waster, Speak now. Are these changes a result of mutation, Taint or Killing Joke? I would not think

you would be Enclave as they have a tendency to not like mutation or transformation magic to begin

with.” Paladin Copper Wire said, his tone less menacing and more of curiosity.

I tried my best to speak, honestly. But you know my voice, it only comes out as squeaks no matter what I

do.

“She can’t talk normally. Her voice is too high pitched for us to hear. Leave her alone!” Lightswitch

growled at the Steel Ranger, before a scribe gagged her with some hoof kerchief on the spot.

“Paladin Copper Wire, I have a suggestion.” Scribe Hay Hen offered.

“Go ahead, Hay Hen.”

“If she really is a Batpony, and her voice is too high to speak, we can modify a radio set to alter the

frequencies so she should be barely within our hearing range. I’d have to patch it in through your

helmet, and everypony else’s conversations would be too low for you to hear, so you’ll be effectively

deaf while speaking with the waster.” The Scribe explained.

“Make it so, Scribe Hay Hen. Set a time for one minute so I can remain updated on our status

exploring the stable.”

After I had somewhat gathered myself and it didn’t look like I was immediately going to be turned into

an ash stain on the floor in my immediate future, I was hoofed a radio to speak into to talk with Paladin

Copper Wire.

“Waster, State your purpose here.” The Paladin demanded.

“Oh, your voice isn’t loud! If you’re not going to kill me, can you thank the scribe for not making your

voice so head splittingly deafening?” I almost hugged the radio, but I figured that would get me shot for

trying to mate with equipment or something from these ponies perspective.

“Loud? I was speaking to you normally.” I assume he was giving me an annoyed glare, but with the

helmet I couldn’t be sure.

“Your normal is my deafeningly loud. My hearing is really sensitive, and I heard you all stomping around

outside a few minutes before you all tried to bring Equestria crashing down on everypony. I thought you

were slavers with all the clanking and grumbling, so I went back in here to tell these four that you were

probably the slavers I had run into earlier, but they were all gone. Then a bunch of shooting started and

you were standing over me.” I was trying to explain everything as fast as possible before my minute was

up in an effort to not get killed by annoying the Paladin.

“You heard us? Clanking and grumbling was it? And you were exactly where I found you when you heard

all of this, yes?” To my surprise, he didn’t sound like he was angry at me personally, so I clarified.

“I was over at the other entrance, the one on the right from here. Then I moved over to where you

found me. You’re not going to kill me for looking weird, right?” I risked asking.

Then my radio beeped, and his voice got to its typical loudness again.

“Hmm… I think this ‘batpony’ is telling the truth. She says that she heard us coming before our

skirmish and went looking for these other four, only to find them gone. I would think that if you’d

kept this one close by, you could have avoided us altogether.” He said with a chuckle to the group next

to me, who were all grumbling their annoyance with Gearbox.

“As for the rest of you, the next time we perform a stealth mission, I don’t want to hear from one of

our targets that you were quote ‘clanking and grumbling’ so loudly she heard you coming moments

before we arrived!” The leader of this group of Steel Rangers scolded.

Targets? Oh great. I’m still a special on the ‘death and dismemberment’ menu. Moon Goddess save me!

“Yes, Paladin!” They insisted on shouting in unison.

Then I remembered he had said something about exploring the stable, and I risked waving a hoof near

his face to get his attention. His head swiveled in my direction, and I eagerly pointed to the radio I was

holding and made talking motions, fangs be damned.

“Scribe Hay Hen, another session if you would. This had better be important, Batpony.”

Beep. Click.

“This thing is working now, right?” I asked, and received a nod from the Paladin.

“Okay, I remember the group next to me talking about how one of them had ‘killed the Stable’ with

some kind of gas that makes ponies fuse to their equipment, the walls, or just outright melt. I thought

you’d want to know in case you sent anypony down there. I don’t know if they were just saying that, but

I figured that you wouldn’t shoot me if I helped out your group. Oh I just said that out loud, didn’t I? I’m

gonna stop talking now…” I said while slowly putting down the radio from my face and trying to appear

small as possible to the giant, metal clad powerhouse of a Paladin standing over me.

“Did they say what color this gas was? I wouldn’t think pink cloud would be so far from Canterlot, let

alone in a Stable.” He inquired.

“Oh!” I fumbled and brought the radio back up to speak. “They just said that ‘It was Emerald’s special

mix’ or something like that. You could ask the white and green pony over there about it, but she’s kinda

mean.” I explained, then realized I was talking to a walking armory, and I doubted he would’ve cared

how mean somepony was when he could just as easily turn them into fertilizer by sneezing.

Beep. Click.

Whelp, here goes nothing I guess.

“You there, white and green Pegasus. Is your name ‘Emerald’?” Copper Wire asked Emerald, who was

fidgeting around on the ground, trying to get out of her binding I think.

She stopped struggling and looked up with panic, before trying to set me on fire with her eyes and

responded, “Yeah, that’s me. What’s it to you?”

She was going to get herself killed, speaking like that! I just hope those Steel Rangers have enough good

sense to not let me get hit with the crossfire when they decide she’d look better as wallpaper.

“Explain the reports of gas in the Stable we are occupying. Is this Pink Cloud?” The Paladin was now

looming over Emerald instead of me, so I squeaked a sigh of relief and slinked into a corner to try and

hide before any of the Rangers decided that I needed to get tied up again. They mostly seemed intent on

watching Copper Wire, so I think they weren’t all that attentive. The two scribes that had pointed their

weapons at me earlier were trying to get past the Stable’s console controls in the far end of the room,

and others were moving supply boxes around and patching armoring for the Paladins that had received

a few hits in the fighting. I don’t think it was from the four though, they didn’t seem to have any

weapons on them to begin with.

“Pink? Naw, my stuff is green. ‘Cause I’m Emerald, not Pink-erald. Or whatever a pink gem is.”

Emerald seemed like her ego had been bruised from the way she was sniping at the Paladin.

“Rhodonite?” a stallion unicorn scribe who was shifting boxes around had helpfully suggested, with a

pink coat, auburn and ginger mane, and a Cutiemark that was probably a Rhodonite.

“Thank you, Scribe Clear Report.” The paladin said with a groan.

The scribe responded by snapping to attention with a salute, and belted out, “Yes, Paladin Copper Wire!

I am glad to be of service to you in this operation and will endeavor to be of further assistance even if

not directly called upon, Sir!” Then resumed lifting boxes and remaining oblivious to several hoof

covered faces surrounding him. I then heard muffled grumbling from the Paladin’s armor that sounded

roughly like ‘That unicorn is going to be the death of us all.’

Abruptly clearing his throat for effect, he returned his attentions to Emerald who was sneering at him

from the floor.

“So, this gas of yours. How long until it dissipates? Can it be removed by water spray? Exactly how

long of an exposure until it is lethal? Does it attack just flesh or does it affect materials as well? Is

there any kind of protection against it?” he interrogated, moving closer to Emerald with every question

until they were face to armored helmet from each other.

“Get out of my face, tin can!” She shouted, ears flattened backwards in annoyance while she struggled

more with the ropes.

Then I saw Scribe Clear Report’s ears perk up on hearing ‘tin can’ and he raised a hoof to point out

something before he was tackled by several more Scribes nearby and gagged before he could speak.

At this point, I was busy trying to navigate myself away from the small army of heavily armed and

armored ponies so I wouldn’t get killed when the metaphorical fan was hit with the fecal matter that

was bound to come flying out of this situation.

“I don’t usually stick around long enough to nerd out about it, Tinny. All I know is that it does its job

good enough that I don’t have to worry about ponies coming back to kill me, and I know for sure that

anypony down in that Stable is toast!” she grimaced, before looking away with a pained expression.

Copper Wire stood still for a moment, before turning to a group of scribes and ordered them to find the

box with sealed environmental suits before looking to where I used to be.

“What the- Who was watching the Batpony!?” he shouted in anger to nopony in particular. From the

way every Steel Ranger in the area froze and looked at him, then between themselves in confusion, my

guess is that they all had assumed somepony else was watching me at went off to do their own thing.

Scribe Clear Report was squirming on the ground, muffling his words through the hoof kerchief in his

mouth. The Paladin moved over, and had the scribes remove the gag.

When a bulky earth pony that had been sitting on him got off, he bolted upright to attention with a

salute, and again belted out, “Paladin Copper Wire, I saw the Batpony target sneak away while your

attention was focused on the Pegasus. I saw fit to inform you before I was silenced by my ‘comrades’,

Sir.”

The glare he gave spoke volumes of annoyance that should’ve been recorded by somepony in the room,

considering they were mostly scribes, while ponies tried to shrink out of sight of the Paladin.

Copper Wire stomped a hoof on the ground, causing a loud clanging noise of powered metal against

catwalk that had me squeak in pain from the ventilation system I was attempting to crawl through. Yes I

can fit in a ventilation system! I’m flexible, but don’t get any ideas!

“There, in the ventilation ducts!” a pony near me had shouted.

Oh crap, now they’re going to turn ME into ventilation!

Sure enough, I heard a lot of clicking and electrical noises that sounded like their magic laser rifles being

loaded and pointed at my general area.

“Batpony, Get out of the vent or we will be forced to remove you from it. You have ten seconds to

climb out before we open fire.” Copper Wire mandated.

Oh no, don’t panic! Don’t panic! I can do this!

I looked down the length of the vent, and realized that it would take me a whole minute of frantic

movement to reach the end, and now there was no way I had time enough to move out the way I had

come to get into the vent. I decided to look down at the vent next to me, cover my ears, and Screech as

loud as I possibly could into the metal.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

But to the ponies in the room, I assume it sounded more like an ear splitting banshee’s wail being

repeated by the metal vibrating so fiercely that it buckled from under me as I started falling to the floor

from the shattered fragments scattering away. I fell down in what seemed like slow motion as I saw

ponies crumple to the floor holding their ears and writhing on the ground, trying to save themselves

from the sheer volume while the Paladins had swayed slightly and began shooting where I had been

moments before.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

Zap! Zap-Za-Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTT

The vent I had remained in had been cut from the ceiling, falling on top of me but not crushing me as I

had made a perfect hole for my body with my screaming, so I instead compressed myself as small as I

could to avoid stray weapons fire and general death zooming all over the place.

“-ase fire, cease fire now! I SAID HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Paladin Copper Wire bellowed out, trying to drown

out the cacophony of weapons fire with his amplified voice.

Eventually, shell casings and the sound of magic rifles powering down filled the room, amidst groaning

and complaining about ringing in the ears. Soon afterwards, I heard creaking as the vent was lifted off of

me to stare up at Paladin Copper Wire, his weapons not glowing hot like the other Paladin’s had been,

as he stared at me through that metal helmet of his.

To say I was shivering and trying to disappear into the floor would’ve been an understatement as to how

badly I did not want to be the center of so much firepower’s attention. The Paladin then finished with a

shove of the vent, it clanging behind me and rolling a bit on the backs of some shell casings before

banging into somepony’s hoof, who then yelped in pain.

He pointed at a scribe nearby, “Scribe, Radio now.” Before looking back down at me.

The scribe hurriedly floated a radio over to me, and I heard a click and beep.

“Explain yourself immediately.” He stated without hesitation.

“W-w-Weapons! Death bad! Aaah!” was the only thing I could get out before I was reduced to a sobbing

wreck on the floor, trying to crawl into the vent again but being held in the air by a few scribes joining

forces to levitate me with their cheating unicorn powers. They floated me around to be eye to eye with

Copper Wire.

“Try again. Explain yourself slowly.” Copper Wire stated calmly.

After a moment of trying to regain myself and not freak out, the radio gave a beep and a click, then was

resumed by Scribe Hay Hen a moment later.

“I… I just don’t want to die because of those idiots over there yelling at you! You’re all a walking armory

and they just keep saying stupid shit that’s going to get me killed!” I said between sputters of tears and

sobs to the unflinching behemoth before me.

“You are not allied with those four over there?” He asked flatly.

“N-no?” Then I realised I probably just got myself killed with that, and blurted out “Please don’t kill me!

You’re a nice pony and I don’t want to die! I won’t scream again I promifff”

He had stuck an armored hoof in my mouth!

Copper Wire stared at me for several moments before the radio clicked and beeped again, then turned

to the four that had somehow not caught a stray beam nor bullet that whole time, but were staring

daggers at me.

“Release the batpony, but keep her guarded this time.” He called over his shoulder, a bit of annoyance

in his voice.

I was dumped unceremoniously to the ground, and had my hooves tied to one another, then some rope

tied my wings to the ropes tying my hooves, as I sat there looking like a ball of rope with a Batpony head

sticking out.

“Yes, Paladin Copper Wire! I will keep her guarded to-“ Clear Report had managed to get out before

getting cut off with several ‘Shut the buck up!’s from nearby Scribes and even another Paladin.

Copper Wire paused for a moment, before looking down and speaking to Gearbox.

“Is this Batpony a member of your party?” he asked plainly.

“Not on my life, she aint!” Gearbox angrily retorted.

Then Copper Wire moved to the next in line, Lightswitch.

“Do you care about the life of this Batpony?” he pressed.

“I’ve only known her for less than an hour before you brutes showed up!” She scoffed

He moved to the next, Emerald.

“Would you care if this pony was killed in front of you?” he said a bit too happily, as my hopes sank

through the floor at making this out alive.

“She doesn’t talk, but she isn’t that bad! Leave her alone, she doesn’t deserve you toasters killing her

just for being who she is!” Emerald yelled at Copper, before giving me a curious glance and returning to

glare at the paladin.

“Hmm.” He said, apparently disinterested.

Then he moved to the last, Swift Shot.

“That uniform. It is Enclave, is it not?” he said, a note of detachment in his voice.

“I wouldn’t know anything about any Enclave, Ranger.” Swift stated with a poker face.

“Is that so? Then you wouldn’t mind removing that uniform to look at your cutie mark, would you?”

Cutie mark? What does that have to do with the ‘Enclave’? For that matter, what the hay is the Enclave

anyway? Aren’t they those Pegasai that left before the war so we’d all be stuck down here with no sun?

“Don’t you touch me, Ranger!” she blurted, losing her composure.

“Name, Rank and Serial Number.” Copper Wire ordered.

Swift muttered under her breath, before looking right into his face and spitting on his mask.

“Alright then. I’ll just have to take it out on the Batpony to get answers then.” He menaced before

turning about to move straight at me. I would’ve done something like panic, but I wasn’t even able to

twitch a muscle, let alone move. Screaming would just get me killed anyway, so I was royally screwed

now.

“Don’t you touch her!” Emerald and Swift Shot shouted in unison, before looking in surprise at each

other, then doing their best to bore holes in Copper Wire’s armor from behind.

“Something you’d like to say, then?” He turned around to face Swift Shot.

“Emerald Storm, Corporal, 944-312.”

“Swift Shot, Corporal, 944-313.” They both stated in a tone of resignation.

“You’re both Enclave then? That was unexpected. Of the same unit no doubt as well. Sign up

together?”

“What do you care, Toaster?” Emerald growled at the paladin.

“I want to know what two Pegasai, an earth pony and a unicorn are doing around a stable in a ruined

city, and why it’s so important that they sent you two down here disguised (Poorly, I would add) as

waste landers with suitable cover stories and unmarked as Dash-ites.” The paladin retorted.

Dash-ite?

“Why don’t you go breathe in some chemicals to find out? Theres plenty down there just waiting for

you, Paladin.” Emerald sneered.

“Oh, well I’d much rather send somepony expendable, like this Batpony here. It’s too bad we hadn’t

planned for any Bat ponies in our mission, or we would’ve brought some wing coverings for her. She’ll

just have to… Wing it, I guess.” He said without any mirth whatsoever.

This is all because I said he was ‘nice’ isn’t it? He just went full comic book villain the moment I said that

too. Are you enjoying this, Celestia? I bet you are, you great fat ball of—

Eep! Paladin Copper Wire was standing directly over me, and I hadn’t even noticed again.

“Scribe, Radio.” He barked out.

Beep. Click.

“Don’t mind the show. I’m trying to interrogate them before I move my team deeper in the Stable and

since they only reacted to your impending doom, I went with it.” Paladin Copper Wire explained.

If I was physically able, I would’ve melted with relief at me not having an impending and gruesome

death.

“So, you’re not going to make me go into a death stable and choke to death while melting?” I said like a

foal getting a present on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“No, but for now I would ask that you play along and act very distressed as soon as the radio shuts off.

Otherwise even more ponies are going to die just trying to get the Stable open, let alone getting the

technology inside that we’re here for in the first place. Don’t make any move that would signal

agreement with me. Wait a few moments so I can radio to my fellow paladins, then scream loud, just

not enough to injure any-“

Beep. Click.

How long does he want me to wait? Oh I know, look of confusion followed by scared look, then I’ll wiggle

around like I’m trying to escape and then-

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!” I screeched less loudly than before, but just enough that it decked several scribes

nearby, while some paladins moved to carry me away while putting another of the seemingly endless

supply of hoof kerchiefs into my mouth.

They carried me far enough away that I barely made out the cries of Emerald and Swift Shot calling after

me and getting cross with Copper Wire while he did his best evil pony laugh he could muster. Later, they

set me down next to a few initiates who were caught playing poker in a store room, as they were told to

unbind me and make sure I didn’t leave the room.

The door sliding shut with a metallic clang, I shared awkward looks with the group of scribes who were

trying their best to not seem like they were staring at my outlandish-ness.

“Um, Hello. I’m Initiate Card Swipe. These are Initiates Hat Trick and Cheese Wheel. Don’t ask.” Then

he did the whole ‘Hoof Shake’ thing at me! Even these Steel Rangers insist on it! The wastes are mad, I

tell you.

He must’ve noticed my blank stare at his hoof, because he smoothly swung it up to brush back his mane,

before turning around to sit down at the makeshift table of Boxes with an awkward cough.

“Are you a mutant?” Cheese Wheel, I assumed from the wheel of cheese on his flank had asked,

hopping around like an excited foal around me.

“You look like a mutant! You got funny eyes and silly wings and oooooh, those are some pointy teeth

you have Miss Mutant! How’d you get tho—aaah!?” He was pulled aside, putting a stop to his barrage

of questions by Hat Trick, who gave Cheese Wheel a light smack across his face before setting him down

in a chair.

“Don’t mind him, He’s not all there. I’m Hat Trick, what’s your name?” The mare of the group asked.

I blinked a few times, made a squeaky noise, and then realized they can’t hear me without the fancy

radio. I pointed at my Cutie mark of a sunset, and pointed down with my hoof.

“Um sure, there’s a seat over there if you want to sit down?” Card Swipe offered.

I tried not to face hoof, then made a point of me… pointing… at the sun part of my cutie mark.

“Sun?” Cheese Wheel questioned, her voice drawn out as if searching for another word.

I nodded yes while pointing at her, then pointed down at the floor.

The three of them looked to where I was pointing, and said in unison “Grate?”

I face hoofed, fell on my haunches and let out a squeak of despair at them being so close and yet so far

away.

Hat Trick looked like she had a flash of inspiration, then hoofed me a black marker and a blank card.

I nodded with a fanged smile at her, which had the result of her shivering for some reason, before

writing Sundown the Batpony on the card. When I showed it to them, they let out a resounding

“Ooooohhhh.”

The door then abruptly wooshed open, two paladins looking in to see me holding a card in between my

fangs with a surprised and wide eyed look at them when I whipped around.

“Sundown the batpony… got it.” Then they slammed the door shut with a click this time.

“Uh, what do you think that was about?” Cheese asked.

“Maybe they didn’t get her name before they sent her down here?” Card Swipe speculated.

I shrugged and set the card down on the table with a squeaky ‘Bleh’, and took a corner to take a nap in.

Then I noticed I hadn’t eaten or used the filly’s room in about a day, and squirmed as I both held my

stomach and did my best to do the ‘Potty Dance’ to express my needs.

After a few moments of confusion at my spasmodic display, it finally clicked and they tried opening the

door to get out.

“Aw great. They locked the door!” Hat Trick complained.

“Well, we’ll just have to get it open, now wont we!” Card Swipe grinned, spreading ear to ear as he

rubbed his hooves together with glee.